This Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe is the best I've ever made! The air fried chicken stays crispy in the sauce and is so delicious, healthier and better than takeout!
Cut chicken into 2" pieces and add in a bowl with salt, white pepper, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, grated garlic & ginger, sesame oil and egg white. Mix well until the seasonings and egg white are evenly distributed and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Premix your sauce by combining soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, chicken stock, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
Mince garlic and ginger and set aside with your sauce.
Lightly coat the chicken pieces in potato starch. Spray your air fryer tray with cooking spray (I like to use avocado oil spray), then lay the chicken down on a single layer. Spray the top of the chicken and cook at 350F for 10 minutes. Shake the chicken to loosen any pieces that are sticking, then air fry again at 400F for 8 minutes or until the chicken is crispy and reads 165F.
In a large pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tbsp of neutral oil and fry your garlic and ginger for 15 seconds. Immediately add your sauce and stir until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Then add the vinegar and mix through.
Add back your chicken and toss to combine. Once the chicken is coated, finish with a tsp of sesame oil. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Notes
KEY TIPSCut the Chicken into Uniform Pieces
Whether you use chicken breast or thigh, make sure to cut your chicken into uniform pieces to ensure that your Orange Chicken cooks evenly.
Coat Your Chicken Thoroughly
Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots. Be sure to pack the dry mix in to the chicken with your hands (I like squeezing it in) to properly coat the chicken so the batter sticks.
Secret Ingredient - 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. However, to get this crunchy texture, you will not want to skimp on your oil spray *read below!
Be Generous With Your Oil Spray
The neutral oil spray is the only source of oil in this recipe, so you will need to be generous with it!
Don't skip spraying your air fryer tray or sheet BEFORE cooking the chicken - this will help prevent the chicken pieces from sticking.
Generously and thoroughly spray the chicken pieces to allow the potato starch coating to cook nicely (otherwise it will look & taste DRY).
Don't forget to give the chicken a good second spray again when air-frying for the second time!
Double (Air) Frying is KEY!
After A LOT of recipe testing, the best results for Air Fryer Orange Chicken involved "DOUBLE FRYING" in the air fryer - once at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, then at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time.
This "double frying" method works because the first time you cook the chicken you cook to about 90% done at a lower temperature, to avoid burning the coating. The second time you air fry, you cook at a higher temperature (with another coat of cooking spray) to get the batter nice and crispy at the very end!
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.