Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Air Fryer Orange Chicken is a quick and easy meal to get you out of the kitchen in less than 30 minutes. Better than takeout that’s simple, easy, and delicious!

Do you love orange chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant, but hate the guilt that comes with eating it? With an air fryer, you can enjoy this dish without all the added calories.

Air frying is a great way to cook food evenly and quickly, so this dish is ready in no time. Plus, the orange sauce is absolutely delicious. Give this recipe a try for a healthy and tasty meal.

Honestly – Forget take-out! This air fryer orange chicken is better than anything you can get from a restaurant. It’s easy to make, and the orange flavor is delicious.

When we moved out of the city – getting takeout became far more difficult. So we went back to the days when we made all of our favorites ourselves. I think we forgot just how easy it is to make these tried and true favorites – especially now that we can do it in the air fryer instead of on the stovetop.

If you’re looking for a new and exciting way to make chicken, give this recipe a try. Your family will love it!

Here are some commonly asked questions

How to store leftover orange chicken

To store leftover orange chicken, let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them for up to 1 month. When ready to enjoy your orange chicken again, simply reheat it in the air fryer for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes – you can make this dinner ahead of time. But keep in mind that the coating on the chicken will not be as crispy once you reheat it.

How Air Frying Works

While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.

Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.

By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.

Should I use chicken breasts or chicken tenders for this recipe?

Honestly – either will work just fine. You will still end up with a fantastic dish even if you cube the chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts. I just prefer the breast over the thighs for this.

What is orange chicken?

Orange chicken is a popular Chinese dish that consists of chicken breast meat that has been battered and fried, then coated in a sweet and sour orange sauce. In some cases, the recipe calls for additional components such as pineapple or green bell peppers.

Where was orange chicken created?

The recipe’s origins are in China. However, the large Panda Express chain claims to be the real inventor of “Orange Chicken” as a substitute for General Tso’s chicken or sweet and sour chicken. There’s no way to know whether it’s true or not – but it’s certainly delicious.

What are the benefits of air frying?

Healthier

It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.

Convenience

I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.

Energy Efficient

Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.

Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.

Time Saver

I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.

Take it on the go

I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.

Can this recipe be baked?

Yes – if you want to bake this chicken instead, just prepare as directed and then bake in a 400-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Can this be made without orange juice?

Well- it wouldn’t be orange chicken anymore, but if you want to change it up you can use pineapple juice instead. This will make it really similar to my pineapple chicken recipe – which is a real crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Chicken

• chicken breasts – cut into 1” cubes
• egg – beaten with a splash of water
• cornstarch

Orange Sauce

• orange juice
• soy sauce
• rice vinegar
• orange zest
• grated ginger
• grated garlic
• cornstarch
• red pepper flakes to taste

Is orange chicken spicy?

No, not really. There is a little bit of a bite with the addition of the crushed red pepper flakes in the sauce. But if you only like the sauce to be sweet you can leave out the crushed red pepper.

What if all my chicken won’t fit in the air fryer?

No worries – you can work in batches. If you have trouble getting it all to fit – please don’t crowd the chicken in the basket. It needs airflow to cook properly. Just make all of the chicken in the cornstarch and then cook what will fit. Then remove and cook the remaining chicken. Then toss it all in the sauce together.

How to Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Chicken

1. Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray and set it aside.
2. Place the beaten egg in a large bowl and the cornstarch in another large bowl.
3. Dip the chicken, a few pieces at a time, into the egg to coat, then dredge in the cornstarch.
4. Then, place the coated chicken in the prepared air fryer and cook at 375 for 12-14 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and registers 165F internal temp on an instant-read thermometer.
5. Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes before saucing– this will help prevent it from getting soggy.

Orange Sauce (while the chicken cooks)

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
3. Allow the sauce to thicken until it can coat the back of a spoon — about 2 minutes of simmering.
4. Set aside to cool for at least five minutes before adding to the chicken.
5. Once the chicken and sauce have cooled slightly, add them both to a large bowl and toss to combine.
6. Garnish with green onion, parsley, and/or sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately.

Can I make Orange Chicken on the stovetop?

You bet – I do have a recipe for making traditional orange chicken. But you will basically follow the steps here with coating the chicken. But instead of air frying it, you will fry it in a large pot of oil. Once done you can coat it with the sauce.

Air Frying Doneness Tip

Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.

You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.

How to prevent sticking in the air fryer

Sticking can often happen when using an air fryer. I understand that most would think to add non-stick spray to the basket to prevent this. I strongly encourage you to not do that.

Non-stick spray leaves a coating that won’t come off, even when washed. Over time – this will build up and cause smoking when you use our air fryer.

I also do not recommend putting down a sheet of foil. The idea behind air frying is to allow the air to circulate around the food.

This is why the basket or tray has holes in it. If you put foil down – this prevents the air from reaching all of the areas it needs to in order for it to cook properly.

Instead – I recommend spraying the basket with olive oil using this spray bottle. You can line the air fryer with perforated parchment paper.

Or you can use one of these really great silicone liners that still allow for airflow but are reusable and easily cleanable.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of corn starch?

Yes! Flour is a wonderful substitute for corn starch as it has starch in it already. Keep in mind that the flour won’t crisp as nicely as the cornstarch – so you might have to cook a bit longer to get the desired crispiness.

What do you serve with orange chicken?

Orange chicken can be served with white rice and steamed vegetables for a complete meal. Other possible sides include noodles, salads, or stir-fried vegetables. Here are a few other recipes we like to serve with this chicken.

• Chinese Pineapple Chicken
• Homemade Fortune Cookies
• Chinese Orange Chicken
• Instant Pot Beef Broccoli
• Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
• Shrimp Lo Mein
• Sesame Salmon Bowl
• Sesame Shrimp
• Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
• Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
• Vegetarian Dumplings

How can I make this recipe low carb?

Instead of corn starch, you can swap it out and use NOW Psyllium Husk Powder, Viva Coconut Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal to coat the chicken. You’ll still get crispy chicken without the added carbs.

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If you love this easy air-fried chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other air fryer recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

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