10 P.F. Chang's Frozen Meals, Ranked Worst To Best

By its own definition, P.F. Chang's is a casual dining bistro. It's not high-end Asian cuisine, nor is it like the numerous, very casual mom-and-pop Asian restaurants we've all come to know and love. Personally, I prefer the small menu board-type establishments, but I can see the appeal of P.F. Chang's — and so do millions of other diners.

As far as atmosphere goes, P.F. Chang's exceeds expectations. The aesthetic is elevated above most other casual dining places. The price is good, considering the experience and menu variety. And, while many of the menu items can be found at any Chinese restaurant, P.F. Chang's seems to put its own twist on the flavor profiles. So, I was very excited to see how the chain translated the vibes and flavors of its food into its frozen meals. 

There are actually quite a few frozen signature dishes to choose from, all of which can be prepared different ways, including in the microwave, oven, and air fryer, as well as on the stovetop. I went for both personal and fan favorites. Then, after I prepared them using the aforementioned methods, I assessed how difficult they were to make, along with their price point, portion size, taste, and texture, to rank them from worst to best.

General Chang's chicken requires a stovetop preparation, and you are going to want to read the directions carefully for it. You'll need to heat up the skillet for a few minutes before dumping in the contents of the bag, which is something I haven't seen before on frozen food directions. And I appreciate what P.F. Chang's is trying to do with this instruction, as it's nice to hear everything sizzle when it hits the heat.

At first glance, the General Chang's chicken looks like a real treat. It has lovely cuts of broccoli and nice chucks of red pepper. The tempura-style chicken, on the other hand, is where my reservations begin. These are really more of what I would consider a gourmet chicken nugget. The white meat is minced and pressed, which looked disappointing when it was cooked on the stovetop. The breading came off quite a few of the pieces during the preparation and the chicken itself became rubbery. Also, there were only nine pieces of chicken in the bag, which is hardly enough for the two servings. 

The sauce was also disappointing and when prepared per the bag's instructions, it thickened far too quickly, which left the other items cold and undercooked. The sauce itself wasn't very flavorful, though there was some sweetness. And, the heat you would generally expect from this dish was nowhere to be found. The broccoli soaked up a lot of the sauce and became very limp. Overall, it just didn't deliver.

This is a microwaveable single meal, which I thought was nice to have as an option. There are beautiful cuts of carrots, peppers, mushrooms, and onions that filled up the bowl. The instructions are easy, and the price is appropriate. I didn't expect too much, and I do enjoy a good noodle bowl.

The sauce-to-food ratio of this Korean-inspired pork is on point, but the flavor is not. The pork had a very strong, strange, and almost spoiled taste to it, which made the dish off-putting and difficult to swallow. The sauce was a bit too sour, went a little too high on the heat level, and was too heavy on the garlic flavor — to the point where the garlic overpowered almost everything else. All of the veggies did turn out well-textured, though. And while that is a positive, the foul taste of the pork paired with a jaw-tightening tartness and garlic overload made this dish unpalatable.

Another microwaveable option is the dan dan noodle bowl, which I was personally very happy to see included on this list. It's one of my favorites dishes and I like to try to order it from different restaurants. Though, I've never seen a frozen option before — and there might be good reason for that.

Sadly, the noodles came out rubbery and difficult to chew. The sauce was sticky and thick and carried both sweetness and spice, but was so overwhelming in flavor that no other taste profiles came through. The texture of ground pork is evident as you chew it, but the taste of it is completely masked by the sauce. And while I cold see visible mushrooms going into the microwave, they must have shriveled into the sauce, as they were nowhere to be found once I went to eat it. 

While I appreciate that P.F. Chang's delivers its own interpretation of classic Chinese dishes, this one is too far off from the original. I don't know if it should even be called a dan dan bowl. However, I cannot put my finger on what Chinese dish this would compare to otherwise. 

While I used the same deep skillet for the stovetop meals, this was the first to almost overflow over the sides. The portion that came out of the bag was impressive. It's loaded with thick, long, and lovely green cuts of broccoli. The slices of beef look plentiful. And while I was a little wary about the beef cooking through in the time given, it came out perfectly.

The beef was tender and juicy and the broccoli was perfectly crunchy. I didn't find that the broccoli's flavor leached into other elements, either. The sauce was rich and savory with a nice consistency. There was a balanced and pleasurable garlic flavor, too. All in all, this was the first of the frozen dishes to meet my basic expectations.

If it was served over rice, it could easily feed two people. I believe folks who enjoy beef and broccoli will not be unsatisfied with this dish. P.F. Chang's executed a very nice transition from the restaurant to home with this one. But it falls low on my list due to the simplicity of the taste, which I believe could be obtained from any other frozen beef and broccoli meal. It just doesn't stand out as something specifically from P.F. Chang's. 

Just as with the beef and broccoli, the shrimp lo mein is a pan full. The noodle clusters are playfully frozen in coiled rings. The bok choy is, however, far too big and needs to be chopped further after cooking. Though the shrimp look a bit small, there is a decent amount of them, and they offer meaty little bites. 

The sauce thickens twice as fast as the package said it would. So, I had to keep everything sitting on low for it to cook properly. Once I modified the cook time and temperature a little, it turned out well. However, it shouldn't be on the customer to figure out how to prepare a packaged frozen dish properly. So, once again, the printed instructions knocked this dish down a few notches. 

