With this Air Fryer Orange Chicken, now your favorite asian cuisine is healthier and more affordable than ever! Crispy chicken thighs Air Fried to perfection and blended with my homemade orange chicken sauce. Put it one some white rice and top it with green onions and you don’t have to worry about ordering takeout ever again!
I’ve had my Air Fryer for a about 3 years now and it amazes me that I can keep thinking of new things to cook in it. What started off with Air Frying some of my favorite appetizers like Mozzarella Sticks, Chicken Wings and Potato Skins, soon developed into main dishes. Next thing I knew, I was making Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu and Air Fryer Panko Crusted Pork Chops!
I’ve always loved Asian Cuisine and often have a serious hankering for Chinese Takeout. The only problem is that it can get pretty expensive and I’m quite certain it isn’t the best thing to be putting into my body. I’m not burning off those calories like I used to 20 years ago! So, of course it wasn’t too long until I realized I could start making Air Fried versions of some of the favorite Chinese Take Out Dishes. The first one I tried was Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken. For this recipe, I actually used a store bought General Tso’s Sauce. It turned out fantastic, but I decided for my next recipe, that I wanted to make my own sauce from scratch. This is when I tried out my Air Fryer Cashew Chicken. Another success! So, now that brings me to this recipe for Air Fryer Orange Chicken!
What Sort Of Chicken To Use For Air Fryer Orange Chicken?
My MO for all of my Asian Inspired Air Fryer cuisines is to use Chicken Thighs for the protein. I’ve seen plenty of recipes that use boneless skinless chicken breasts and that will work fine. I’ve used chicken breast in plenty of Air Fryer recipes. But there is just something about the chicken thighs that really make these dishes feel authentic to me.
Can I Use Store Bought Orange Chicken Sauce?
I’m sure you can! I haven’t tried any, but I did use this store bought sauce for my General Tso’s Chicken and it actually tasted delicious. It was all natural too! This Orange Sauce from the same brand will probably work awesome!
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
I coat my chicken thighs in egg and corn starch to give them an extra crispy outside. I’ve seen lots of fellow Air Fryer lovers that swear by using Potato Starch. I always have trouble finding it in my grocery store, and the one time I used it, I didn’t see much difference. So I stick with Corn Starch. But that’s just me!
I like this recipe because making the sauce, making the rice and Air Frying the chicken all take about the same amount to time. So you can get all three going at the same time and then just combing them together. The only time consuming part of this recipe is cutting the thighs and dredging the chicken. So, get that out of the way first and then fire up everything else!
I hope you enjoy this Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Orange Zest
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp Water
- Green Onions
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
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Preheat Air Fryer to 350 Degrees.
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Cut Chicken Thighs into one inch pieces. Salt and pepper chicken to taste.
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Dredge chicken in eggs and then corn starch. Making sure to coat completely. Place in air fryer to cook for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn them over for even cooking.
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In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, orange juice, rice vinegar and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
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Cook white rice however desired. I used an Instant Pot!
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While sauce and chicken are cooking, combine corn starch and water to make a paste. After the sauce cooks for 5 minutes, add the paste and the orange zest. Reduce heat and cook on low for 5 more minutes.
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Once chicken in crispy on the outside and 165 degrees on the inside, remove from Air Fryer.
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Toss in sauce pan to combine with sauce.
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Serve on a bed of white rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
When do we add the soy sauce?
Ooops, I forgot to add that in with the other ingredients. You just add it when heat up the other ingredients in the skillet. I’ve updated that recipe. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.