Air Fryer Orange Chicken
The best, crispy air fryer orange chicken recipe with the perfect aromatic sauce. A healthier, gluten-free alternative to classic orange chicken.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs but you can use chicken breasts too.
- Egg white.
- Soy sauce. Use Tamari or Coconut aminos as a substitute.
- Fresh ginger.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Cornstarch. Potato starch can be used as substitute.
- Salt.
- For the sauce: Ginger, garlic, fresh orange zest and orange juice, soy sauce, sugar (white sugar or brown sugar can be used), rice vinegar and cornstarch. Honey can also be used as substitute for the sugar. If you like spice, add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes/chilli flakes to the sauce. For a gluten free sauce, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
How To Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Marinate the chicken: Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the egg white and aromatics, mix and marinate.
- Coat and air fry: Dip the chicken in the cornstarch mixture then transfer to a greased air fryer basket in a single layer. Spray with oil spray/cooking spray then air fry at 200°C/400°F for 15 minutes, flipping over halfway, until the chicken is golden brown and crisp.
- Make the sauce: Combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cook the sauce over medium heat until thickened then add the cooked chicken and toss well in the orange sauce.
- Serve: Serve with noodles or steamed rice and garnish with green onions/spring onion and sesame seeds (optional).
Serving Suggestions
We love serving this easy orange chicken recipe with steamed rice or noodles for a simple weeknight dinner. Adding a vegetable side dish like broccoli, sugar snap peas or green beans is a great idea.
Servings: 4
Calories: 336kcal
Ingredients
- 750 g (1lb) skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups cornstarch
- pinch of salt
For the orange sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 4 garlic cloves crushed/minced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to a medium bowl.
- Add the soy sauce, egg white, ginger and garlic and mix well. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours in the fridge.
- Combine the cornstarch and a pinch of salt in another bowl then coat the chicken in the cornstarch mixture.
- Grease the basket of an air fryer then add the chicken in a single layer. Spray with oil spray.
- Air fry the chicken for 15 minutes at 200°C/400°F until crisp and golden, flipping over halfway through cooking.
- To make the sauce, whisk together all the orange sauce ingredients then transfer to a large frying pan set over medium heat.
- Cook until the sauce is thick and glossy then add the crisp chicken and stir fry for a minute or two until the chicken is coated in the sauce.
- Serve with your side dishes of choice.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 1494mg | Potassium: 605mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
FAQ
What is the orange chicken sauce made of?
Orange chicken sauce consists of soy sauce, fresh orange juice and zest, fresh minced garlic and ginger, rice vinegar and some sugar cooked into a thick, glossy sauce.
How do you thicken Orange Chicken sauce?
To thicken the sauce, add a tablespoon of corn starch to the sauce ingredients before adding to a saucepan and cooking until the sauce easily coats the back of a spoon. A cornstarch slurry can also be used if you want to thicken the sauce more.
Easy Chinese-American chicken recipes
I just made this and OMG! Very delicious! I added a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables that I steamed in the microwave. I would definitely double the sauce recipe as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that.