Air Fryer Orange Chicken

This better-than-take-out air fryer orange chicken is crispy, juicy, and coated in a healthy homemade orange sauce. Ready in under 15 minutes, it's gluten-free and made without refined sugar, oil, or flour. Perfect for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner!

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Serving servings

Ingredients

The Chicken:

1 pound chicken breast, skinless and boneless, cut into 1-inch bite-size pieces
2 tbsp arrowroot starch
1 tsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds and green onion, for garnish

The Healthy Orange Sauce:

1 tbsp arrowroot starch
1 cup orange juice, about large 3 oranges
¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp orange zest, about 1 large orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 360°F.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken pieces with arrowroot starch and sesame oil.
Once the air fryer is heated, spray it with cooking spray and add the chicken to the basket, ensuring the pieces are spaced out and not overlapping. If your air fryer is small, do this in two batches.
Air fry for 8–10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
While the chicken is cooking, zest one orange and dissolve the arrowroot starch in the chicken broth. Set both aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine fresh orange juice, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, and ginger. Bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in the arrowroot starch broth.
Add the orange zest and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking continually until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed.
Add the cooked chicken pieces to the saucepan with the orange sauce. Gently toss to coat and remove from heat.
Serve the orange chicken warm on a bed of rice with a side of your favorite vegetables (I love broccoli). Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy your delicious air-fried orange chicken!

Notes

Chicken Thighs: You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. To do this, reduce the air frying time by 2 minutes until the center of the chicken reaches 165°F.

Fresh Orange Juice: If you only have one orange, you can use store-bought organic juice (just try to buy one that has zero added sugar). Don’t skip the orange zest!

Rice Vinegar: You can substitute rice vinegar with white wine vinegar one-for-one.

Fresh Ginger: You can use 1 teaspoon of dried ginger powder.

Arrowroot Starch: Feel free to use tapioca flour or cornstarch instead.

Space Out Chicken Pieces: This is my #1 tip. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket to ensure your chicken cooks evenly and gets crispy. If needed, cook the chicken in smaller batches.

Don’t Skip the Orange Zest: This is the most important ingredient for flavor. Ensure you have at least one orange to make this recipe so you can zest it.

Adjust Sauce Consistency: If the sauce is too thick or thin, fix it by adding more broth to thin it out or simmering longer to thicken it up.

Storing: Place leftovers into individual airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.

Freezing: You can freeze air fryer orange chicken. Allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Reheating: To reheat the air fryer orange chicken, preheat the air fryer to 350°F and cook for 5-7 minutes until heated through and crispy.

The nutritional information below is just for the orange chicken, it does not include rice or broccoli.

Nutrition

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Asian

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @HealthfulBlondie on Instagram & hashtag it #healthfulblondie!