How To Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken (easy 20-minute recipe)

Last updated on November 11th, 2023 at 11:14 pm

Air fryer orange chicken is a quick and easy recipe perfect for a weeknight dinner, with a delicious homemade sweet and tangy orange sauce and crispy chicken pieces cooked in the air fryer. It's a healthier and faster alternative to traditional Chinese takeout. I'll show you the easiest way to make dinner the whole family will love in under 30 minutes at home using your air fryer and lightly breaded frozen Just Bare chicken.

Easy air fryer frozen orange chicken recipe is the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight when you don't have much time to prepare a meal or even forgot to take something out to defrost for dinner. No more messy hand-breading or deep frying chicken instead, if you are a Costco shopper pick up a bag of Just Bare lightly breaded chicken chunks in the freezer section. Otherwise, use a different brand of high-quality all-white meat chicken nuggets.

This post is not affiliated with or sponsored by Just Bare Chicken, {This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Page for details}

This easy air fryer recipe was inspired by these other delicious 30 min recipes Air Fryer Sticky Fingers, Air Fried Nashville Hot Chicken, and Air Fryer Just Bare Chicken Nuggets, and pairs perfectly with AirFried Broccoli or Air Fried Cauliflower.

Ingredients:

• Frozen all-white meat lightly breaded chicken (Just Bare Chicken Chunks)
• Orange juice
• Brown sugar
• Soy sauce (liquid aminos or tamari sauce)
• Rice vinegar
• Minced ginger
• Minced garlic
• Orange zest
• Black pepper
• Red pepper chili flakes (optional)
• Corn starch slurry
• Green onions, sliced (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Serving 

• Serve the air fryer orange chicken over a bed of Instant Pot Jasmin Rice.
• Toss the homemade sauce over the air-fried chicken.
• Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired

See the recipe card for quantities.

Countertop Air Fryer Instructions

Countertop air fryers are perfect when cooking for 1-3 people depending on the size of your air fryer, however, you can always prepare multiple batches if needed.

1. Preheat your air fryer to 350°for 2-3 minutes.
2. Place Just Bare Chicken Chunks in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
3. Set the cook time to 10 minutes.
4. Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket. If you add too much chicken at once, it won't cook properly and won't get as crispy as you want it to be. It's better to cook the chicken in batches if needed.
5. Flip or shake the chicken halfway through cooking. This ensures that all sides of the chicken get crispy and cooked evenly.
6. Keep an eye on the chicken as it cooks. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces and the power of your air fryer, it may take less or more time to cook. 
7. Add an additional 1-2 minutes if needed to reach your desired crispness.
8. Place the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour over the sauce a little at a time and using a fork toss the chicken to coat evenly.

Air Fry Range Instructions

Air frying in the full-size air fry range is perfect when cooking for the whole family. Cooking for 4-6 people is no problem in the ovens that are now equipped with the air fry feature. Go here to read more about the Samsung full-size air fry range or the Frigidaire Air Fry Range. In a full-size oven or larger air fryers, the cooking time and temperature may differ from the smaller countertop appliance due to the size of the appliance. 

1. Preheat your air fry range to 350° for about 5 minutes
2. Place the chicken breast chunks on the air fry basket or air fry tray in a single layer.
3. Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket.
4. Air fry for 20 minutes, flipping or shaking the chicken halfway through the cooking process.
5. Add an additional 1-2 minutes if needed for the breading to become golden brown and crispy.
6. Place the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour over the sauce a little at a time and using a fork toss the chicken to coat evenly.

Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce

1. While the chicken is air frying combine in a medium saucepan the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced ginger, minced garlic, orange zest, black pepper, and red chili flakes (if desired).
2. Whisk all the ingredients together to combine.
3. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil.
4. Add the cornstarch slurry mixture to the pan and whisk until the sauce thickens about 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Substitutions

• Jasmine Rice – substitute cauliflower rice, long grain white rice, brown rice, or fried rice.
• Vegetables – steamed broccoli, sugar snap peas, fresh bell peppers, or a stir fry vegetable medley 
• Vegetarian – use your favorite plant-based protein like tofu or chickpeas instead of chicken.

Variations

• Spicy – add more or less chili pepper flakes when making the orange sauce to your desired spice level.
• Deluxe – add a side of stir-fried veggies or steamed broccoli for a perfectly balanced meal.
• Kid-friendly – omit the red pepper flakes if your kids don't like a little spice.

