The summer of ’25 may go down as the hottest ever, and we’re not just talking about the temperatures outside. Several fast-food chains are in fierce competition to see who can offer the spiciest, most tongue-numbing menu items.
While concepts like Taco Bell, Chipotle and Dave’s Hot Chicken are well-known destinations for spicy-hot options, less expected middle-of-the-road brands are currently heating up their menus. In June, Wendy’s introduced a Takis Fuego Meal, calling it “this summer’s fiercest duo.” The Columbus, Ohio-based chain developed a sandwich that layers a spicy chicken filet with crushed, spicy Takis Fuego chips, chili lime sauce, creamy corn spread and cheddar cheese sauce. The limited-time offer also included Fuego Fries—Hot & Crispy Fries tossed in chili lime seasoning.
Wendy's partnered with spicy Takis chips on this summer's Fuego meal. | Photo courtesy of Wendy's.
In July, Panda Express brought back Hot Orange Chicken, a spicy version of its signature Orange Chicken originally launched last year. The limited-time item is fired up with six times more crushed chili flakes than the signature, plus a ladleful of the dried chili peppers the American Chinese kitchen uses in Kung Pao Chicken.
Then on Wednesday, the 2,300-unit Asian chain raised its menu several degrees higher with the launch of Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken, crowning it “Panda’s spiciest dish yet.” The classic Cantonese sweet and sour preparation is fired up with Buldak, a spicy South Korean sauce brand from Samyang Foods.
Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken is a combo of marinated white meat chicken chunks coated in a crisp puffed rice batter, then wok-tossed with red bell peppers, onions, chilies and a proprietary Buldak sauce. Panda Express partnered with Samyang Foods, makers of the Buldak brand, to craft the custom sauce.
Lalita Lopansri, one of the Panda Express chefs involved in the development of the dish, said it took many taste tests to perfect the heat level. “Everyone has a very different level of heat tolerance, so it was really important that a lot of different team members tried it,” she said. “It packs a punch but is not over the top.”
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Buldak is a “Gen Z cult favorite,” according to Panda, and like other restaurants, the Rosemead, California-based chain admits it is dialing up the spice to appeal to Gen Z diners. Restaurant Business sister company, Technomic, reports that spicy items have increased 5.7% on menus year over year and in June alone, restaurants added 225 spicy limited-time and new items. “Spicy” now appears on 80.5% of menus in Technomic’s database of more than 8,000 operators.
Sauces are a low-labor and craveable way to add spice to the menu, as popular chicken-focused concepts like Wingstop, Buffalo Wild Wings and Dave’s Hot Chicken have proven. Buldak’s collaboration with Panda Express marks the brand’s first-ever U.S. partnership with a restaurant company, building on the brand’s mass following in Asia and the rising popularity with spice-seeking audiences worldwide.
Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken is now in limited markets. | Photo courtesy of Panda Express.
Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken rolled out at locations in select Panda Express markets, including New York, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, Orlando, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The market test has potential to become the chain’s next national limited-time offer, according to a company spokesperson.
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