PF Chang’s Orange Chicken Review
Author’s note: Not a paid or sponsored review. I have no affiliation with PF Chang’s or Publix. These are my own silly opinions.
One of these things is not like the others.
I remember going to a PF Chang’s restaurant 20 years ago and ordering the Orange Chicken. It was stunningly delicious. I loved it.
But this frozen meal does not deserve to be discussed in the same paragraph. It is nothing like the restaurant meal.
For starters, the “breaded chicken” is both squashy and tough. It’s flaccid on the outside, and chewy on the inside. It appears to be heavily processed, like a cheap chicken nugget. But worse. Because at least chicken nuggets are crispy and flavorful.
Some of my chicken had lost their soggy breading by the time the meal was finished cooking. I am not a fan of the distressingly mechanical shape of the nuggets. Although it is fitting for the disagreeable processed texture. This is the most un-natural-tasting chicken I’ve had in a while. Borderline awful.
(Looking for an Asian meal with a better chicken texture? Check out my review of Bibigo Sweet & Spicy Crunchy Korean Chicken.)
I like the vegetables. The carrot sticks are perky, with good color and fresh flavor. The edamame is firm and bright, with juuuust enough softness. I loved the crunchy crispness of the water chestnut slices. I had to stop myself from picking all of them out of the pan and eating them immediately. Delicious.
The sauce is OK. It’s sticky-sweet. By the time the meal finishes cooking, it has a syrupy thickness. It smells wonderful — a teriyaki savory smell. Addictive flavor. The citrus notes are a bit more elusive, although I did find several chewy-soft orange peel fragments. There’s a coy salty-spiciness that I appreciated. Not enough to be truly “hot. But flavorful.
(Have you tried Sumo Citrus? Here’s my review.)
How to cook the meal
I do appreciate the convenience of this meal. It comes in a frozen bag, and you just dump the contents into a hot skillet and cook for 10-ish minutes. The first five minutes are covered, and the last 4-6 are uncovered while stirring.
My frozen bits seemed to be in excellent condition — no freezer burn or weirdness. Nothing stuck together in awkward contortions, either. The sauce is in neat-o frozen cubes.
I served mine over freshly cooked basmati rice. One cup dry rice was the right amount for the entire 22 ounce bag.
Ingredients in PF Chang’s Orange Chicken Frozen Meal
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients, from the label:
- Sauce: Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt, Alcohol, Vinegar, Lactic Acid), Canola Oil, Tomato Paste, Modified Corn Starch, Garlic, Less than 2% of: Ginger, Distilled Vinegar, Dried Orange Peel, Chili Paste (Red Chili Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Garlic, Salt), Gelatin, Oyster Sauce (Water, Sugar, Salt, Oyster Extractives [Oyster, Water, Salt], Corn Starch, Natural Flavors.
- Vegetables: Carrots, Water Chestnut, Edamame.
- Battered Chicken: Chicken Breast, Water, Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Yellow Corn Flour, Rice Starch, Less than 2% of: Salt, Dextrose, Egg Whites, Sodium Phosphate, Natural Flavors.
I appreciate that this meal is sweetened with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
More information from the label:
- No preservatives
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
Are you wondering why it says “no preservatives,” and yet contains sodium phosphate? So am I.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is about 1 cup after cooking, and contains 400 calories. You get 17 grams of protein and 13 grams of fat ( 1.5 grams saturated fat). There are 54 grams total carbohydrates, of which 4 grams are fiber and 33 grams are sugar (28 grams “added sugar”). You get 36% your daily value sodium and 13% your daily value cholesterol per serving.
Price and Servings
I bought my 22 ounce bag on sale for $6.99 at Publix. But the regular price is $8.99. Since there are 2.5 servings per package, each serving would cost $3.60 at the regular price.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my bag allowed less than 9 months to consume. A relatively short shelf life for a frozen product.
Dramatic Conclusion
Personally? I think PF Chang’s is doing themselves a disservice by selling this meal under their name. If I’d never been to a PF Chang’s restaurant before, I wouldn’t bother, based on this meal. It could be improved dramatically by fixing the chicken quality. This chicken is insultingly bad. I said what I said.
The Awesome-o-Meter rates PF Chang’s Orange Chicken a cranky “Meh.”
The End.
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