Panda Express Just Brought Back A Fan-Favorite Protein — But It's Not What Everyone Was Wanting

The Cantonese BBQ brisket is back at Panda Express after its official summer run lasted from June 2 through August 10, and for many, that's cause for celebration. The American Chinese fast-food chain's website calls it "slow-cooked, smoky satisfaction," and you can get it in all the customary Panda Express ways, including as a bowl or a plate. But it's here for a limited time and in limited supply, so hurry to get your brisket if you don't want to risk it.

Although some might question the authenticity of Panda Express's Chinese cuisine, the chain still has quite a following, with locations in every U.S. state but Vermont. And most fans on social media are reacting to the news of the brisket's return with hoorays and heart emojis, but that's not the case for everyone. No, quite a few Panda Express faithful are yearning for other dishes that have likewise left the menu, never to be heard from again — at least for now (some limited-time dishes do eventually find their way back again, like the Hot Orange Chicken and, of course, the Cantonese BBQ Brisket, but relying on the reappearance of any Panda dish is always iffy).

The most commonly longed-for meal is the Beyond Orange Chicken, a plant-based, vegan dish. In fact, a still-active petition on Change.org to permanently reinstate the faux chicken at the Panda has gotten more than 3,500 signatures. Vegetarians and vegans are clearly crying out for some love, also wanting the Eggplant Tofu to find its way down the comeback trail. Though this tofu has been discontinued in many locations, it is still available at Panda Express's Innovation Kitchen in California if you happen to be geographically blessed to access it.

This isn't the only time that people have been mourning the loss of Panda Express' Beyond Orange Chicken or pining for its return. An earlier petition in 2024 garnered more than 7,000 signatures in favor of the plant-based dish, and at that time, Panda Express listened and brought it back — only to eliminate it again soon after.

Beyond Orange Chicken began in 2021 as a collaboration between Panda Express and Beyond Meat to create a vegan variation of the chain's The Original Orange Chicken, made entirely with dark-meat chicken, which remains its most popular and top-selling item. (In 2025 alone, people ordered enough of the original orange chicken dish to equal 2.5 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.) The Beyond Orange version also did very well with the public almost from day one.

Despite the success of the dish, however, it still has not been made a permanent addition to the menu. Panda Express claimed that it likes to bring out multiple new, limited-time dishes each year for the sake of mixing things up and giving customers some variation, adding that Beyond Orange Chicken was never meant for the long term. And yet, that's exactly what the chain's customers are begging for — not only because it tasted good, but also because Panda Express offers very few other vegan or vegetarian options.