Panda Express Adds Buldak Chicken to the Menu

Anyone who’s had Buldak ramen before will know two things: 1. It’s delicious, and 2. It’s spicy. Like, really spicy. Obviously, how much you’re going to be reaching for a glass of milk when eating it depends on your tolerance levels, but some Buldak flavors knock other ramen out of the park with their heat – and Buldak just loves to keep pushing those spice levels up with new products.

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Now, it’s done that again, in collab form. Buldak and Panda Express have just teamed up to release the brand new Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken, a new menu item dropping in Panda Express restaurants, pretty much right now. They tried it last year in limited markets; people loved it; and now it’s back. Tale as old as time. Here’s what we know.

Sweet, Sour, and Spice

Word of Panda Express x Buldak’s returning item came courtesy of food Instagrammer @snackolator. This dish combines crispy fried chicken with bell peppers and onions, all of it coated in a special Buldak sauce. The restaurant’s touting it as its spiciest dish yet. As with all Panda Express entrées, you can grab it in bowl or plate form, on its own, or in any of its other meal combos. And you can do so right now, people: It’s on its website and everything.

As for how it tastes – well, we think that this one is going to be a smash hit. Panda Express previously tested this item for a few months last year, and people completely fell in love with it that time around, including @snackolator themselves. “I was able to grab it and LOVED this one – I will 100% be getting this again because it delivers a really nice level of spice while still being genuinely tasty!” the blogger stated. Others in the comment section agreed, with one person saying, “So glad they brought it back because it was a game changer!” This kind of enthusiasm cannot be ignored.

It’s More Than Just Ramen, People

Buldak’s collaboration with Panda Express is the latest in a series of moves to try to push the South Korean brand beyond its ramen-based beginnings. In the last couple of years, it’s been experimenting with its flavors in other forms: Its Carbonara Spicy Chicken Dumplings made a big splash last year (although we’ve gotta be honest, our taste-testers didn’t love ‘em!), and it’s also released a line of chips that are slowly but surely making inroads in the American market.

Its partnership with Panda Express, though, marks probably its boldest statement yet that it’s ready for flavor, and then world, domination. When everything tastes this good, we’re not going to complain too much, as long as there’s a dairy source handy to cool our mouths down when the rapture finally cometh. Have you tried this new sweet and sour chicken? We wanna know your thoughts, guys.