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My family swears this air fryer orange chicken tastes even better than takeout. It’s a fast and low-effort weeknight dinner idea.
We love cooking chicken in the air fryer, and if you do too, try my air fryer chicken bites, air fryer chicken wings, air fryer chicken nuggets, and air fryer chicken tenderloins.
Table of Contents
I clearly have an obsession with using my air fryer for anything and everything, and this includes making my family’s weeknight dinners in it. We collectively LOVE Chinese takeout, so as you can imagine, my air fryer orange chicken recipe is made on repeat. It’s not just healthier than takeout, but it’s cheaper and tastes better, too.
Why I love this recipe
- Uses a hands-off cooking method. Just toss the marinated chicken in the air fryer and let this hands-off tool work its magic.
- Wholesome ingredients. I grew up in a half-Chinese household, so I know all the unhealthy (yet delicious) ingredients that can go into a takeout-style dish. This orange chicken tastes the same but skips on all the nasties!
- A 30-minute dinner. From cooking the chicken to making the sauce to putting it all together, this dish is ready to enjoy in no time.
- Budget-friendly. Put the takeout menu down. My homemade recipe is so much better AND inexpensive to make, too!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken breasts. This is my favorite protein when I’m making orange chicken at home. Boneless skinless chicken breasts soak in the marinade easily and cook quickly in the air fryer compared to chicken thighs. It’s also leaner too, which is always a plus.
- Salt and pepper. To season the chicken breast marinade.
- Soy sauce. To marinate the chicken. You can use tamari or coconut aminos if you’re gluten free.
- All purpose flour and cornstarch. I like to coat the chicken pieces in both flour and cornstarch for extra crunch. You can also sprinkle some panko for even more crunch.
For the orange chicken sauce:
- Sesame oil. For the signature sesame notes. A little goes a very long way (hence the small amount used).
- Garlic and ginger. Fresh ginger and garlic cloves are a must. Please do not use the dried kind!
- Soy sauce. Like I said, you can use tamari or coconut aminos if you’re gluten free.
- Orange marmalade. Optional, but I sometimes like to add this in to intensify the orange flavor and to add some sweetness. You can omit this or swap it out for some honey or brown sugar.
- Orange juice and zest. Use freshly squeezed orange juice and grated zest from Valencia or Navel oranges.
- Hot sauce. Use any hot sauce you like. Sriracha is my preference!
- White vinegar. The vinegar cuts through the overly tangy and sweet flavors. Rice vinegar works well as a mild-flavored substitute.
- Cornstarch slurry. A slurry made from cornstarch and water thickens the orange sauce and ensures it sticks to every bite of chicken. You can also use potato starch if you prefer.
How to make air fryer orange chicken
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Toss the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, and soy sauce in a shallow bowl.
Step 2- Coat the marinated chicken pieces in the flour, cornstarch, and optional bread crumbs. Place them in the air fryer basket and air fry until crispy.
Step 3- Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine before pouring in the cornstarch slurry.
Step 4- Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a large bowl. Pour the orange sauce over top and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Marinate ahead of time. If you want to save some time, you can marinate the chicken in the soy marinade for up to 4 hours ahead of cooking. Just cover the bowl and leave the chicken in the fridge.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. In testing, I found that chicken pieces that were overlapping in the air fryer didn’t get as crispy as when the pieces were cooked in a single layer. If your air fryer isn’t big enough to avoid overlapping, cook the chicken in two batches instead.
- You’ll know the chicken is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Use a meat thermometer to double check.
Variations
- Use other protein. You can swap the chicken breasts for chicken thighs, salmon, tofu, or shrimp.
- Skip the bread crumbs. The breading is optional here! Feel free to skip it to lighten up the dish.
- Make it spicier. I find that the hot sauce gives the orange sauce a nice kick but you can add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes for extra heat.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! If you’d rather air fry the chicken as whole breasts instead of chunks, follow the same process as my air fryer chicken breasts. Once cooked, douse in the sauce.
You can. Place the crumbed chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for 15-17 minutes, flipping once.
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Orange chicken sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 large orange juiced and zested
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 190C/375F.
- In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Let it marinate for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. Dip each piece of chicken in the flour mix until well coated.
- Place the coated chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket and spray generously with oil. Air fry for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the orange sauce. In a saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, orange marmalade, orange juice, orange zest, hot sauce, and white vinegar to the saucepan. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Slowly pour the slurry into the simmering sauce while stirring continuously. Allow the sauce to simmer for an additional minute or two until it thickens.
- Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a large mixing bowl. Pour the prepared orange sauce over the chicken. Gently toss the chicken until completely coated.
This was so easy! I impressed everyone haha
I tried this last night and it was utterly incredible! I used chicken thighs and it came out, just beautiful! The sauce was a little too salty for my taste, so I might use less sauce, next time. But definitely making this again!
You added soy sauce 2 times….once to marinate chicken pieces and again in the sauce, but it is not listed in the 1st section of ingredients. How much did you use the 1st time to soak the chicken in?
Sorry! Fixed now, it’s 1/4 cup!