• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Simply Happenings

  • Home
  • Appetizers
  • Main Dishes
    • Air Fryer Main Dishes
    • Instant Pot Main Dishes
    • One-Pot Meals
    • Pastas
    • Sandwiches
    • Soups
    • Casseroles
  • Side Dishes
  • Desserts & Snacks
    • Bars
    • Breads
    • Cookies
    • Cupcakes
    • Pies
  • Cookbooks
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Appetizers
  • Main Dishes
  • Side Dishes
  • Desserts
  • Drinks
  • Cooking Substitutes
  • Cookbooks
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » 30-Minute Dinners » Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    October 15, 2021 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

    29 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe

    This air fryer orange chicken recipe is made with crispy chicken and then tossed in a homemade orange sauce seasoned with ginger, garlic, oranges, and habaneros to give a little kick.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

    Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    Air fryer orange chicken turns out so tasty! If you’re wondering whether orange chicken is spicy I use habaneros in this recipe to give it the spiciness that orange chicken often has. It ends up tasting just like the sweet and spicy Chinese takeout we all love!

    Air Fryer Orange Chicken Ingredients

    • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
    • Corn Starch
    • Soy Sauce
    • White Granulated Sugar
    • Habaneros, depending on spice level (slice open for more heat)
    • Large Navel Orange
    • Ginger
    • Minced Garlic
    • Rice Vinegar
    • Cornstarch
    • Cold Water

    Habaneros

    If you’re newer to cooking with habaneros, they are a Mexican chili pepper that ranges between 100,000-350,000 on the Scoville scale.

    How to Use an Air Fryer Banner
    Habaneros

    Be sure to wear gloves or coat your fingers in cooking oil before slicing them open otherwise your fingers will have the spiciness absorbed into the tissue and anytime you touch your eyes, mouth, or other openings it will sting!

    Leaving the habaneros whole will leave the spiciness very mild to almost no heat at all. The spiciness lies inside the lining of the habanero and needs to be sliced open, then placed in the sauce to get the heat incorporated into it. Placing one-half or two halves of the habanero pepper in the orange chicken sauce can change the spiciness level significantly.

    A good substitute for habanero peppers with a similar spiciness level is scotch bonnet peppers. A more commonly found, but milder pepper to use is the serrano pepper.

    How to Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    • Begin by adding cornstarch to the diced chicken. Stir to coat the chicken.
    • Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil and add the chicken in a single layer to the basket.
    • Set the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer to 5 minutes. Stir, then cook an additional 5 minutes. If chicken looks dry, lightly spray with cooking oil so that it browns.
    • Raw chicken in air fryer basket
    • Cooked chicken in air fryer basket
    • As the chicken cooks, make the orange sauce. Cut the skin off of the navel orange and slice the habanero(s) in half. If you want mild spice, add only 1 half of the habanero to the sauce. Place both the orange skin and habanero to the saucepan with all of the sauce ingredients except the cold water and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer.
    • In a small dish, add the cold water and cornstarch and mix well. When the saucepan is simmering, add the cornstarch mixture and constantly stir as it thickens. Remove from heat.
    • Add chicken to a bowl and coat chicken in the orange sauce.
    Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    What goes with orange chicken?

    Fried or steamed rice is always a popular choice, but there are many Chinese vegetable side dishes that go well with orange chicken. Vegetable stir fry, stir-fried bok choy, Chinese-style garlic green beans, and broccoli with garlic sauce are delicious choices!

    Recommended Recipes

    • 30-Minute Air Fryer Pepper Steak
    • Air Fryer Frozen Egg Rolls
    • Chicken Stir Fry with Broccoli
    • General Tso’s Chicken
    • Peking Egg Rolls (Copycat Recipe)
    Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    Air Fryer Orange Chicken

    Air fryer orange chicken is made crispy and then tossed in a homemade orange sauce seasoned with ginger, garlic, oranges, and habaneros to give a little kick.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Dishes
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 3 Servings
    Author: Tiffany

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, diced
    • 2 tablespoons Corn Starch

    Sauce

    • ¼ cup Soy Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons White Granulated Sugar
    • 1-2 Habaneros, depending on spice level (slice open for more heat)
    • 1 Large Navel Orange
    • 2 teaspoons Ginger
    • 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
    • 2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
    • 2 tablespoons Cold Water

    Instructions
     

    • Coat diced chicken in corn starch. Spray air fryer basket with cooking oil. Add chicken to the basket.
    • Set the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer for a total of 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
    • While the chicken cooks, make the sauce. Juice the orange into a saucepan. Cut the skin off of the orange and slice the habanero(s) in half. Add both to the saucepan as well as the remaining sauce ingredients except cornstarch and water. Bring to a simmer.
    • In a small dish, add the cornstarch and cold water, mix well. Add to the simmering saucepan and constantly stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
    • Add chicken to a bowl and coat chicken in sauce. Serve with rice, noodles, or stir fry vegetables.

    Recommended Products

    Non-Aerosol Oil Sprayer
    Chefman 3.6 Quart Air Fryer

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn referral fees from products I love and recommend at no extra cost to you.

    Notes

    Overall cook time is listed for the orange sauce being cooked at the same time the chicken is cooked in the air fryer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 274 kcalCarbohydrates: 23 gProtein: 35 gFat: 4 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 97 mgSodium: 1258 mgPotassium: 703 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 13 gVitamin A: 193 IUVitamin C: 35 mgCalcium: 37 mgIron: 1 mg
    « Air Fryer Baked Potato
    Christmas Ornament Cupcakes »

    Filed Under: 30-Minute Dinners, Air Fryer Main Dishes, Chicken, Main Dishes

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Me

    Welcome, I'm Tiffany! My love for cooking began in the kitchen with my grandmother at the age of 5. Some of the recipes have been passed down to me and others I create as I go. Simply Happenings was created to share quick and delicious meals for your family highlighting air fryer and Instant Pot recipes. Enjoy! Read More…

    • Links in this post/page are Amazon Affiliate links to products I love and recommend. I earn a referral fee at no extra cost to you.

    Search

    Simply Happening's Air Fryer Cookbook Trio

    Air fryer cookbooks available now!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Latest Recipes

    • Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls
      Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls
    • Smoked Salmon
      Smoked Salmon
    • Blueberry Cupcakes
      Blueberry Cupcakes
    • Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Drumsticks
      Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

    Connect with Me

    • Facebook logo
    • Instagram Label
    • Pinterest Logo

    Pages

    • About
    • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Policy
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Recipe Index
    • Terms of Use

    Copyright © 2020 Tiffany Nelson, LLC

    Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to improve user experience. To learn more, see our privacy policy. Cookie Settings
    Accept Reject

    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    29 shares