Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken: Calories, Ingredients, Taste & Nutrition Guide
If you’re looking for a Panda Express chicken entrée that has plenty of protein without the heavy fried coating found on some of the chain’s more popular dishes, Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is one that deserves a closer look.
It’s a grilled chicken entrée finished with teriyaki sauce, and the current nutrition information lists 275 calories and 33 grams of protein per 6-ounce serving.
That combination makes it a popular subject for people searching for Panda Express calories, protein, healthy menu choices and high-protein meals.
But there’s more to the dish than the calorie number. The sauce, sodium, portion size, preparation method and what you choose as your side can change the overall meal quite a bit.
So, in this guide, I’ll go through the Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken ingredients, calories, protein, carbs, fat, sodium, allergens, taste and real-world reviews.
What Is Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken?
Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is a grilled chicken entrée served with a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.
Unlike Orange Chicken, Beijing Beef or other battered entrées, this chicken isn’t covered in a crispy fried coating. The chicken is grilled and then served with teriyaki sauce.
Panda Express currently includes Grilled Teriyaki Chicken among its Wok Smart selections. The company describes Wok Smart options as dishes intended for guests looking for protein-focused, balanced choices.
Current Panda Express location pages list Grilled Teriyaki Chicken alongside items such as Broccoli Beef, String Bean Chicken Breast, Black Pepper Sirloin Steak and Super Greens.
That doesn’t mean the entrée is automatically “healthy” for every person. Nutrition depends on your entire meal, and that’s something I think gets missed in a lot of fast-food articles.
Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Calories
According to Panda Express’ current official nutrition information, a 6-ounce serving contains 275 calories.
Here is the current nutrition breakdown:
| Nutrient | Amount per 6 oz |
|---|---|
| Calories | 275 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 160 mg |
| Sodium | 470 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
These numbers apply to the entrée itself.
They do not represent a complete Panda Express Bowl or Plate containing rice, Chow Mein, Super Greens or another entrée.
This is important because someone searching “Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken calories” may see 275 calories and assume that’s the calories in the whole meal. It isn’t.
How Much Protein Is in Grilled Teriyaki Chicken?
The standard serving provides 33 grams of protein.
That’s one of the most notable nutritional features of the dish. Panda Express lists 33 grams of protein for a 6-ounce serving, making the chicken substantially more protein-dense than several of the chain’s other chicken entrées.
For comparison, the current Panda Express nutrition information lists Orange Chicken at 510 calories and 16 grams of protein, while Kung Pao Chicken has 320 calories and 17 grams of protein.
So Grilled Teriyaki Chicken has a very different nutritional profile.
Of course, protein isn’t the only thing that matters. The dish also contains 470 mg of sodium and 160 mg of cholesterol, so I wouldn’t describe it as “perfect nutrition.” It’s just a relatively protein-heavy entrée.Ingredients
The exact formulation can change, so the current Panda Express ingredient and allergen information should always be used when exact dietary information matters.
The dish is based around grilled marinated chicken and teriyaki sauce. Panda Express’ nutrition information identifies wheat and soy among the allergens for Grilled Teriyaki Chicken.
The teriyaki component is what gives the chicken its characteristic sweet and savory taste.
This is also why the dish shouldn’t be thought of as simply “plain grilled chicken.” The sauce contributes carbohydrates and sugar to the finished entrée.
The current nutrition panel lists 14 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of sugar per 6-ounce serving.
What Does Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Taste Like?
The flavor is mostly sweet, savory and smoky, with a noticeable teriyaki taste.
The grilling adds a charred flavor that you don’t get from Panda Express’ battered chicken dishes. The sauce then adds sweetness and a little tang.
One older real-world review described the chicken as having a noticeable grilled char and said the teriyaki sauce had honey-like sweetness with some fruity tang.
The reviewer also noted that the chicken itself was already seasoned, so using less sauce changed the overall saltiness of the meal.
Obviously, that review dates back to 2013, so I wouldn’t use it to claim the current recipe tastes exactly the same. Recipes, preparation and portioning can change over time.
But it does give us a useful example of how people have actually experienced the dish rather than relying only on a menu description.
Real Case Study: A 2013 Panda Express Review
Here’s a useful historical case study.
In August 2013, Brand Eating reviewed Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken after ordering it as part of a two-entrée plate.
The reviewer described the chicken as grilled, marinated and sliced to order, with teriyaki sauce served alongside it.
The reviewer specifically mentioned the grilled flavor of the chicken and said the sauce had a sweet and slightly fruity character.
Interestingly, the review also recorded older nutrition figures of 300 calories, 36 grams of protein and 530 mg of sodium for a 6-ounce serving.
