Air Fryer Orange Chicken is a great way to make a meal that the whole family will love. That tangy orange sauce paired with the tender chicken bites will make you forget that Chinese takeout even exists.
If you are looking for more delicious air fryer chicken recipes, you will love making Air Fryer Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, straight from the freezer!
Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant, I always look for a great meal like this. The chicken pieces flavored with orange zest and topped with sesame seeds are one of my favorite things.
But the more I ordered this coated chicken, the more I realized I could make a healthy orange chicken and delicious sauce at home. And now that it's done and a family favorite, I'm so excited to share it with all of you!
Using simple ingredients full of flavor makes for an easy dinner that will have everyone coming back for more. The good news is that using fresh ingredients that are easy to find makes this one of the easiest air fryer chicken recipes to make!
Forget about deep frying this great recipe, and let your air fryer take over and make this delicious meal instead.
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Orange juice
- Soy sauce
- Orange zest
How to make Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- In a medium bowl, toss the pieces of chicken with the cornstarch until the chicken is well coated.
- Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray, then pour the chicken into the prepared basket without stacking or overlapping the chicken.
- Air fry at 380 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is golden brown, with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- While the chicken is in the air fryer, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Stir together to combine.
- Slow stir in the orange juice and soy sauce. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sauce begins to boil. Once boiling, continue stirring the sauce for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, then remove it from the stovetop. Stir in orange peel until evenly distributed in the sauce.
- Once the chicken is done air frying, in a large bowl, toss chicken with the sauce until well coated.
- Top with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Variations
Pair with white rice or brown rice - You can either add this air fryer orange chicken recipe to the top of the rice or not. Totally up to you. If you want to stay away from rice, adding cauliflower rice is a great option as well, which takes just a couple of minutes.
Make it spicy - Adding a few red pepper flakes as a topping or mixing in with the orange chicken sauce is a great way to add some heat.
FAQ's
If you want to add fresh orange juice to the sauce ingredients, you can - but you can also buy it from the store already made and ready to go! The best way to use fresh orange juice is to use a juicer and get as much of that goodness as possible. You will also want to strain it so it has no seeds or pulp.
You bet. If you want to save time or have picky eaters looking for a certain flavor, you can buy and use sauce packets already made. Then, just follow the directions to add the sauce to the crispy air fryer orange chicken once it's ready.
After the chicken cooks and the entire dish cools, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container. Keep the leftovers in the fridge until the next time you plan on eating them. For the best results, eat any leftovers within 3 days.
To reheat, you can add it back to the air fryer for a few minutes. Make sure to heat until the chicken is heated all the way through.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Yogurt Marinated Chicken
- Crispy Air Fryer Fried Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Oatmeal Crusted Chicken
- Air Fryer Flamin' Hot Cheetos Chicken
- Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Orange Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups orange juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss the pieces of chicken with the cornstarch, until the chicken is well coated.
- Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray, then pour chicken into the prepared basket, without stacking or overlapping chicken.
- Air fry at 380 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is golden brown, with an internal temperature at 165 degrees.
- While the chicken is in the air fryer, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Stir together to combine.
- Slow stir in the orange juice. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sauce begins to boil. Once boiling, continue stirring the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until it thickens, then remove from the stove top. Stir in orange peel until evenly distributed in the sauce.
- Once chicken is done air frying, in a large bowl, toss chicken with HALF of the sauce until well coated.
- Top with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.
©AirFryingFoodie 2023
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