Air Fryer Orange Chicken – Super Crispy! (VIDEO)

Ingredients for Air Fryer Orange Chicken

• boneless, skinless 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. Feel like pork? Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly
  • Or make my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, which is the top recipe on my site!
• salt
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• garlic
• ginger
• egg (white only) – 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!
• 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.
• orange juice + orange zest
• 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.
• vinegar
• brown sugar
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Want a non-meat alternative? Try my super crispy Air Fryer Tofu!

Air Fryer Orange Chicken: Recipe Instructions

1. Marinate Chicken

Cut chicken into 2″ pieces and place in a medium bowl; add salt, white pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, grated garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil and egg white. Mix well (until all chicken pieces are coated in the mixture) and set aside; marinate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Prepare Sauce and Toss Chicken

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!

Storage and Reheating

You can store Air Fryer Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I like reheat Air Fryer Orange Chicken in the air fryer. When reheating the chicken in the air fryer, the sauce will further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy.

Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don’t recommend reheating Air Fryer Orange Chicken (or any air-fried/fried chicken) in the microwave unless you don’t care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken was actually invented by the head chef at Panda Express, so I can’t think of a better dish to serve with the Air Fryer version than my Panda Express Chow Mein and a fluffy Egg Fried Rice! You can’t forget about the Honey Walnut Shrimp and Beef and Broccoli for a multi-course meal!

If you want to try other chicken Chinese Takeout dishes, try my sticky Sesame Chicken, tangy Sweet and Sour Chicken, String Bean Chicken, or General Tso’s Chicken! If you love the bright citrus of Orange Chicken, you definitely have to try Chinese Lemon Chicken!

What Else Can I Make in an Air Fryer?

I absolutely love cooking in the air fryer and I know my readers love it, too (they’re some of my most popular recipes!) If you’re craving another Chinese takeout dish made in the air fryer, try Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken. If you want to make more “air-fried” chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Wings (my #1 post on my blog) or Air Fryer Chicken Tenders would be perfect! Of course, I had to re-create my most popular fried chicken recipes for the air fryer, including Air Fryer Chicken Katsu, Air Fryer Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken and Air Fryer Chicken Karaage!

I love using the air fryer to make easy meals, like Air Fryer Chicken Skewers. What’s great about is that even more involved recipes can be made in 1 hour in the air fryer, like Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly! Air fryers are also perfect for making crispy vegetable dishes, like Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.