Compare that with today’s official figures:
- Then: 300 calories
- Current: 275 calories
- Then: 36 g protein
- Current: 33 g protein
- Then: 530 mg sodium
- Current: 470 mg sodium
That’s a good example of why I don’t recommend copying old nutrition information from review websites and presenting it as current.
The dish has the same general identity, but the numbers can change.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken vs Regular Teriyaki Chicken
This is another place where people can get confused.
Panda Express currently lists both Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken in its nutrition information.
The standard 6-ounce Grilled Teriyaki Chicken serving contains:
275 calories, 33 g protein, 10 g fat, 14 g carbs and 470 mg sodium.
The regular Teriyaki Chicken entry is listed at:
340 calories, 41 g protein, 13 g fat, 14 g carbs and 630 mg sodium.
So they’re not interchangeable nutrition entries.
If you’re searching specifically for Panda Express grilled teriyaki chicken calories, make sure you’re using the Grilled Teriyaki Chicken listing and not the separate Teriyaki Chicken listing.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Allergens
The current Panda Express nutrition information marks wheat and soy for Grilled Teriyaki Chicken.
This is important for anyone with food allergies.
A dish being grilled does not mean it is automatically free from common allergens. The teriyaki sauce and preparation ingredients can contain allergens.
Panda Express also provides allergen information for its menu, but people with serious allergies should confirm current information with the restaurant because ingredients and preparation procedures can change.
Shared preparation equipment is another reason people with severe allergies should be cautious.
Is Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Healthy?
This is probably the most searched question, but “healthy” depends on what you’re comparing it with and how you build your meal.
Looking only at the entrée, there are some favorable numbers:
- 275 calories
- 33 grams protein
- 10 grams fat
- 14 grams carbohydrates
- 9 grams sugar
- 470 mg sodium
The 33 grams of protein is especially notable.
Panda Express itself places Grilled Teriyaki Chicken within its Wok Smart selection at current locations.
Still, the 470 mg sodium and 160 mg cholesterol shouldn’t be ignored.
So I would describe it as a protein-focused entrée, rather than simply calling it healthy.
That wording is more accurate.
What Should You Eat With Grilled Teriyaki Chicken?
Your side can have a bigger impact on your total meal than you might expect.
For example, Panda Express currently lists its Super Greens entrée portion at 90 calories, with 6 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrates and 260 mg of sodium.
If you combine:
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken: 275 calories
plus
Super Greens: 90 calories
the two components total 365 calories.
The nutrition changes when you choose a rice or noodle side, obviously.
This is why I prefer looking at the complete Bowl or Plate rather than saying one entrée is good or bad by itself.
A dietitian-informed Panda Express analysis published recently also used Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Super Greens as an example meal and calculated the combination at 405 calories and 42 grams of protein, using a different current Super Greens portion.
That difference is another reminder to check portion size and the exact menu format when comparing nutrition numbers.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Cub Meal
Panda Express also offers a smaller Grilled Teriyaki Chicken portion as part of its Cub Meal.
The current nutrition information lists the chicken portion at 4.5 ounces and 210 calories, with:
- 24.75 g protein
- 10.5 g carbohydrates
- 8 g fat
- 6.75 g sugar
- 350 mg sodium
There is also a complete Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Cub Meal listed at 400 calories, but that number represents the full preset meal rather than only the chicken. It includes Chow Mein, Super Greens, apple crisps and bottled water.
That’s a very important distinction when you’re reading Panda Express nutrition information.
What People Have Said About the Dish
There is some interesting historical evidence about how the dish has been received.
In a 2017 The Impulsive Buy poll asking readers to choose their favorite Panda Express entrée other than Orange Chicken, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken received 217 votes out of 1,554 valid votes, or about 13.96%. It finished behind Honey Walnut Shrimp in that particular poll.
The publication called the poll “unscientific,” so it should not be treated as a scientific survey of all Panda Express customers.
Still, 1,554 valid votes is enough to show that the dish had a noticeable following among that particular online audience.
And that’s kinda interesting because Grilled Teriyaki Chicken isn’t necessarily the first item people mention when Panda Express comes up. Orange Chicken gets much more attention, but this older poll showed that the grilled chicken had plenty of fans too.
Final Thoughts
Panda Express Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is a grilled chicken entrée with a sweet and savory teriyaki flavor. The current official nutrition information lists a 6-ounce serving at 275 calories and 33 grams of protein, along with 10 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar and 470 mg of sodium.
Compared with heavily battered Panda Express entrées, it offers a different style of meal. You get grilled chicken rather than a fried coating, while the teriyaki sauce supplies the sweet flavor people expect from the dish.
The historical reviews are useful too. They show that customers have noticed the grilled char, sweet teriyaki sauce and tender chicken for years, although older nutrition numbers should not be confused with today’s official figures.
