Panda Express Chili Sauce

Chili Sauce is the heat option at the Panda Express condiment station: 10 calories per packet, essentially free in calorie terms and the fastest way to change the character of any dish on the tray.

It is a straightforward red chili sauce, thin enough to spread and hot enough to register without overwhelming. The heat is chili heat rather than pepper or mustard heat, so it builds and lingers where hot mustard fades. On a menu that leans sweet through most of its signature dishes, a packet of this is the single cheapest correction available.

At 10 calories with 125 mg of sodium, it costs almost nothing on any tracked meal, which puts it alongside Hot Mustard at 10 calories and Potsticker Sauce at 10 calories as the smart choices at the station. Sweet and Sour Sauce at 70 calories carries more than seven times the calories per packet.

How much is Chili Sauce? Packets are free with orders at most locations, with extras available on request.

It suits Fried Rice at 620 calories, which takes heat well, and Chicken Potstickers at 160 calories where it sharpens the mild filling. It also rescues anyone who finds the sweeter entrees cloying: a packet over Orange Chicken at 510 calories moves the whole dish toward the Hot Orange Chicken profile at 550 calories without paying for the upgrade.