Skip Panda Express and make this 25-minute Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe tonight! Crispy cubed chicken tossed in a flavorful sweet and tangy orange sauce made with fresh orange juice. The whole family will love this dish.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Made with fresh ingredients. If you've only ever had orange chicken from Chinese takeout or Trader Joe's orange chicken, you're in for a treat! This homemade orange sauce is made with fresh oranges and is so much more flavorful.
- No refined sugar. Most orange chicken recipes are made using a lot of white sugar. This version is sweetened with fruit juice and honey, making this orange chicken sauce significantly better for you.
- Easy weeknight dinner. This recipe is ready in 25 minutes or less and is a great meal to have in your dinner rotation.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken. Although chicken thighs are one of my favorite cuts of chicken to use, it is best to use boneless skinless chicken breasts when making air fryer orange chicken.
- Cornstarch or potato starch. A key ingredient in making the chicken extra crispy and giving it a nice golden brown breading. I personally prefer potato starch but either will work.
- Eggs. Whisked eggs help the cornstarch stick to the chicken.
- Orange. For the best-flavored orange sauce, you'll need both freshly squeezed orange juice and a couple of tablespoons of orange zest. This is going to make your homemade air fryer orange chicken so much more delicious than a Chinese restaurant or frozen orange chicken with pre-made sauce packets. You won't regret it!
- Coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are an alternative to soy sauce that is lower in sodium. If you prefer a saltier orange sauce, feel free to use regular soy sauce or tamari if you are gluten-free.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
Set up an assembly line. Add sifted cornstarch to a bowl and the whisked eggs mixed with salt and pepper to another bowl.
Step 1: Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture.
Step 2: Next, coat the chicken the cornstarch/potato starch and coat completely on all sides. Shake off any excess. Spray the air fryer basket with a light layer of cooking spray, add the coated chicken pieces in a single layer and spray the chicken with additional cooking spray. Cook for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 3: While the chicken cooks, prepare your orange sauce. Add the orange juice, orange zest, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and honey to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat while stirring frequently until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. You want the sauce to be thick enough to coat the chicken, but not so thick that it is a glaze.
Step 4: Once the chicken has cooked to 165 degrees F, pour the orange sauce over the hot chicken and toss to coat. Serve your crispy orange chicken immediately while hot and crispy.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- To help the whisked eggs stick to the chicken, pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel before dredging.
- Invest in a meat thermometer. If you're a newer chef or tend to question the doneness of chicken, invest in a meat thermometer! They're inexpensive and will help prevent you from overcooking your meat.
- Adjust the cooking time based on your own air fryer. 15 minutes was the perfect cook time in my personal air fryer model, but depending on yours, you may need a slightly altered cook time. I would recommend checking the chicken after 13 minutes to test for doneness and adjust from there.
🥗Serving
This air fryer orange chicken makes a delicious lunch or dinner recipe. Serve over your favorite grain such as white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
I also love to serve this orange chicken with sides such as Frozen Roasted Broccoli, Air Fryer Roasted Carrots, or a vegetable stir fry.
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Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and comment below. Share it on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
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Air Fryer Orange Chicken
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
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Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- ½ large orange, juiced
- 1-2 tablespoons orange zest
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F if necessary.
- Set up an assembly line by adding sifted cornstarch to a bowl and the whisked eggs in another bowl mixed with salt and black pepper.
- Dip the chicken breast into the egg mixture followed by the cornstarch. Shake off any excess cornstarch.
- Spray the air fryer with cooking spray, add the chicken and spray the chicken with more cooking spray.
- Air fry for 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Sauce
- In a small saucepan, add all of the sauce ingredients.
- Heat over medium heat and stir until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. You want it to be thick enough to coat the chicken but not too thick that it is a glaze.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken and toss to coat. Serve topped with sesame seeds, rice and your favorite vegetable.
Sarah's Tips
- To help the whisked eggs stick to the chicken, pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel before dredging.
- Invest in a meat thermometer. If you're a newer chef or tend to question the doneness of chicken, invest in a meat thermometer! They're inexpensive and will help prevent you from overcooking your meat.
- Adjust the cooking time based on your own air fryer. 15 minutes was the perfect cook time in my personal air fryer model, but depending on yours, you may need a slightly altered cook time. I would recommend checking the chicken after 13 minutes to test for doneness and adjust from there.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- I recommend reheating in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. The sauce is sticky and will cause a mess in the air fryer if you reheat it that way.
karen rothman says
Amazing!!! I made this last night and my family loved it. Great recipe highly recommend it.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Karen, so happy you enjoyed this! We're making it this week also, can't wait 🙂