The Best and the Worst of Panda Express
Photo of Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Broccoli Beef, and Honey Walnut Shrimp
Courtesy of the Panda Express website
Many students at Catlin Gabel School (CGS) enjoy going off-campus for lunch, but they often go to the same few restaurants and order the same few things every time. One of the largest victims of the latter is our local Panda Express. Even though they offer nine different entrees and usually one or two limited-time entrees, students frequently get the same meal every time.
This repetitive nature has led to limited attendance to Panda Express from CGS students even though people’s tastes change over time. Junior Nolan Swaim said; “I don’t go to Panda Express that often, usually about once every couple of months.” Today I seek to educate and inform the student body on what Panda Express is like, and hopefully inspire them to try something new during their next visit. Here are my reviews and my ranking of all of the standard entrees at Panda Express, from worst to best.
Note: All entrees were eaten alongside the chow mein and one other entree, except for the Kung Pao Chicken which was eaten just with the Chow Mein. Even though it remains on the website, the Black Pepper Chicken was removed from the menu during the COVID-19 Pandemic and was thus not included in this article. All images are courtesy of the Panda Express website.
Starting off the list in last place, we have the Beijing Beef. This dish is a mix of fried pieces of beef, red bell peppers, and slices of onion in “sweet-tangy sauce.” Many restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants like Panda Express, shy away from frying their beef because, unless done perfectly, it makes the meat tough and hard to eat. This dish is no exception.
The small pieces of meat are difficult to chew and the peppers do little to enhance the dish. Even though I am somewhat of an onion fan, The chunks of onion in the Beijing Beef are far too large and take away from the rest of the dish. Finally, the sauce is one of the spiciest sauces that come with any regular entree but isn’t very strong in the flavor department.
#8: Honey Sesame Chicken Breast
The Honey Sesame Chicken Breast is the worst of all the chicken dishes at Panda Express. The honey sesame sauce is too sweet and doesn’t go well with the bitter green beans or with the sweeter bell pepper. The dish feels like it is missing some real flavor that could tie it together.
Other chicken dishes that appear later on this list have some strong identity that makes them feel complete, but this doesn’t. The sesame has the potential to create a cohesive flavor but currently there is not nearly enough.
#7: Black Pepper Angus Steak
The Black Pepper Angus Steak is a better version of the Beijing Beef. While not as spicy, it has much more actual flavor and is cooked in a way that doesn’t negatively affect it. Unlike the Beijing beef, the Black Pepper Angus Steak is seared in a wok, and not fried.
Thus, it is much easier to eat, and just generally tastes better. My main complaint is with the non-steak parts of the dish. There are too many large pieces of bell pepper and mushroom, and, similar to the Beijing Beef, there are too many large onion pieces. Overall it’s not bad, but definitely has room to improve. This is one of the two premium dishes on the menu, costing an extra $1.95.
#6: Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is my recommendation for people who want something spicy. It is spicier than the Beijing Beef, while still flavorful and cohesive. I usually like larger, more distinct pieces of meat, but the way that the small chicken pieces mix with the assorted vegetables works very well.
The peanuts strewn throughout are unexpected, and while they don’t take away from the dish at all, they don’t add that much. The crunch they give is nice, but the dish would be fine without them.
#5: Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken is the Panda Express specialty, and it shows. I am not usually a fan of sweet sauces with my meat, but you can tell that a lot of work has gone into balancing the sweetness of the orange with the spiciness to make sure neither was too strong. It is a pretty simple dish, which I would recommend to anyone who doesn’t know where to start.
#4: Mushroom Chicken
The Mushroom Chicken was the most surprisingly good entree I tried. Initially, the addition of mushrooms and zucchini didn’t sound very appealing for a chicken dish, but somehow they managed to taste pretty good.
I think it was the sauce that did this. The soy and ginger sauce would make anything taste good and works especially well with the chicken. By itself, I'd say that the sauce is the most flavorful of any of the ones from Panda Express and is absolutely the highlight of this dish.
#3: Teriyaki Chicken
Unlike other dishes, the Teriyaki Chicken doesn’t have any vegetables or breading to go with the main meat; it is just the chicken and the sauce. By themselves, the slices of Teriyaki Chicken are delicious, but where they shine is when paired with another dish. Sometimes when you order entrees that have a vegetable as a main element of the dish, you might get more veggie than meat, and having the Teriyaki Chicken to pair with this is a life-saver.
#2: Honey Walnut Shrimp
Many people may be wary about getting any kind of seafood from a fast-food restaurant, and while this is a warranted fear, Honey Walnut Shrimp is too good not to try at least once. The combination of a mainly sweet sauce and a protein hasn’t worked well for other dishes on this list, but the main difference here is the shrimp. It provides its own distinct and unique flavor which chicken doesn’t. This is one of the two premium dishes on the menu, costing an extra $1.95.
The powerful flavor of the shrimp allows the rest of the dish to lean into its sweet identity and fully commit to it with the glazed walnuts. The Honey Walnut Shrimp is unlike any of the other entrees from Panda Express.
#1: Broccoli Beef
Finishing off the list in first place we have Broccoli Beef. Broccoli Beef is, as the name would suggest, a mix of broccoli florets and thinly sliced beef in a ginger-soy sauce. The tenderness of the meat pairs beautifully with the fresh crunch of the broccoli, and the sauce is just the right amount of sweet, while still going well with the beef. Having both a meat and a vegetable as the centerpieces of the dish allows for it to pair well with dishes of many different varieties.
It can serve as the much-needed vegetable serving when eaten alongside the Honey Walnut Shrimp of Teriyaki Chicken, or it can be the primary protein when eaten alone. Broccoli Beef is a classic that will remain near the top of the list for years to come.