Can this convenience store chain give Panda Express a run for its money?

Our reporter Tasuku Egawa is very particular about orange chicken, having eaten it regularly during his approximately 10 years of living in the States. Despite being Japanese born and bred, Egawa says he’s eaten more orange chicken in America than he’s had miso soup in his entire life, and the variety he’s most familiar with is the type from Panda Express.

Coming in second to Panda Express for Egawa is Trader Joe’s frozen orange chicken, but with Trader Joe’s yet to make inroads in Japan, he often makes the trip to his closest Panda Express in Shibuya to get a taste of what, to him, is the gold standard for orange chicken.

So when Tasuku heard that 7-Eleven was now selling orange chicken in the American category for its “World Cuisine Expo” campaign, he immediately raced out to get a taste of it, picking up not one but two tubs for a taste test.

▼ Although the English on the tubs reads “Chicken & Orange Sauce”, the Japanese reads “オレンジチキン” (“Orange Chicken”).

Being something of an orange chicken connoisseur, Egawa’s standards were high when he ripped open the tub, and when he dipped his chopsticks in for a bite…

▼…he was pleasantly surprised by the size of the chicken and the moist texture of the batter.

The sweet and sour sauce came with just a hint of orange, and as it hit the taste buds, Egawa raised is eyebrows — it was a seriously high-quality orange chicken! While a lot of overseas meals are often altered slightly to suit Japanese tastes, this orange chicken tasted like the real thing, reminding him of his time in the States.

It was incredibly delicious — so much so that he’d go as far as to say it’s even better than the orange chicken at some Asian-owned restaurants in America. At 321.84 yen (US$2.26) per tub, he’ll definitely be stocking up on more of these, and he recommends trying it when you can, especially if you’re curious about, or homesick for, American flavours.

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