Air Fryer Orange Chicken

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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!)

air fryer orange chicken shown on a bed of white rice on a round white plate.

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 or olive oil sprays.

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.

pieces of orange chicken shown in white rice with a slice of fresh orange on the side.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I like to use chicken breast but usually chicken thighs are used so you can certainly use those here. You’ll need to adjust your cooking time as they might take slightly longer to cook.
soy sauce – if you need to cut back on the sodium, you can use a low sodium soy sauce.
cornstarch – cornstarch is preferred over flour as this will produce a crunchier coating.
orange juice – it doesn’t need to be fresh squeezed unless you really prefer that. You will need a fresh orange for the zest though.
rice vinegar – this really adds more flavor than you think. I suppose you could use regular vinegar but I think you’d be missing out on some great flavor.
ginger – I think fresh ginger really packs a lot of the flavor here. If you insist on substituting then I would use about 1/4 teaspoon of dried.
garlic – again, fresh garlic is going to give you the best and tastiest results. You can use the jarred stuff but I really suggest fresh for the best flavor.
orange zest – you only want to zest the orange skin not the pith (which is the white stuff) since that is bitter tasting.
chili flakes – this gives it a nice little kick but I don’t consider it super spicy. You can leave it out if you prefer.

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER ORANGE CHICKEN:

In a bowl, add chicken, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, and egg. Mix well. In another bowl add the cornstarch. Dip the egg coated chicken in the cornstarch.

Place it on a plate or pan, continue with the rest of the chicken pieces.

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spray the basket with olive oil 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.

collage of three photos: marinated chicken shown being coated in cornstarch in a bowl, fully coated chicken pieces on a baking tray and chicken pieces shown in a basket air fryer and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook for 5 minutes on one side. 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. In a bowl combine together orange juice, brown sugar, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Heat the above mixture in a pan for 5 minutes over medium heat.

collage of three photos: cooked chicken pieces in the air fryer, orange juice, brown sugar, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a clear bowl and oranger sauce shown in a pan.

In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add this into the orange sauce and cook for 3 minutes. Stir regularly. You should see it start to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened add the orange zest and mix everything together. Finally add the chicken and toss it together well.