I Tried Panda Express and Hot Ones’ New Spicy Blazing Bourbon Chicken — Here’s My Fiery Review
The new dish is available until January 2, 2025, and features Hot Ones’ Last Dab Apollo sauce
Brace yourselves, spice lovers: Panda Express has once again teamed up with Hot Ones™ to bring the heat with their latest limited-time offering, Blazing Bourbon Chicken. After making waves during a regional test last year, this fiery collaboration is now available nationwide, and it’s packing all the heat of the Hot Ones’ Last Dab Apollo sauce. As a longtime fan of both brands, I had to try the dish for myself as soon as it came out. And spoiler alert — I’m going to miss it once it’s gone.
Details on the Panda Express Hot Ones collaboration
Following a successful market test in select states, Panda Express is rolling out Blazing Bourbon Chicken at 50 locations across the U.S as part of a collaboration with the YouTube series Hot Ones. It’s infamous final-level Last Dab Apollo Sauce is the key ingredient in Panda’s spiciest dish ever. Available starting September 4 through January 2, 2025, this sizzling dish already has fans buzzing on social media.
According to Panda Express chefs, customers have been wanting to see more “complex, innovative and adventurous flavors” on the menu. Now, it’s safe to say this partnership with Hot Ones checks all those boxes. “Our spiciest menu offering yet, Blazing Bourbon Chicken is our unique take on bourbon chicken — crispy and comforting with flavorful heat that will keep Panda guests coming back for another bite,” said Adrian Lok, Senior Culinary Innovation Manager at Panda Express .
Hot Ones is a wildly popular video interview series hosted on the First We Feast YouTube channel (with 14M subscribers!). Each episode, host Sean Evans interviews celebrities while they eat progressively spicier chicken wings. Starting with mild sauces and working up to the infamous Last Dab, each guest has to answer tough questions while enduring the heat. Some manage the spice with ease, while others need a pitcher of milk on stand-by.
What is Blazing Bourbon Chicken?
According to Panda Express in a news release, “the dish contains crispy boneless chicken bites and fresh veggies all wok-tossed in a spicy and sweet bourbon sauce alongside the signature Hot Ones™ Last Dab Apollo hot sauce, and is topped with sesame seeds.” More specifically, you’ll find green peppers, onions and whole dried chili peppers tossed in with the breaded chicken breast pieces.
You can grab this dish à la carte starting at $5.40 for a small container. Or you can have it as part of a meal — a Panda Bowl, Plate or Bigger Plate — starting at $8.30. Each serving of Blazing Bourbon Chicken is 400 calories.
My review of the Blazing Bourbon Chicken
As someone who’s familiar with the Hot Ones heat scale, I had high expectations. There was also tall glass of cold water at the ready. I ordered mine as part of a Plate, so I also enjoyed Panda’s original Original Orange Chicken and a side of Chow Mein.
In terms of first impressions, the Blazing Bourbon Chicken looked more appetizing than the Orange Chicken. The pieces were nicely fried and had a dark shiny color from the sauce. While I got very few veggies, the sesame seed topping was there.
Now, I will be the first to say that I can’t handle spicy food. The first bite of Blazing Bourbon Chicken is crispy and deceptively sweet, thanks to the bourbon sauce, but the heat creeps in fast. By the time I went in for a second bite I needed to drink water. The hot sauce kicks into full gear, and it’s the kind of heat that sticks with you. I personally couldn’t eat more than a few in a row before taking a quick break with the other dishes I ordered.
Overall, I enjoyed the Blazing Bourbon Chicken. However, I believe it would better suit those with a lower spice tolerance rather than spice lovers. For me, it was the perfect amount that didn’t require flushing out my sinuses. But to my friend, who I shared the dinner with and who loves spicy food, the dish didn’t reach their expectations from the show. That being said, it’s definitely worth trying and still brings the heat.
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