Air Fryer Orange Chicken – SUPER CRISPY! (VIDEO)

Ingredients for Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Chicken

• 1 lb chicken thigh – I like to use 2″ pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thigh for Air Fryer Orange Chicken. You want to cut them into similar sized pieces so the chicken can cook evenly.
  • You can substitute with chicken breast if you prefer. Keep in mind that chicken breast has a tendency to dry out faster.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper – I love white pepper and it’s used very commonly in Chinese cooking (another “secret ingredient” for cooking restaurant quality Chinese food at home). It has an earthier flavor than black pepper. I recommend having some in your pantry but if you can’t find it, you can always substitute with black pepper.
• 1 tbsp soy sauce – You will need “light” (not “low sodium”) or “all-purpose” soy sauce. Do NOT use dark soy sauce, as it is too intense for this recipe.
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine – This is one of my favorite Chinese pantry staples. It adds a depth of flavor and complexity to the sauce and truly one of my “secret ingredients” for making restaurant quality Chinese food. If you can’t find it, you can substitute with mirin, sherry, or even chicken broth.
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 egg white – this is a binder for your chicken and potato starch – we can’t use the same batter as Orange Chicken, as it will not cook the same way in the air fryer. We’re going to be using a different starch to still get that same crispy texture!
• 1.5 cup potato starch – Potato starch is my secret ingredient to getting the same crispy Orange Chicken batter in the air fryer WITHOUT having to deep fry! This is because potato starch has larger granule sizes than other starches (such as cornstarch), which helps it get a crunchier texture.

Sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup chicken stock – You can use chicken stock or broth; you can also substitute with vegetable or beef stock/broth.
  • if you don’t have stock on hand, you can substitute with water.
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch – A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and liquid (in Air Fryer Orange Chicken, it would be the orange juice and soy sauce mixture) that is used in cooking to thicken WITHOUT powdery lumps or additional flavors/colors! This is the secret to so many of your favorite Chinese dishes.
  • My #1 tip is make sure your cornstarch slurry has not separated before adding it in – I always try to re-stir right before!

Oils & Aromatics

• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (neutral oil SPRAY) – I used avocado oil cooking spray, as avocado oil is my go-to neutral cooking oil! You can use another cooking oil spray, as long as it is NOT olive oil. I don’t recommend using olive oil spray for this dish, due to the flavor profile and low burning point.
• 1 tsp sesame oil – OPTIONAL – I like adding it to the sauce for an additional layer of nutty flavor; if you don’t have it, you can omit it.

4. Prepare Air Fryer Orange Chicken Sauce and Toss

In a large pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tbsp of neutral oil. Fry your garlic and ginger for 15 seconds. Immediately add your sauce and stir until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Add vinegar and mix well to incorporate.

Add the air-fried chicken into the sauce and toss to combine. Once each Air Fryer Orange Chicken piece is coated in sauce, finish with an optional drizzle of 1 tsp of sesame oil. Serve with rice and enjoy!