Air-Fryer Orange Chicken

Healthier air-fryer orange chicken that's made even simpler. No more oil splatters in the kitchen, frying-oil smell lingering afterward and no need to babysit the chicken also. I mean, what else do we want, right?

Jump to:

• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Utensils To Use
• Easier & Faster Coating Using A Ziploc Bag
• How To Make Air-Fryer Orange Chicken
• Tips To Get Crispy Air-Fryer Chicken
• How To Serve & Store
• FAQs
• Watch How To Make It
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Delicious crispy chicken coated with thick zingy orange sauce. Oh la la! I've made this post more detailed than just writing up the recipe because I want you to come here and enjoy the cooking experience also. After all, great meals start with the chef, eh?

Let's get started!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Chicken thigh - I strongly recommend you use chicken thigh instead of chicken breast for this air-fryer recipe. You want juicy crispy chicken, just like in my delicious honey sriracha chicken and Malaysian chicken satay. Using chicken breast in small pieces will result in either dry or not crispy chicken bites.

Soy sauce - Always less salt soy sauce! Trust me. You get more flavour without having to worry about over-salting your dish.

Orange - I recommend you freshly squeeze the juice. It tastes better, in my opinion. For this recipe, you'll need around 5 oranges (adult's fist size). Zest one of them.

Sriracha - For the heat, which I love! Omit it if you're not a fan, no problem at all.

SUBSTITUTIONS: 1 teaspoon chili flakes, ½-1 tablespoon of gochujang, or 1 tablespoon of sambal oelek (still delicious but this one does change the whole flavor quite a bit). Adjust the amount to your liking.

Utensils To Use

Air-fryer - Obviously, right? Mine comes with 2 baskets, so I use both at the same time by just matching the cooking setting for both. Lining the basket(s) with some parchment papers really helps avoiding the chicken from sticking. Also, no need to preheat the air-fryer (I used to do it back then but not anymore!).

Carbon steel wok and stainless steel ladle - If you're into Asian cooking, then these two will elevate your cooking experiences. The nature of Asian cooking, like this recipe (or stir-fry) favours a deep, open, wide surface area to cook. Cooking movements feel free and natural. If you're interested in investing in a carbon steel wok, I have a video showing how to cure it.

Casserole - And I understand, not everybody has (or wants) those. Then I recommend you to use a casserole pan like this. Its wide surface and high sides kind of give you that easiness to cook this type of recipe.

Easier & Faster Coating Using A Ziploc Bag

You need to try this method; it's life-changing, I promise. Well, at least for me! Haha!

I find it too slow and too much work to coat small pieces of chicken in flour, eggs, and back in the flour. Urgh!

By putting the coating flours mixture in a ziploc bag, then add in the chicken pieces and you simply shake, shake, shake to coat... I find that is so amazing! And super fast!

There is no need for an extra bowl, also. Try and let me know.

How To Make Air-Fryer Orange Chicken

1. Marinade: Cut chicken thighs into bite-size pieces and mix well with soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil for 20 minutes.
2. Coating mixture: Add all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper in a big ziploc bag (4.5-6 liter size works great). Shake well to mix.
3. First coat: Put the chicken inside the ziploc bag, seal, and shake well to coat each chicken piece. Remove chicken from the bag into a plate, shaking off excess flour mixture.
4. Egg: Whisk eggs with some salt in a bowl. Add in chicken and mix well.
5. Second coat: Place chicken back in the ziploc bag (shake off excess egg mixture), shake the ziploc bag to mix well.
6. Air-fry: Lay chicken in air-fryer basket, in a single layer and spray generously with some oil. Cook at 400ºF (200ºC) for 8 minutes. Flip them, spray with more oil and continue cooking for another 8 minutes.
7. Sauce: Saute ginger and ginger. Add in orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Add in slurry, cook until sauce thickens.
8. Add chicken: Add in crispy chicken, mix and coat everything well. Serve immediately.

Tips To Get Crispy Air-Fryer Chicken

1. Use chicken thighs, they can stand longer cooking time in air-fryer (to get crispy) without getting dry. Although they don't get golden brown colour like deep-fried chicken, but they're still crispy. They're even healthier and easier to cook.
2. Use a big ziploc bag to mix and coat the chicken easier and evenly. 4.5-6 liter size works great.
3. Don't crowd the air-fryer basket. Place the chicken in a single layer.
4. Make sure you spray to cover the coating mixture with oil.
5. Place cooked chicken on a rack while you continue cooking. This prevents them from getting soggy.

How To Serve & Store

Serve - This delicious orange chicken goes great with some rice or quinoa, something satisfying to carry all the lovely flavours. Since it's already is flavourful, it matches good with mild or neutral-tasting grains (white rice, plain quinoa).

Store - Due to its coating, orange chicken is one of the dishes that you'd simply have to serve immediately to experience its deliciousness.

FAQs

Can I Use Bottled Or Store-Bought Orange Juice?

Yes, you can. Try to find one with no sugar added, else it'll be too sweet.

I Don't Have Less Salt Soy Sauce, What Do I Use?

If you have the common all-purpose soy sauce, then use it. Since it's saltier, just use half of the amount said in the recipe, and go from there.

Can I Use Chicken Breast?

I don't recommend it for this recipe but if you don't mind it getting the chicken a bit dry in the air-fryer, then yes, use it.

Is Orange Zest That Important?

Yes, if you really want that significant orange flavor in this meal.

Watch How To Make It

📖 Recipe