Quick Answer: It depends mostly on your side. A bowl of Super Greens and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is 470 calories with 50g of protein. Swap in Chow Mein and add Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef, the classic Plate, and you're at 1,580 calories and 2,450mg of sodium, more than a full day's limit in one meal.
Most nutrition advice about Panda Express starts with the entrées. That's backwards. The side is the biggest single number on your tray, and it's the choice people think about least. All figures below are regular portions from Panda Express's nutrition page, verified September 2026.
Start with the side, because it's the biggest number
| Side (regular) | Calories | Sodium | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Greens | 130 | 370mg | 9g |
| White Steamed Rice | 520 | 0mg | 10g |
| Chow Mein | 600 | 1,000mg | 15g |
| Fried Rice | 620 | 1,000mg | 13g |
Chow Mein and Fried Rice each carry more calories than any entrée on this page. Switching Chow Mein for Super Greens saves 470 calories and 630mg of sodium. Swapping both Plate entrées, from Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef to Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Beef, saves about the same calories (490) but less than half the sodium (300mg).
Steamed rice is the odd one. It has no sodium at all, so if salt is what you're watching, it beats the greens. It's also 520 calories. If you want rice without the full load, ask for half rice and half Super Greens. Assuming each half is half a regular side, that's roughly 325 calories and 185mg of sodium.
Which entrées give you the most protein per calorie
| Entrée | Calories | Protein | Sodium | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Teriyaki Chicken | 340 | 41g | 630mg | 10g |
| Broccoli Beef | 150 | 15g | 520mg | 6g |
| String Bean Chicken Breast | 210 | 12g | 560mg | 5g |
| Mushroom Chicken | 220 | 13g | 840mg | 5g |
| Kung Pao Chicken | 320 | 17g | 1,050mg | 7g |
| Honey Walnut Shrimp | 430 | 13g | 700mg | 9g |
| Beijing Beef | 470 | 14g | 600mg | 21g |
| Orange Chicken | 510 | 16g | 850mg | 20g |
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is in a class of its own here (the nutrition page lists it as Teriyaki Chicken). It has 41g of protein, more than two and a half times what Orange Chicken delivers, for two-thirds of the calories. If you only change one thing about how you order at Panda, make it this.
Broccoli Beef is the other strong pick, at 150 calories. Its protein is modest, though, so it works best as a second entrée next to the chicken rather than as the whole meal.
Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef are the two most popular reasons a Panda meal goes sideways. Each has about 20g of sugar and roughly three times the calories of Broccoli Beef, and neither brings much protein to justify it.
Panda marks its lighter dishes with a Wok Smart label, which currently covers Broccoli Beef, String Bean Chicken Breast, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Black Pepper Sirloin Steak and Super Greens. It's a reasonable shortcut. It isn't a sodium filter.
Low-calorie doesn't mean low-sodium here
Two entrées make the point. Mushroom Chicken is only 220 calories but has 840mg of sodium. Kung Pao Chicken, which reads like a vegetable-heavy dish, has 1,050mg, the most of any entrée in the table and more than Orange Chicken.
That matters because sodium stacks faster than people expect on a Plate. The FDA's daily value is 2,300mg. Chow Mein, Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef together come to 2,450mg. Even a careful Plate of Super Greens, Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Beef lands at 1,520mg, about two-thirds of the day.
The Plate format itself is part of the problem. A Bowl is one side and one entrée; a Plate adds a second entrée and a Bigger Plate a third. Each step up adds another few hundred calories whether or not you were still hungry.
Three builds that work
If you want the most protein: a Bowl of Super Greens and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken. That's 470 calories, 50g of protein and 1,000mg of sodium.
If you want it light: Super Greens and Broccoli Beef, at 280 calories, 24g of protein and 890mg.
If you want rice: steamed rice with Teriyaki Chicken comes to 860 calories and 51g of protein, with only 630mg of sodium since the rice adds none. Go half-and-half with Super Greens and it drops to roughly 665 calories.
Lean protein does most of the work in all three, which is why it sits near the top of our list of the best foods for weight loss.
Next to a sweet-sauce chicken meal from our kitchen
Orange Chicken is what most people are actually craving at Panda, so here's a fair comparison. Our Sweet & Sour Chicken, rice and all, is 400 calories, 25g of protein and 650mg of sodium. That's fewer calories and less sodium than Panda's Orange Chicken by itself, before any side. Every meal's numbers are on our nutrition page.
Not everything on our menu wins that comparison. Our Tempura Hibachi Chicken has 1,350mg of sodium, more than Chow Mein. The point is that the numbers are printed before you order, not added up afterward.
If protein is your priority, our High Protein Meal Plan is built around it. For other chains, see what to order at Chick-fil-A or our guide to the healthiest fast food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Panda Express good for weight loss?
It can be. A bowl of Super Greens and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is 470 calories with 50g of protein. The default Plate of Chow Mein, Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef is 1,580 calories, so the order matters far more than the restaurant.
Is Super Greens really 90 calories?
Only in the kids' Cub Meal portion. A regular side of Super Greens is 130 calories and 370mg of sodium on Panda Express's nutrition page. Many nutrition sites quote the 90-calorie figure without saying which size it is.
Panda Express figures are regular portions from its nutrition page, verified September 2026. Menus and recipes change; check current numbers before you order.
