Description
This Air Fryer Orange Chicken is a delicious homemade orange chicken dish perfect for an easy dinner or family dinner. It features crispy orange chicken with a tangy glaze, ideal for weeknight dinner meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb chicken thigh boneless & skinless cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1.5 cup potato starch
- neutral oil spray I recommend avocado oil
- 2 tbsp neutral oil I recommend avocado oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
Instructions
- Combine chicken pieces with salt, white pepper, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, grated garlic and ginger, sesame oil, and egg white in a bowl; mix thoroughly and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, chicken stock, brown sugar, and cornstarch until fully dissolved; set this sauce aside.
- Spread potato starch on a baking sheet and coat each chicken piece lightly, shaking off any extra starch; spray the air fryer tray with oil and arrange the chicken in a single layer.
- Spray the top of the chicken, air fry at 350F for 10 minutes, then flip the pieces, spray again, and air fry at 400F for 8 minutes until crispy and cooked through.
- Heat neutral oil in a pan over high heat, sauté minced garlic and ginger for about 15 seconds, then quickly add the prepared sauce and cook until it thickens in about 1 to 2 minutes; stir in vinegar.
- Toss the cooked chicken into the sauce until evenly coated, finish with a drizzle of sesame oil, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cut the Chicken into Uniform Pieces and Coat Thoroughly – Whether you use chicken breast or thigh, make sure to cut your chicken into uniform pieces to ensure that your Orange Chicken cooks evenly
- Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots
- Be sure to pack the dry mix in to the chicken with your hands (I like squeezing it in) to properly coat the chicken so the batter sticks
- Secret Ingredient – Potato Starch – Potato starch is my secret ingredient to getting the same crispy Orange Chicken batter in the air fryer WITHOUT having to deep fry! This is because potato starch has larger granule sizes than other starches (such as cornstarch), which helps it get a crunchier texture
- However, to get this crunchy texture, you will not want to skimp on your oil spray *read below! Be generous with the oil spray, as it’s the only source of fat in this recipe
- Don’t skip spraying the air fryer tray or sheet BEFORE cooking the chicken – this will help prevent the chicken pieces from sticking
- Generously and thoroughly spray the chicken pieces to allow the potato starch coating to cook nicely (otherwise the chicken will look and taste dry)
- Don’t forget to give the chicken a good second spray again when air-frying for the second time! Double (Air) Frying is KEY! – After A LOT of recipe testing, the best results for Air Fryer Orange Chicken involved “DOUBLE FRYING” in the air fryer – once at a lower temperature for a longer period of time (to avoid burning) then at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time (to get the batter crispy)
- Store Air Fryer Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days
- I like reheat it in the air fryer at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy
- You can also reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through
- If you don’t care about restoring any crispiness, you can reheat in the microwave until warmed through
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Fryer
Nutrition
- Calories: 558kcal
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 1034mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g + 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 64g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 112mg