Equipment

Different brands and different sizes of air fryer models may alter your outcome. When air frying something for the first time watch it closely to avoid burning the food. I’m using the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6 qt Air Fryer on the air fryer setting, but any countertop air fryer appliance can be used to make frozen chicken nuggets. Please refer to your owner’s manual for specific cooking times and directions if you are unsure.

The Samsung full-size air fry range or Frigidaire Range With Air Fry can also be used to air fry larger batches of food when you need to air fry large amounts of food for a large group. The large air frying ovens will require a separate tray or air frying basket. When using the Samsung I prefer this one, when using the Frigidaire I like this one. Using the large air frying oven is my favorite way to make a healthy family-sized meal.

Storage

Just like leftovers from a Chinese restaurant orange chicken is delicious the next day for lunch. Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat place it in a microwave-safe dish and heat thoroughly, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

Top Tip

For best results don’t overcrowd the chicken pieces in the air fryer. The best way to avoid soggy chicken nuggets is to leave enough space for the hot air to circulate around the food properly and crisp up the breading evenly.

How to make air fryer orange chicken (easy 20-minute recipe)

Amber

Easy air fryer orange chicken with homemade sweet and range orange sauce.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 17 minutes mins

Course 30 Minute Meals, Air Fryer, chicken, Dinner

Cuisine Chinese-American

Servings 5

Calories 80 kcal

Equipment

Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer Oven

Frigidaire 30" Stainless Steel Freestanding Gas Range

Frigidaire AIRFRYTRAY Ready Cook Oven Insert, Silver

Extra Large Cutting Boards

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 lb. Frozen all-white meat lightly breaded chicken Just Bare Chicken Chunks
• ¾ Cup Orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Soy sauce liquid aminos or tamari sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Rice vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. Minced ginger
• 1 Tbsp. Minced garlic
• 1 tsp. Orange zest
• ½ tsp. Black pepper
• ½ tsp. Red pepper chili flakes more or less to taste, optional
• 2 tsp. Corn starch + 1 Tbsp. water combined
• ¼ Cup. Sliced Green onions sliced (optional)
• 2 tsp. Sesame seeds optional
• 4 Cups cooked Instant Pot Jasmine Rice

Instructions

 

Countertop air fryer instructions:

• Preheat your air fryer to 350°for 2-3 minutes.
• Place Just Bare Chicken Chunks in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
• Set the cook time to 10 minutes.
• Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket. If you add too much chicken at once, it won't cook properly and won't get as crispy as you want it to be. It's better to cook the chicken in batches if you need to.
• Flip or shake the chicken halfway through cooking. This ensures that all sides of the chicken get crispy and cooked evenly.
• Keep an eye on the chicken as it cooks. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces and the power of your air fryer, it may take less or more time to cook. 
• Add an additional 1-2 minutes if needed to reach your desired crispness.
• Place the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour over the sauce a little at a time and using a fork toss the chicken to coat evenly. You may have some sauce leftover depending on how many servings of chicken you have prepared.

Air fry range instructions:

• Preheat your air fry range to 350° for about 5 minutes
• Place the chicken breast chunks on the air fry basket or air fry tray in a single layer.
• Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket.
• Air fry for 20 minutes, flipping or shaking the chicken halfway through the cooking process.
• Add an additional 1-2 minutes if needed for the breading to become golden brown and crispy.
• Place the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour over the sauce a little at a time and using a fork toss the chicken to coat evenly. You may have some sauce leftover depending on how many servings of chicken you have prepared.

Orange Sauce:

• While the chicken is air frying combine in a medium saucepan the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced ginger, minced garlic, orange zest, black pepper, and red chili flakes (if desired).
• Whisk all the ingredients together to combine.
• Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil.
• Add the cornstarch slurry mixture to the pan and whisk until the sauce thickens about 1-2 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool slightly
• Serving
• Serve the air fryer orange chicken over a bed of Instant Pot Jasmin Rice.
• Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired

Notes

Adjust the amount of chicken for the number of servings you need.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 701mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 344IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

Keyword air fry frozen orange chicken ( just bare chicken chunks), Air Fryer Just Bare Chicken Nuggets, chicken

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