Quick Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Chicken is one of my favorite foods. It is so versatile and can be prepared in many different ways; in stir-fries, baked, or cooked, used in savory pies, and even made into gourmet dishes such as cordon bleu.

One of my go-to recipes when it comes to chicken is orange chicken. I used to prepare this traditionally in the oven or over the stove, but with an air-fryer, this dish is even better!

Imagine crispy golden chicken coated with fragrant orange sauce – perfection with every bite!

How To Make Air-Fryer Orange Chicken – (Brief Summary)

I’ll provide the ingredients list and step=by-step instructions below, but here’s the gist so you know what you’re getting into.

Chicken can be bought in different cuts, but I prefer either chicken breasts or tenders for this recipe. When cutting your chicken, make sure your pieces are the same size, so every piece can cook at the same time. 

Once your chicken is all cut up, season it with salt and pepper and coat it with cornstarch. Fry the chicken in the heated air fryer, at 400°F for 8-9 minutes. Make sure you shake the basket every few minutes, so the chicken can separate and cook evenly. 

To make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pot. Make the slurry in a separate bowl. Once the sauce simmers, whisk in the slurry, and cook until the sauce is gently thickened.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Serve chicken with rice or potatoes or grilled veggies. This recipe is very simple and ideal for when you lack time to make something comforting and delicious!

Tips For Perfect Air-Fry Orange Chicken

• Do not add too much cornstarch.
  • Cornstarch and potato starch can make a mess if you add them too much. Since starch is light and airy, it will fly around the air fryer, causing it to look like a snow globe blew up.
  • With too much starch, your chicken will not brown correctly, although it will be edible. To coat the chicken perfectly, add the chicken to a bowl, along with cornstarch, and toss gently. Once the chicken is fully coated, stop.
  • You do not need to use all the cornstarch to coat the chicken. Once coated, tap off any excess starch and that is how you perfectly coat the chicken.
• Use only real orange juice.
  • Real orange juice is what you need for this recipe. Forget about sugar-filled concentrated juice. The freshly squeezed orange juice will give the best flavor, along with some natural freshness.
  • The juice from concentrate will give a completely different flavor, and it will not be the same thing. 
• Add the orange zest.
  • If you want to enhance that orange flavor, then the orange zest will assist you with that. The orange zest is rich in orange oil and brings loads of flavor.
  • If you are using the orange zest, make sure you use the organic orange zest.

How To Make The Perfect Sauce

This entire dish is very easy to make, and so is the sauce too. When it comes to the sauce, the most important thing to look out for is the thickness. I like my sauce somewhere in the middle.

If you want a thicker sauce, you can achieve it easily, just by cooking the sauce for a bit more. If you end up with a thick sauce, you can thin it down by adding more water. However, you really can’t go wrong either way!

Air Fryer Orange Chicken Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

For the sauce:

• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp water
• Green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. 

2. Cut the chicken into equal pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a bowl or zip-up bag. Add cornstarch and toss the chicken to coat it with the cornstarch. 

3. Place the chicken in an air fryer and cook for 8-9 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 

4. Make the sauce; in a saucepot, combine orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. 

5. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add slurry to the sauce and simmer the sauce for a minute.

6. Place the chicken in a bowl. Pour over the sauce and stir to coat the chicken.

7. Serve chicken warm, with rice on the side, and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. 

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