Panda Express Celebrates 30 Years of Original Orange Chicken

Panda Express, America's favorite Chinese kitchen, today celebrates the 30th birthday of the Original Orange Chicken, its signature dish of crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce. Introduced to guests in 1987 by former Executive Chef Andy Kao, the Original Orange Chicken recipe quickly became a guest favorite. Now, 285,000 people order it every day and more than 70 million pounds of Orange Chicken are served at Panda Express each year.

Wong Fu Productions will join in on the fun with an all-new video premiering on Nov. 1. The video will chronicle the amusing journey of Phil Wang as he attempts to create an at-home Orange Chicken dish. After running into a number of hurdles, he soon discovers that nothing beats the Original Orange Chicken recipe and the experience one gets from enjoying it at their local Panda Express restaurant. In fact, more than 50 percent of Panda Express guests select Orange Chicken as part of their meal.

In addition to celebrating Orange Chicken's fandom, the relationship between Panda Express and Wong Fu was created to ignite a broader conversation around how Americans define comfort food and the influence American Chinese cuisine has on the national food scenein this case, Orange Chicken.

As the home of American Chinese food, Panda Express sets out to create dishes that reflect its Chinese origins while also appealing to the American palate. Ever so true for its Orange Chicken, Panda Express had no idea how deeply America would fall in love with the unique menu item. Sweet and crispy with a touch of heat, the combination of flavors struck a chord with people in a way few dishes do.

"Our goal is to create moments of happiness and spark new traditions for guests who dine with us and enjoy our American Chinese dishes," said Andrea Cherng, chief marketing officer of Panda Restaurant Group. "As our most popular and beloved menu item, Orange Chicken ignites these feel-good emotions and helps create special memories and customs by bringing people together to share in its goodness."

Orange Chicken's 30th birthday comes on the heels of the introduction of Panda Express' new takeout box, available in stores now. An American Chinese creation itself, the takeout box has become a trusted symbol of comfort, much like Orange Chicken. The redesigned takeout box, featuring a traditional pagoda design, creates a gateway for guests to share in both the Chinese and American origins that create the culture and traditions at Panda Express.

To take part in Orange Chicken's 30th birthday, Panda Express encourages its guest to visit their favorite Panda Express location to enjoy the entree.

For more information about Panda Express, please visit www.PandaExpress.com. For media inquiries, please contact Panda@havasformula.com.

About Panda Express
Panda Express, America's favorite Chinese kitchen, is best known for its wide variety of original recipes including its Original Orange Chicken, SweetFire Chicken Breast, award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp and Shanghai Angus Steak. Founded in 1983 and now with more than 1,900 locations throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, Guatemala, Canada, Mexico, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Korea, and Japan, Panda Express is part of the family owned and operated Panda Restaurant Group, the world leader in Asian dining experiences that also includes Panda Inn and Hibachi-San. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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