Panda Express Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken 

Panda Express launched Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken on September 8, 2026, its first-ever walk-and-eat snack. It’s dark meat chicken in a tamarind-tomato spice blend, topped with fried kale, served with Chili Crisp Aioli. It’s testing in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and Reno at no upcharge, with a limited Frankie Gaw collectible bucket available while supplies last.

Panda Express has spent over 40 years perfecting the wok-tossed entrée. Now, the chain is trying something it’s never done before: a snack you can eat on the move. Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken marks Panda’s first walk-and-eat item, and it’s rolling out as a limited regional test rather than a nationwide launch.

The dish draws direct inspiration from yán sū jī, the crispy, spice-dusted chicken sold at night markets across Taiwan. Panda’s culinary team built the seasoning around flavors borrowed from its own Hot & Sour Soup, then finished the dish with fried kale and a house-made Chili Crisp Aioli for dipping.

There’s also a collectible angle. Designer Frankie Gaw, known online as “Little Fat Boy,” created a limited-edition bucket featuring Panda’s mascot Pei Pei as a cowboy roping a container of popcorn chicken. It’s available free with a qualifying purchase, but only while supplies last.

What Is Panda Express Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken?

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is Panda Express’s first-ever walk-and-eat snack, built around extra-crispy dark meat chicken tossed in a dry spice blend and topped with fried kale. According to Adrian Lok, Panda’s director of culinary innovation, the seasoning takes cues from the chain’s Hot & Sour Soup, reimagined as a dry spice rather than a broth base.

Key components of the dish include:

• Dark meat chicken  juicier and richer than the white meat typically used in fast-food popcorn chicken
• Dry spice coating  built on hot-and-sour flavor notes rather than a simple salt-and-pepper crust
• Fried kale garnish  adds color, crunch, and a slightly bitter contrast
• Chili Crisp Aioli  a house-made dipping sauce served on the side

“When we come up with a dish like this, we want to honor the traditional dish but also have our own version and take on it,” Lok said in a video conversation with Gaw. The result sits somewhere between an entrée and a snack, designed for eating on the go rather than plated at a table.

What Is Yán Sū Jī, the Dish That Inspired It?

Yán sū jī is a beloved Taiwanese night market snack made from bite-sized fried chicken, typically seasoned with white pepper, chili, and five-spice powder. It’s almost always served with fried Thai basil leaves and eaten straight from a paper bag while walking through the market. Panda’s version swaps in tamarind and tomato notes and fried kale for basil, giving it an American Chinese spin on a Taiwanese street food staple.

For a chain best known for orange chicken and fortune cookies, leaning into a specific regional Taiwanese dish is a notable shift. It signals a broader ambition: connecting Panda’s American Chinese menu to more specific culinary traditions across Asia, rather than treating “Asian food” as one flattened category.

Panda Express Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Locations: Where Can You Get It?

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is currently testing at select Panda Express locations in seven U.S. metro areas: Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and Reno. It is not available nationwide, and only specific stores within these metros carry it.

Confirmed Southern California test locations include:

Outside Southern California, participating stores in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and Reno haven’t been published address-by-address. The most reliable way to check is through Panda’s official promo page.

Panda Express Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Price: How Much Does It Cost?

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is priced as a standard entrée with no premium upcharge, meaning it costs the same as ordering any other entrée in a Bowl, Plate, or Bigger Plate. That’s a notable contrast to premium add-ons like Cantonese BBQ Brisket or Honey Walnut Shrimp, which typically carry an extra charge.

Estimated pricing by format:

Choosing it as one of your entrées in a standard Bowl or Plate costs nothing extra over your usual order. The large à la carte pail is the format you’ll need if you want the collectible bucket.

Panda Express Popcorn Chicken Bucket: How Do You Get the Frankie Gaw Collectible?

Starting September 9, 2026, customers who order a large à la carte pail of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken receive a free limited-edition bucket designed by Frankie Gaw, while supplies last. The bucket is only available at participating test locations and isn’t sold separately.

Who designed the bucket?

Frankie Gaw is a Taiwanese-American designer known online as “Little Fat Boy.” He designed the bucket to feature Panda’s mascot, Pei Pei, dressed as a cowboy roping a container of popcorn chicken. “My mind first went to popcorn buckets. I wanted to take inspiration from the red and white stripes that are classic to popcorn buckets,” Gaw explained. “The other influence was pulling inspiration from the Asian side of things. A lot of my favorite references are old Asian packaging for snacks. They always have a lot of really playful characters.”

