Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Name: Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup cornstarch; 2 eggs; Cooking Spray; Sesame Seeds, to sprinkle on; 2 teaspoons orange zest; 1/2 cup orange juice; 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 1/2-1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, adjust to taste; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar; 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch, for slurry; 3 tablespoons cold water, for slurry

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Air Fryer Orange Chicken is the takeout inspired air fryer recipe you need to make! Crispy breaded pieces of chicken thighs are tossed in a super easy orange sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes and family friendly!

air fryer orange chicken with green onions.

Try serving this air fryer orange chicken with cooked rice and steamed veggies (like broccoli), or even this Vegetarian Kimchi Fried Rice. It's also great served with noodles - like these Garlic Sesame Ramen Noodles.

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⭐Why I love It:
🥘Ingredients:
🔪Step by Step Instructions:
💭Recipe Tips:
🍽Storage and Reheating:
👩‍🍳Recipe FAQs
🍗Related Air Fryer Recipes
Recipe
Reviews

⭐Why I love It:

Crispy - The cornstarch-based breading combined with the air fryer gives super crispy results.
Takeout Inspired - Takes just like your favorite Chinese takeout. For an even lighter version, check out this healthy orange chicken recipe that doesn't bread the chicken but still has a flavorful sauce.
Orange Sauce - The easy orange sauce as both zest and orange juice for extra flavor

🥘Ingredients:

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs - you can swap in breasts as well.
All-Purpose Flour
Cornstarch - this helps make the breading super crispy. I use a cornstarch breading for this easy sesame chicken recipe as well.
Eggs - you'll beat the eggs to help the cornstarch breading stick to the chicken.
Oranges - Zest and Juice.
For the Orange Sauce - Low Sodium Soy Sauce, Chili Garlic Sauce, Brown Sugar (light or dark), Minced Garlic, Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
Cooking Spray - You'll spray the air fryer basket and spray the chicken before air frying.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🔪Step by Step Instructions:

Making Orange Chicken in the Air Fryer is easy with amazing results!

beaten eggs and flour-cornstarch mixture for dredging.

Photo 1 - Start by mixing up the two dredging stations - the beaten egg and cornstarch/flour blend.

Photo 2 - Bread the chicken pieces by dredging first in the flour mixture, then the egg, and one more time in the flour. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and add chicken pieces in an even layer. You may need to cook in two batches.

Photo 3 - Spray the chicken with cooking spray, give the basket a shake, and spray again. Cook at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes, until cooked through. I like to give the basket a shake after 5 or 6 minutes.

air fryer orange chicken with sesame seeds.

Photo 4 - While the chicken is cooking, add the sauce ingredients to a small pot and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and add the cornstarch slurry. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and toss the cooked chicken in the sauce to evenly coat.

💭Recipe Tips:

Spritz Well with Cooking Spray - The cooking spray is essential to keeping the chicken breading from sticking to the air fryer basket. You want to coat the pieces in the cooking spray on all sides.
Shake Basket - Shaking the air fryer basket a little over halfway through cooking helps get the chicken crisp and golden on all sides and prevent it from clumping together.
Don't Overcrowd the Basket - You want the chicken pieces to be in an even layer and not piled together. You may need to cook in two batches.

🍽Storage and Reheating:

Storage - Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating - Leftovers can be reheated in the air fryer at 350 degrees F a few minutes until warmed. You can line the air fryer basket with foil to keep the sauce from dripping through the grates.

crispy air fryer orange chicken with rice in a bowl.

👩‍🍳Recipe FAQs

Can I put foil in the air fryer?

You can put foil in the air fryer. But doing so does impede some of the hot air circulation which is what makes the food crispy. So for this recipe, I do not recommend lining with foil when cooking the chicken. However, you can line with foil if you're reheating the leftovers.

Can you cook frozen store-bought orange chicken in the air fryer?

Yes, you can cook frozen store-bought orange chicken in the air fryer - like the orange chicken from Trader Joe's. For most varieties, it will take 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees F to cook. But cook until the frozen chicken is cooked through.

How long to heat up orange chicken in air fryer?

Leftover orange chicken can be reheated in the air fryer at 350 degrees F a few minutes until warmed. I like to line the basket with foil to contain the sauce.

How do you know when orange chicken is cooked?

Orange chicken is cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees F.

🍗Related Air Fryer Recipes

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Air Fryer Orange Chicken is the takeout inspired air fryer recipe you need to make! Crispy breaded pieces of chicken thighs are tossed in a super easy orange sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes and family friendly!

Author: Kathleen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings
Category: Main
Method: Air Fryer
Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cornstarch
2 eggs
Cooking Spray
Sesame Seeds, to sprinkle on

Orange Sauce

2 teaspoons orange zest
½ cup orange juice
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
½-1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, adjust to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch, for slurry
3 tablespoons cold water, for slurry

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Instructions

Bread Chicken - Set up the breading stations by beating the eggs in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch. Bread the chicken pieces by dredging first in the flour mixture, then the egg, and one more time in the flour. Repeat with all chicken and set aside.
Add to Air Fryer - Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and add chicken pieces in an even layer. You may need to cook in two batches. Spray the chicken with cooking spray, give the basket a shake, and spray again. The idea is to coat all the sides in the oil spray. This prevents sticking and gets them extra crispy.
Air Fry - Cook at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes, until cooked through (170 degrees F internal temp). I like to give the basket a shake after 5 or 6 minutes.
Make Orange Sauce - While the chicken is cooking, add the sauce ingredients to a small pot and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and add the cornstarch slurry. Simmer until the sauce thickens - about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Toss Chicken in Sauce - Toss the cooked chicken in the sauce to evenly coat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve and Enjoy! Serve immediately with sides of your choice.

Notes

Storage - Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheating - Leftovers can be reheated in the air fryer at 350 degrees F a few minutes until warmed. You can line the air fryer basket with foil to keep the sauce from dripping through the grates.