Why Your Favorite Panda Express Chicken Dish Never Uses White Meat

Are you a fan of dark meat or white meat? Restaurants selling chicken sandwiches and chicken nuggets often advertise using white meat in an attempt to convince you of a product's quality. But when it comes to Panda Express's extremely popular orange chicken, no white meat is included.

It's no secret that professional chefs often prefer chicken thighs over chicken breast. In an interview, Panda Express culinary director Jimmy Wang explained why the chain only uses dark meat in its orange chicken. "In authentic Chinese cuisine, dark meat chicken is often preferred over white meat for its depth in natural flavor, texture, juiciness, and ability to take on flavor of the marinades," he says.

As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and Wang has been proven right by Panda Express fans. Orange chicken is a favorite among customers, and it's the dish we ranked the best out of all their menu offerings. The dish was originally created back in 1987 and quickly became the chain's most popular item. It has even been credited with starting the Chinese takeout craze in America, as about one-third of all Panda Express sales in 2021 were orange chicken, per NBC News.

The battle of white meat versus dark meat comes down to several factors. Customer demand often drives the presence of chicken breast on menus since it has been positioned as a healthier alternative to dark meat. This harkens back to the 1980s, when the low-fat diet trend took off and boneless chicken breast became the most desirable cut. It is also a more consistent product in terms of size and value because chickens are raised to have larger breasts, which provides more usable meat for restaurants making sandwiches, chicken tenders, or nuggets.

Thighs are harder to debone and more popular in markets abroad, so the meat was often exported to countries like China and Mexico, while white meat was kept stateside. However, that trend is shifting again. Americans are finding more appreciation for thigh meat, and processing boneless thighs has become easier. The secret of many chefs is now out, and that means everyone can enjoy what is arguably the more flavorful and juicier cut.

Panda Express doesn't exclusively serve thigh meat. Other dishes at the restaurant are made with white meat. "We strive to offer an array of menu items for different preferences, including using white meat chicken for all of our limited-time offerings and core menu entree chicken breast," Wang adds. It's all about giving variety to customers and matching the best cut of meat to the right recipe.