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Make the best Air Fryer Orange Chicken with this easy and delicious recipe. A tangy flavorful homemade sauce pairs well with the crispy and tender chicken. Serve over rice for a fantastic speedy homecooked meal.
This orange chicken in the air fryer is takeout fakeout at its finest. The chicken is lightly breaded and so crispy and the sauce is packed with flavor.
Even better – every single component can be made ahead of time.
No air fryer? Check out our Instant Pot Orange Chicken recipe for an unbreaded pressure cooker version of this recipe.
The base recipe for the chicken is the same as our delicious Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken. I highly encourage you to double the recipe and freeze half of the breaded (and uncooked) chicken.
If you want to serve this over rice, I have options for you! I prefer Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, Instant Pot Brown Jasmine Rice, or Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Adjust the orange zest to your preference, but leave the amount of orange juice as is to balance the amount of liquid in the sauce.
- To freeze: Place unbaked chicken without sauce in the freezer and freeze for 3 hours. Remove and break apart any pieces that might have stuck together, and place them in freezer-safe storage. To cook: spray with olive oil spray (I use our Misto) while still frozen, and air fry according to the directions in the recipe card below. You’ll need to add 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
- Try to cut the chicken to somewhat uniform sizes so that it will cook evenly.
- Make the sauce pop even more by adding in a few pieces of dehydrated oranges during the cooking process. Discard prior to pouring the sauce over the chicken.
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
Make the best air fryer orange chicken with this easy and delicious recipe. A tangy flavorful homemade sauce pairs well with the crispy and tender chicken. Serve over rice for a fantastic speedy homecooked meal.
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp kosher salt {divided}
- 1/4 tsp black pepper {divided}
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour {divided}
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch {or use potato starch if you have it}
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup panko
- 3 tbsp olive oil spray
Orange Sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger {minced}
- 4 cloves garlic {minced}
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp sriracha {optional}
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1.5 tbsp cool water
Instructions
Make the Chicken
- Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a baking sheet.
- Cut chicken into small pieces, about ½ inches.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- In a bowl, sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and ¼ cup of flour. Toss to coat.1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- In a separate bowl, add buttermilk3/4 cup buttermilk
- In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and panko.2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1 cup panko
- Working with 5-6 pieces at a time, drop chicken into the buttermilk. If pieces are sticking together, separate them, making sure every side of the chicken is coated in the buttermilk mixture.
- Shake off excess buttermilk and drop the pieces of chicken into the flour/panko mixture. Roll pieces in the dry mixture to make sure every side is coated.
- Transfer chicken to the lined baking sheet, and repeat until all the chicken has been breaded.
- Allow the chicken to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. This will help the breading adhere while in the air fryer, giving you the crispiest crust ever!
- Preheat air fryer to 400˚F for 2 minutes.
- While the air fryer is preheating, liberally spray the tops of the chicken with olive oil spray. Really get into all the nooks and crannies. Allow it to sit for 1 minute, and then flip the pieces over and spray the other sides.3 tbsp olive oil spray
- Brush olive oil on the basket of the air fryer or line it with a piece of air fryer parchment.
- Place pieces of chicken in the basket without allowing them to touch each other. You can pack the basket pretty full but will likely need to cook it in two batches.
- Bake for 6 minutes at 390F, shaking at minute 4. Chicken is done with the internal temp is 165˚F.
Make the Sauce (While the Chicken Cooks)
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cool water and whisk to combine. Set aside.2 tbsp cornstarch, 1.5 tbsp cool water
- Heat sesame oil, ginger, garlic, orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and sriracha in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until ginger and garlic start to soften (~2 minutes).2 tsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 3/4 cup orange juice, 2 tbsp orange zest, 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp sriracha
- Stir in cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to low, and cook until sauce has thickened (~2 minutes).
- Pour sauce over crispy chicken and serve over rice.
Notes
- Try to cut the chicken to somewhat uniform sizes so that it will cook evenly.
- If you need gluten-free options, try a gluten-free brand of cornflakes in lieu of panko and flour. They make a great crunchy breading alternative when pulsed in a food processor or blender!
Nutrition
Serving: 4ozCalories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 32gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 612mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 280IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolute best Orange chicken recipe I’ve made at home or had at a restaurant. Next time I might speed things up with pre minced garlic and ginger, as the grating and mincing was a bit onerous. But wow,🤯 incredible flavor and crunch, even after dunking in the sauce. I cooked mine in a shallow pool of avocado oil on the stovetop,
Christina, I’m thrilled to hear you’re such a fan of this recipe!!
If you end up not going to the preminced garlic and ginger route, you can always double or triple the amount called for in the recipe and freeze the extras. You’re still having to do the work, but then you have some prepped for future meals.
Got an air fryer for Christmas so I’m trying alllll the things. This is my fave so far! Delicious and crispy, not soggy or gummy at all, which is usually my problem with homemade orange chicken. Such a good recipe!
I’m so glad you all loved it so much, Shawna! And happy air frying.