Panda Express X Buldak Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken Review: This Is What Spice Fans Have Been Waiting For

Panda Express is turning up the heat. For the first time ever, the beloved chain is teaming up with Buldak, a cult-favorite Korean brand from Samyang Foods. Known for its intensely hot ramen, Buldak has fueled spice-loving YouTubers and TikTok-ers to make lip-numbing content, most recently with its viral carbonara ramen recipe. In 1983, Panda Express launched a fast food empire with its American Chinese comfort food, including recipes like orange chicken that have since become classics. Buldak, meanwhile, has been around since 2012, and the brand has enjoyed a boost in popularity that came with a growing Korean cultural presence around the globe in recent years (BTS fans, I see you).

So what happens when you combine Buldak's brand of nuclear heat with Panda Express's sweet and crispy comfort food? You get the Dynamite Sweet and Sour Chicken: a new limited-time dish that's being billed as Panda's spiciest menu item to date. I consider myself a thrill seeker and a spice lover, so I made my way to the Midtown Manhattan location of Panda Express for a tasting that was sure to singe my taste buds. If you've ever wanted sweet and sour chicken to have more kick, your wish has come true. 

Dynamite Sweet and Sour Chicken starts with Panda Express's classic battered chicken, which serves as the base to many of the chain's existing dishes including its orange chicken. But the secret is in the brand new sweet and sour sauce, which is made with screechingly spicy Buldak hot sauce.

According to a chef I spoke with at Panda Express, a wok is heated to a piping hot 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sauce goes in followed by nuggets of crispy, golden chicken and pieces of onion and bell peppers. Since Korean fried chicken is already a beloved staple, it seems like a natural culinary progression to add Korean flavor to the dish. The chicken takes on a vivid red glaze that's sticky, glossy, and loaded with spice-forward flavor. And a dish this spicy and saucy demands a counterpart. You could choose a neutral chow mein, but for me, the obvious choice is white rice — it lends a mild nutty flavor and plays a beautiful supporting role to the intense flavors of the Buldak.

Panda Express debuted its Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken at select locations starting August 6, 2025, and it will stick around until October 7, 2025, but only while supplies last. This limited-time offering is rolling out exclusively in 10 major U.S. markets. So if you live in or near New York, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington D.C., or the Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne area of Florida, you're in luck.

As far as pricing goes, Panda isn't charging extra for the extra heat. Unlike Panda Express' Chili Crisp Shrimp, Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken will be offered at the standard entrée price, right alongside Panda Express staples like Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef. That means you can experience the spiciest item the chain has ever released without spending more than you usually would on a two-item plate.

Because it's only available in select locations and for a limited time, there's a good chance this dish could sell out early in high-traffic areas (especially if Buldak lives up to its viral TikTok reputation). So if you're interested in trying it, grab it while it's hot. Literally.

Piled high on a bed of white rice, this glossy, glistening chicken looked like what I'd expect from Panda Express. The chicken pieces were generously coated in a thick, shiny orange-red sauce that clung beautifully to the crisp battered exterior, giving them a lacquered look that was hard to resist. Each bite started with the signature syrupy sweetness that Panda Express is known for, followed by a slow-building heat that didn't hit all at once. At first, I thought it wasn't so bad; five bites in, I realized my mouth was on fire, but I kept eating. Because this was good chicken.

The flavor profile was definitely sweet, but leaned more spicy than sour. In fact, there wasn't much sourness at all. Instead, a bold, addictive heat burned with that signature Buldak flavor that's savory, umami, a little smoky, and hard to pin down. The chile flavor wasn't all that pronounced (it's the heat you really notice, not the pepper itself).

The chicken itself is solid, with a crispy exterior, moist and tender inside, and just the right amount of breading to soak up the sauce without getting soggy. It's not too salty either, which helps the sweet and spicy elements stand out more cleanly. Bell peppers and onions are tossed in for color and crunch and while I appreciated the inclusion of a crisp veggie, their flavors are eclipsed by the spicy main event. 

Panda Express's Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken delivers a fiery, flavor-packed remix of a beloved classic. By partnering with Buldak, the maker of the spiciest instant ramen on the market, the chain taps into the global craving for Korean-style heat and manages to strike a near-perfect balance between spice, sweetness, and comfort. This isn't just sweet and sour chicken with a splash of hot sauce; it's a thoughtfully-executed dish that leans into the dramatic spice of Buldak while still feeling unmistakably Panda Express.

The shiny sauce coats every crispy nugget in a sticky red glaze that looks deceptively tame. But the heat builds until your lips are tingling and you're chasing every bite with rice. The burn doesn't overwhelm, but it doesn't hold back either. And that's the genius of this dish: It's hot enough to satisfy the Buldak faithful, but sweet, crispy, and balanced enough to keep all of us coming back for more.

Fans of spicy food will love the way it smolders without going flat, while fans of Panda's sweet and tangy classics will appreciate how familiar it still feels. If you're spice-averse, steer clear, but if you've ever thought Panda Express's sweet classics could use a little more fire, this dish is worth the trip to a participating Panda Express.