The noodles came out al dente and the mushrooms were evident in both bite and flavor. The sauce was well balanced with soy and sweetness, and it covered all the elements perfectly. My kitchen was also filled with an unexpected and delicious aroma. Despite the instructions, this dish was a sensory experience that I would be happy to revisit again.

As soon as the sauce from this orange chicken began to thaw, an orange fragrance emanated from this chicken dish. It's a scent you'd generally only find in a restaurant. The white meat chicken is minced and pressed into a chicken nugget and the breading does come off of some of the pieces while they're cooking. Since it's made on the stovetop, the chicken develops more of a stiff chew than I would have liked. But for the price and portion size in this package, paired with the excellent sauce, I can say that P.F. Chang's delivers a very nice orange chicken.

The sauce completely steals the show. It tasted as good as, if not better, than any other orange sauce I've had. It is hard to resist the dynamic orange flavor and powerful aroma. Moreover, the consistency of the sauce is perfectly thick without being overly sticky. There is a nice crisp to the carrots and they pair well with the other elements in the meal. The only thing this dish needs is some rice to round it out into a full meal for two.

While the other microwave options from P.F. Chang's fall to the bottom of this list, the chicken lo mein bowl was anything but disappointing. It turned out so much better than I ever expected — especially for a microwaveable meal. It really hits all the marks in terms of flavor, texture, convenience, portion, and price — but it just wasn't my favorite item that I sampled. 

The chicken is meaty and has a fresh feel and solid flavor. You can easily see the pieces of mushrooms, scallions, and carrots; they offer a ton of texture and flavor. The sauce is very savory and thick, with hints of garlic and ginger behind the soy. And again, the smell makes it hard to resist!

P.F. Chang's "crispy" offerings can be prepared in the oven or air fryer. I chose the air fryer for the crispy sesame chicken. If you try this one at home using the same method, I'd recommend that you flip these pieces halfway through the bake time, otherwise they will burn on one side.

I can appreciate how P.F. Chang's cleverly packaged this sauce, which needs to be thawed in hot water before it can be used; instead of the usual sauce packet you tear or cut at the top, this packet has a top layer you peel off, which makes it incredibly easy to get all the sauce out without making a mess. It is also a lot of sauce, so there's more than enough to toss the chicken and drizzle the rest on top of the finished product. The consistency of the pre-made sauce is what you would expect, and it has a nice amount of sesame to chew on and there is a hint of garlic with the expected sweetness. It's all there.

The minced and pressed chicken nuggets come out beautifully. The breading stays intact and the chicken is juicy. You get more of the tempura taste and feel in this execution than with some of P.F. Chang's other selections. Add in some rice, and you have more than enough for two people.

I have tried more packaged fried rice brands than I would like to admit. Even when they look good, like P.F. Chang's fried rice did, I expect very little when it comes to a true fried rice flavor. And when I saw this dish called for oil in the skillet, I wanted to use sesame oil. But I wanted to taste this dish as is, so I refrained. 

First off, I will be using the sesame oil next time. And secondly, there will definitely be a next time. This is the most true-to-taste fried rice I have ever had outside of a restaurant. The bits of egg are fluffy and dense and the edamame is snappy. There is a rich sesame and soy flavor to enjoy, too. 

The rice was crispy, and required no effort on my part. The chicken in this dish was also moist and tender, and only added to the layers of taste and texture in this dish. I highly suggest eating this rice on its own or pairing it with one of the meat and veggie options.

I tried cooking this honey chicken in the oven instead of the air fryer. Like the other chicken dishes, you'll want to flip these halfway through the baking time. The oven cooked the chicken just as well as the air fryer. It was crispy and juicy and had a lovely tempura flavor.

The aroma that hits when you toss the hot chicken with the sauce. It's enough to make your mouth water. And since the sauce it premade, it has the perfect consistency and taste that you'd expect from P.F. Chang's. There is a lovely hint of ginger that breaks through the sweetness and offers a little heat on the back end. This one is definitely worth the price and prep. If you added the fried rice and some julienned carrots, it would be a great meal. 

I prepared each P.F. Chang's meal individually and tasted it with a cleansed palate, as I didn't want the different heat and garlic levels to intermingle. Then, in order to rank them, I assessed the value, level of preparation difficulty, and portion size of each meal. I also took into account whether or not the meals were deserving of the title of "restaurant-quality" or not. 

I chose to try these meals as is — meaning I didn't add any additional elements, like rice, soy sauce, or sesame oil. Each dish was given at least three bites, including the Korean-inspired pork and General Chang's chicken, which I found to be the most unpleasant of the bunch. I made sure to try all of the veggies as well to assess their taste and texture. I find that frozen vegetable can easily tank a dish, as they can become mushy and unpleasant once they're reheated. 

Overall, I feel like P.F. Chang's really tried to go above and beyond to give its fans another opportunity to enjoy its food. Plus, the meals are about half as expensive as what you would pay in the restaurant. Though, I often found the directions on the outside of some of the packages to be incorrect, which ultimately caused a few items to slip down in the ranking. Ultimately, if consumers used common sense (and if the company updated its directions), some of these dishes could be far tastier.