Crispy air fryer orange chicken has a fresh citrus flavor, and the whole dish is made using Asian staples you keep on hand for making your favorite Asian dishes at home. Cornstarch and flour are used to make incredibly crispy chicken in air fryer, and the easy orange chicken sauce comes together in minutes. Plus, it’s made with very little oil, so it’s healthier too.
Orange chicken in air fryer is crispy crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside and coated in an incredibly sweet and sticky sauce made with real orange zest and juice. This homemade recipe is better than takeout and puts Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken to shame.
If you love orange chicken try my Healthy Orange Chicken, Easy Orange Chicken Recipe or Spicy Orange Chicken Recipe with Snap Peas.
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Chicken in Air Fryer
- It’s better than takeout. Orange chicken in air fryer is so flavorful and fresh. It’s better than takeout and better than frozen options.
- It’s healthier. Restaurant orange chicken is deep-fried and storebought sauces can contain all kinds of preservatives. This homemade crispy chicken in air fryer uses very little oil, and the easy orange chicken sauce is made with fresh ingredients.
- It’s fast. Get this incredible air fryer orange chicken on the dinner table in about 30 minutes. That’s faster than takeout.
Healthy Orange Chicken Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes
- Egg: for coating the chicken pieces
- Soy Sauce: use tamari or liquid aminos as a gluten free option. I prefer to use low sodium soy sauce.
- Chicken coating: a combination of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt and ground black pepper is used to give the chicken a crispy coating. (Use just cornstarch for a gluten free option.)
Healthy Orange Chicken Sauce
- Oil: select a light, neutral flavored oil.
- Aromatics: freshly minced garlic and ginger add warmth and spice to the sauce.
- Orange: use both the zest and juice of a fresh orange.
- Soy Sauce: select low sodium soy sauce or use tamari or liquid amnios for a gluten free sauce.
- Worcester Sauce: for a complex umami punch.
- Honey: use local raw honey whenever possible.
- Rice Vinegar: this white vinegar is sweeter than regular white vinegar.
- Brown Sugar: for added sweetness. You can reduce the amount if you prefer.
- Cornstarch: to thicken the sauce
- Water
- Sesame Seeds: for garnish
- Chives: chopped for garnish
How To Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, combine chicken cubes, egg and soy sauce. Mix until the chicken pieces are well coated. Set aside.
- Dredge the chicken. In a separate wide bowl, combine all purpose flour, corn starch, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces one by one to the flour mixture and coat the chicken evenly.
- Prepare the equipment. Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer at 390 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray some oil in the air fryer basket and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer.
- Cook crispy chicken in air fryer. Air fry the chicken for 18-20 minutes by flipping the chicken pieces halfway through. Once done, remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
- Make the sauce. Heat a skillet with oil, once the oil is heated add in the grated garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute. Add the orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, honey, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cornstarch slurry by combining cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add the slurry to the sauce mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes until the orange sauce thickens.
- Coat the chicken in the sauce. Add the air fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss it until the sauce is well coated.
- Garnish and serve. Switch off the flame and garnish the chicken with sesame seeds and chives. Serve the crispy orange chicken over the bed of rice to enjoy.
Tips To Make Orange Chicken in Air Fryer
- The combination of flour and cornstarch browns the chicken and makes it super crispy. You can use just cornstarch if you need a gluten free option, but the chicken will not brown as much.
- Fresh orange juice is the key to making this so tasty. You may need to use 2 oranges to get a ½ cup of juice.
- Feel free to substitute cubed chicken tenders or cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breast.
- This orange chicken recipe isn’t spicy, but you can easily add spice by adding chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce to taste.
- Ginger can be frozen, so you can always have fresh ginger on hand. No need to defrost before grating.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sauce will thicken as you add the cornstarch and simmer it in the pan. If the sauce is not as thick as you would like, combine a teaspoon of cornstarch with a teaspoon of water. Repeat until the sauce is as thick as desired.
Although both dishes start with crispy fried chicken pieces. The sauces for orange chicken and General Tso chicken are different. Orange chicken has a sweet orange flavored sauce. General Tso chicken sauce does not have orange juice added to it.
You can make a few adjustments to make this recipe gluten free. Omit the flour and use just corn starch to dredge the chicken. You will also need to use gluten free soy sauce such as Tamari or substitute liquid aminos.
You can bake this in the oven, but it will take a bit longer. Place the chicken on an oven safe baking rack on a baking tray and bake in a 425 degrees F oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Flip the chicken halfway through cooking.
Whenever possible, it is best to store the chicken and the sauce separately. The chicken can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat the chicken in the air fryer until warm and toss with sauce which can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan.
You can freeze this crispy orange chicken for up to 3 months. I prefer to freeze the chicken and sauce separately and combine them after reheating.
Orange chicken can be served with fried rice, white rice or Cauliflower Rice. A side of steamed or stir fried veggies like broccoli, peppers and onions or snow peas will make this a full meal.
More Asian Chicken Recipes
- Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken
- Honey Garlic Soy Chicken
- Crispy Honey Chicken
- Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Chinese Lemon Chicken
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Baked Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Ingredients
For chicken
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For sauce
- ½ tbsp oil
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- ½ tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds garnish
- 2 tbsp chives chopped (garnish)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine chicken cubes ,egg and soy sauce. Mix until the chicken pieces are well coated. Set aside.
- In a separate wide bowl combine all purpose flour, corn starch, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces one by one to the flour mixture and coat the chicken evenly.
- Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer at 390 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray some oil in the air fryer basket and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer.
- Air fry the chicken for 18-20 minutes by flipping the chicken pieces halfway through. Once done remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
- Heat a skillet with oil, once the oil is heated add in the grated garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute.
- Add the orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, worcester sauce, honey, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the cornstarch slurry by combining cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add the slurry to the sauce mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes until the orange sauce thickens.
- Add the air fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss it until the sauce is well coated. Switch off the flame and garnish the chicken with sesame seeds and chives.
- Serve the crispy orange chicken over the bed of rice to enjoy.
Notes
- The combination of flour and cornstarch browns the chicken and makes it super crispy. You can use just cornstarch if you need a gluten free option but the chicken will not brown as much.
- Fresh orange juice is the key to making this so tasty. You may need to use 2 oranges to get a ½ cup of juice.
- Feel free to substitute cubed chicken tenders or cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breast.
- This orange chicken recipe isn’t spicy but you can easily add spice by adding chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce to taste.
- Ginger can be frozen so you can always have fresh ginger on hand. No need to defrost before grating.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken.
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