Panda Express Crispy Almond Chicken Breast features chicken breast pieces coated in a new, crunchy rice-puff breading that are deep-fried and then wok-tossed with a "Shanghai-inspired" soy garlic sauce, sliced almonds, and green onions.
A plate (which comes with two entrees and a side) costs $8.40 but I received this courtesy of Panda Express. I went with Orange Chicken as the other entree for comparison.
The Crispy Almond Chicken Breast pieces were generally bigger than the Orange Chicken pieces. They were also a good deal thicker than the flatter Orange Chicken pieces. The chicken inside was moist enough.
The soy garlic sauce will probably taste somewhat familiar to anyone who's been to Panda Express as the combination of soy sauce and garlic underpins a bulk of Panda Express' sauces. I guess you might consider it a purer expression of that base. It's mostly a soy sauce flavor tinged with garlic as well as some hints of sweet and tangy notes. It's nice but it's not very interesting. It's like getting meat sauce on spaghetti--enjoyable but familiar.
What stood out from the Crispy Almond Chicken Breast was the audible crunch of the breading. It's a thick, craggy crust that was also airy from the puffed rice. The crunch had some staying power as it stuck around several hours later. The almonds added extra crunch but they didn't really adhere to the chicken very well.
Overall, Panda Express' Crispy Almond Chicken Breast introduces a good bit of crunch and texture to the menu along to go with a flavor that's tasty but not terribly exciting.
Nutritional Info - Panda Express Crispy Almond Chicken Breast (5.5 oz)
Calories - 470 (from Fat - 220)
Fat - 24g (Saturated Fat - 5g)
Sodium - 960mg
Carbs - 39g (Sugar - 8g)
Protein - 23g
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