In terms of culinary passions, foods of the spicy variety have been near the top of my list for as long as I can remember. This of course has done my body absolutely no favors, and my esophagus reminds me of my crimes every time I partake in anything that's spicier than mayonnaise. Naturally, I disregard this predisposition on the regular and my recent trip to Panda Express was no exception.
Perhaps you are familiar with the thoroughly westernized, Asian-adjacent counter-serve eatery that can be found at food courts across the country. In my case, the local Panda Express happens to be located down the street inside my favorite grocery store, which, for someone like myself who rewards the adult act of grocery shopping by negating its value with some nutrient-devoid fast food, often provides an opportunity to see what's good.
This month, Panda Express introduced a brand new dish in the form of breaded, white meat chicken strips that have been generously coated in a layer of peppercorn sauce and sprinkled with a "secret" combination of spices. They're calling it "Sichuan Chicken", which I admittedly thought was a deliberate attempt at re-packaging a pre-existing dish and acting like it was a wholly original creation. Despite that initial misconception that was probably rooted in ignorance - no, it has nothing to do with Szechuan chicken.
Despite baking under a heat lamp for an indiscernible amount of time, the Sichuan Chicken I had was surprisingly tender and moist. Feeling particularly enthusiastic about this new dish, I did end up ordering a two-item combo worth of the spicy, savory chicken out of fear of potentially compromising its flavor by mixing it with one of Panda's other offerings. This, I came to discover, was a mistake. Not because the Sichuan Chicken was unenjoyable - it was, but because it lacked complexity in its flavor that would have otherwise kept me interested to keep going back for more. Then again, one shouldn't look to Panda Express for an excitingly unique culinary experience. That would be foolish.
Despite getting bored of its one note, peppercorn-heavy flavor towards the end, I would recommend giving the Sichuan Chicken a try for yourself. That said, the overall experience would have probably been better had I combined it with the sweet, tanginess of Panda's signature Orange Chicken. I think that would have elevated both dishes' respective flavors until they inevitably combined into an unrecognizable heap of saucy meat.