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Air Fryer Orange Chicken

A little sweet and a little spicy, this Air Fryer Orange Chicken is so incredibly tasty! Serve it with rice and you are ready to enjoy a hearty dinner that is better than takeout!

A DELICIOUS AT-HOME TAKEOUT RECIPE

Orange Chicken is one of my favorite takeout foods. The combined flavors of slightly spicy with the slightly sweet are so good! You won’t believe how easy this Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe is and how flavorful it turns out. My whole family goes crazy over this and it goes well with so many things (like my Easy Fried Rice recipe!)

Finished Air Fryer Orange Chicken with sesame seeds in blue bowl overhead.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I use chicken tenderloins for this recipe?

That would be fine since you are cutting your chicken down into bite sized pieces. You could also use chicken thighs.

Do I have to preheat my air fryer?

Yes, you will want to preheat it to 350F degrees for about 5 minutes before adding the chicken.

Why can’t I just cook them all at once?

Air fryers need the air to circulate to cook properly. If air cannot circulate around each chicken piece, you won’t get that crispier texture we are looking for and the chicken will cook unevenly. You will need to cook in batches.

What is the best cooking spray to use for an air fryer?

A lot of vegetable oil cooking sprays can gum up air fryers. I prefer coconut oil sprays. If you don’t have coconut oil spray then I would use olive oil.

How can I make it more spicy?

My acid reflux has a hard time with spice so I do keep it mild. You can achieve more spice by adding more red pepper flakes or adding a bit of Sriracha to the sauce.

How do I store leftovers?

This Orange Chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in a freezer container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Plated Air Fryer Orange Chicken with orange slices on back of plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • chicken breast
  • egg
  • salt and pepper
  • soy sauce
  • cornstarch
  • orange juice
  • rice vinegar
  • ginger
  • garlic
  • orange zest
  • brown sugar
  • chili flakes
  • water
Ingredients needed: chicken breasts, egg, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, corn flour, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, orange zest, brown sugar, chili flakes and water.

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER ORANGE CHICKEN:

In a bowl, add chicken, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, and egg. Mix well.

chicken pieces in marinade in a glass bowl

In another bowl add the cornstarch. Dip the egg coated chicken in the cornstarch and place it on a plate or pan, set aside.

cornstarch coated chicken pieces laying in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spray the basket with non-stick cooking spray and put the coated chicken pieces in it. Spray the tops of the chicken VERY WELL with cooking spray. It is the cooking spray that helps with the coating. Cook for 5 minutes on one side.

chicken pieces shown (before cooking) in the basket of an air fryer.

Turn the chicken over, spray liberally again with cooking spray and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Set aside.

cooked chicken pieces shown in the basket of the air fryer.

In a bowl combine together orange juice, brown sugar, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

ranch sauce mixture shown in a clear bowl.

Heat the above mixture in a pan for 5 minutes. In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste. Add this into the orange sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Once the sauce is thickened add the orange zest and mix everything together.

orange zest along with orange sauce shown in a skillet.

Finally add the chicken and toss it together well.

cooked chicken pieces added to orange sauce in a large skillet.

Serve and enjoy!

Chopsticks holding up one piece of Air Fryer Orange Chicken.

WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? YOU GOTTA TRY THESE!

Square image of plated Air Fryer Orange Chicken with sesame seeds

Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Mildly spicy and sweet, this Air Fryer Orange Chicken so tasty! Serve it with rice and you are ready to enjoy a hearty dinner which is better than any takeout!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air Fryer Orange Chicken, Air Fryer Orange Chicken Recipe, Orange Chicken Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 891kcal

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 cups cornstarch

Orange Sauce:

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp ginger minced
  • 1 Tbsp garlic minced
  • zest from one orange
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp of water

Instructions

Chicken:

  • In a bowl add chicken and add salt, black pepper powder, soy sauce, and egg. Mix well.
  • In another bowl add the cornstarch. Dip the egg coated chicken in the cornstarch and place it on a plate or pan, set aside.
  • Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 180-degree C / 350 degrees F.
  • Spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray then put the coated chicken pieces in it.
  • Spray the chicken (VERY LIBERALLY) with the nonstick cooking spray. The cooking oil spray is going to give the chicken is crunchy coating. Cook for 5 minutes on one side.
  • Flip the chicken pieces over. Again, spray the chicken very liberally with the cooking spray. Cook until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165F degrees. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Set aside.

Sauce:

  • In a bowl combine together orange juice, brown sugar, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.
  • Heat the mixture in a pan for 5 minutes. In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste. Add this into the orange sauce and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Once the sauce is thickened, add the orange zest and mix everything together.
  • Finally add all the cooked chicken pieces and toss it together until they are all coated in the sauce.
  • Remove from heat and serve over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

Notes

  • Chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts.
  • Don’t overcrowd your chicken in the air fryer. I know it’s tempting to pop it all in there but the chicken won’t crisp up if you do that. Air needs to circulate around each piece so you’ll need to do this in batches.
  • If you have a basket air fryer, you may want to shake the basket a time or two during the last few minutes of cooking.
  • This can be frozen, see the tips above.
  • Spraying the chicken pieces with oil is super important to this recipe. Since we aren’t actually frying the chicken in oil, we are simulating that process with the cooking spray. You want the pieces sprayed very well since this is what is going to help the coating crisp up a bit. The chicken won’t be quite as crispy as oil frying but they should have a nice golden coating.
  • Coconut Oil or Olive oil cooking spray will work best.

Nutrition

Calories: 891kcal | Carbohydrates: 143g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 226mg | Sodium: 2160mg | Potassium: 1203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 737IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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