Air Fryer Orange Chicken
This crispy air fryer orange chicken is full of flavor and so easy to make. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and comes together in about 30 minutes.
I’m officially obsessed with my air fryer. It not only makes my life easier, but it makes everything taste better. This gluten free air fryer orange chicken is my favorite recipe to make and is coated in my favorite orange sauce, that to be honest, I could put on anything.
This recipe has a sweet yet tangy flavor, with perfect hints of spice from the sriracha and a crispy and crunchy coating. You can make it extra sweet or extra spicy, depending on your preference.
Orange chicken is definitely sweeter than something like sesame chicken, but I opted to make this recipe a bit healthier by only using honey to sweeten. You are welcome to add more honey or a bit of brown sugar if you like it sweet. If you love this recipe, my sriracha salmon bowls or peanut butter chicken next!
Before we get started!
- You can sub the cornstarch for arrowroot or tapioca and leave out the breadcrumbs for a more paleo version. Then just swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
- I opted for chicken breasts here, but you can also use chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are usually a bit juicier and more flavorful, I just happened to have chicken breasts on hand.
How to make air fryer orange chicken
Add your cubed chicken breast to a bowl and toss with the soy sauce. Set aside to marinate for about 15 minutes.
Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the chicken with the cornstarch and breadcrumbs. Do this at the same time so the breadcrumbs actually stick.
Add to your air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 10-14 minutes, tossing halfway. How long you need to cook it for just depends on how thick your chicken breasts were.
While the chicken is cooking, add the minced garlic to a pot with the oil. Saute until lightly golden brown.
Add all remaining ingredients aside from the water and starch and bring to a low simmer.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water and add to the pot with the sauce. Whisk together and let simmer until thick. Remove from the heat and let cool which will help it thicken further.
When the chicken is done (be sure to cut into the largest piece to ensure it is cooked all the way through) add to a bowl and cool for just a couple of minutes.
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Pour half of the sauce on top and toss to combine. This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, I like to add probably 2/3 of it to the chicken, then reserve the rest for serving. Serve immediately to maintain the crispiness of the chicken! For added flavor, serve with my gluten free fried rice! Try my air fryer chicken thighs next!
Make it a meal!
I love to serve this air fryer orange chicken with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice. It’s also delicious with cauliflower rice for a lighter or paleo friendly option. Same with my gochujang chicken!
This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so I suggest only adding about 2/3 of it to the actual chicken, then saving the rest for serving. It’s perfect drizzled over some steamed or roasted broccoli to add a little more flavor!
Oven instructions
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can easily make this orange chicken in the oven. Follow all of the steps as usual, then bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until completely cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit.
I suggest flipping halfway to ensure all sides get crispy like it would in the air fryer.
How to store
To be honest, not really! I know that’s probably not the answer you want to hear, but this air fryer orange chicken really is best served immediately. It will lose its crisp after an hour or so of sitting out.
If you do have extra, you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then reheat on the stove. It won’t have the same crispy coating as it will immediately after it cooks, but it’ll still be delicious! Be sure to try my air fryer chicken breast next.
How do you prevent it from getting soggy?
The best thing to do is just serve it immediately. Once the sauce and chicken are combined, the crispy coating will wear off pretty quickly. It helps to let the chicken and sauce cool for about 10 minutes before combining the two.
You’ll also love…
- Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs
- Orange Salmon
- Gluten Free Teriyaki Salmon
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Buffalo Popcorn Chicken
- Chicken Crunch Salad
- Vegan Orange Tofu
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons plain gluten free breadcrumbs
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ cup honey see notes
- ¼ cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2-3 teaspoons sriracha or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Add your cubed chicken breast to a bowl and toss with the tamari. Set aside to marinate for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Toss the chicken with the cornstarch and breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs stick a bit more easily if you add them at the same time as the cornstarch.
- Add to your air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 10-14 minutes, tossing halfway. How long you need to cook it for just depends on how thick your chicken breasts were. It’s done when the internal temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit.
- While the chicken is cooking, add the minced garlic to a pot with the oil. Saute until lightly golden brown.
- Add all remaining ingredients aside from the water and starch and bring to a low simmer.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water and add to the pot with the sauce.
- Whisk together and let simmer until thick. Remove from the heat and let cool which will help it thicken further.
- When the chicken is done (be sure to cut into the largest piece to ensure it is cooked all the way through) add to a bowl and cool for just a couple of minutes.
- Pour half of the sauce on top and toss to combine. This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, I like to add probably 2/3 of it to the chicken, then reserve the rest for serving.
- Serve immediately with steamed broccoli, rice or enjoy as is!
Notes
Comments
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I have made this a number of times now and it is so delicious. It is a regular in our house.
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Unfortunately, the sauce turned out bitter and overly orange. The sweetness was good overall, and I like that it was simple to make. Just had to adjust the sauce a bunch, adding broth and such to try to lessen the acidic bitterness.
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Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work for you!
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Will save this! So good! Had sourdough crumbs and added 1/8 c of brown sugar and was amazing!
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This was the very first air-fryer recipe I ever cooked. Directions were clear, and the taste was great! The orange/ginger flavor was strong but not overwhelming. The sauce was very nice and didn’t taste processed like most sauces provided in frozen packets. This will be a repeat in our house!
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So glad it was a success! Thanks, Erin!
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My son in law said that he hasn’t had Chinese food in years because he is dairy and gluten free. He thought this was better than any Chinese food he ever had!
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Music to my ears!!
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Woo hoo! What a fantastic recipe! We have had our air fryer for just over one week and this is the best dish yet. Great flavours and pretty simple. Thank you so much.
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I loved the sauce…not super sweet. I think I overcooked the chicken a little. There was no fat sprayed on it that I saw, and It was super dry with bread crumbs on the bottom and the meat looked like dry bread crumbs and cornstarch. Next time I think I would spay a little olive oil on the chicken and cook a little less. A definite keeper though…sauce is delicious.
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Really great recipe. I love this kind of chicken but we don’t oil fry in our house (just our personal preference) so it was nice to be able to make it at home. I served it with rice and stir fried greens.
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This was great! Easy to follow instructions and warnings for certain things (like add more honey if you want it sweeter). I’m not a natural cook so I appreciate a good and easy to follow recipe!
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Thank you, Lesley!
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Really delicious!
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This was excellent! I added a tblsp of orange marmalade since I didn’t have orange zest and it turned out great
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Great idea! Thanks, Amy!
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