How do you claim one?

1. Confirm your local store is a test location via the official promo page
2. Order a large à la carte pail of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
3. Receive the bucket as a free gift with that purchase
4. Act early Panda has explicitly said supplies are limited

How Does Panda’s Popcorn Chicken Compare to KFC’s?

Panda Express Popcorn Chicken uses dark meat and a tamarind-tomato spice blend with a Chili Crisp Aioli dip, while KFC’s popcorn chicken uses white meat with a simpler breaded seasoning and no specialty dipping sauce. Choose Panda’s version if you want a juicier bite with more complex, tangy heat; choose KFC’s if you prefer a more classic, straightforward fried chicken flavor.

How to Order Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

1. Check availability at pandaexpress.com/promo/tpc2026 before heading out
2. Pick your format add it as an entrée in a Bowl or Plate at no extra cost, or order the Family Meal
3. Add the Chili Crisp Aioli on the side; it’s included with the dish but easy to overlook when ordering quickly
4. Order the large à la carte pail specifically if you want the Frankie Gaw bucket

What’s the Best Way to Order It?

For a quick solo meal, pair Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Fried Rice in a Bowl for roughly $9.30; for sharing, add it to a Family Meal alongside Orange Chicken and Broccoli Beef for variety. A Plate combo with Black Pepper Sirloin Steak and Super Greens balances the popcorn chicken’s heat with a milder second entrée.

• Best solo combo: Popcorn Chicken + Fried Rice or Chow Mein
• Best balanced combo: Popcorn Chicken + Black Pepper Sirloin Steak + Super Greens
• Best for sharing: Family Meal with Popcorn Chicken, Orange Chicken, Broccoli Beef, Fried Rice, and Chow Mein

Will Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Go Nationwide?

There’s no confirmed nationwide launch date yet, since Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is currently a regional test in seven cities. Panda Express has a track record of taking successful test items like its 2023 Chili Crisp Shrimp national after a strong regional run. Given the no-upcharge pricing and the marketing investment behind the Frankie Gaw collaboration, a broader rollout in late 2026 or early 2027 is plausible if the test performs well, though nothing has been officially announced.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Panda Express Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken?
It’s Panda Express’s first-ever walk-and-eat snack: extra-crispy dark meat chicken in a tamarind-tomato-garlic-onion spice blend, topped with fried kale and served with Chili Crisp Aioli. It launched September 8, 2026, inspired by Taiwan’s yán sū jī night market snack.

Where can I buy Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken?
It’s available only at select Panda Express locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and Reno. Check pandaexpress.com/promo/tpc2026 to confirm a specific store carries it before visiting.

How much does Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken cost?
It’s priced as a standard entrée with no premium upcharge. Expect roughly $9.30 in a Bowl, $11.10 in a Plate, or $6.90+ for a large à la carte pail.

What does Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken taste like?
It’s crispy, savory, and slightly tangy-sweet from the tamarind and tomato seasoning, with mild bitterness from the fried kale and heat and creaminess from the Chili Crisp Aioli dip.

Who is Frankie Gaw?
Frankie Gaw is a Taiwanese-American designer known as “Little Fat Boy” online. He designed Panda Express’s limited-edition Popcorn Chicken bucket, featuring mascot Pei Pei as a cowboy.

How do I get the Frankie Gaw bucket?
Order a large à la carte pail of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken at a participating test location starting September 9, 2026. The bucket comes free with that purchase while supplies last.

Is Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken available nationwide?
Not currently. It’s limited to seven test cities. A nationwide rollout hasn’t been confirmed, though Panda has expanded successful regional tests before.

How is Panda’s popcorn chicken different from KFC’s?
Panda uses dark meat, a tamarind-based spice blend, fried kale garnish, and a Chili Crisp Aioli dip. KFC uses white meat with standard breading and no specialty sauce included.

Does Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken contain common allergens?
It likely contains wheat from the breading and soy or egg from the aioli, based on similar fried items at Panda Express. Confirm specifics with your local store, since full nutrition data isn’t yet published.

Will Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken become a permanent menu item?
That depends on how the seven-city test performs. Panda hasn’t announced permanent status, but past successful tests, like Chili Crisp Shrimp, have gone on to national rollout.