Crispy, Sweet and Healthy Copycat Air Fryer Easy Orange Chicken Recipe inspired by the P.F Chang’s Asian Table restaurant! This easy recipe is so mouth-wateringly good! The combination of juicy chicken thighs coated in a sweet and TASTY orange peel sauce is so DELICIOUS!

Now who doesn’t love some crispy orange chicken! Drenched in homemade sweet and sticky orange sauce!

What is orange chicken

Orange chicken is a family favorite recipe combining boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs coated in corn starch, deep fried or air fried, mixed in a small saucepan with healthy orange chicken sauce and topped with spring onions and sesame seeds. Homemade orange sauce can be made using various ingredients similar to the takeout version: trader joe’s mandarin orange chicken recipe and other fast food chains renditions of this delicious recipe.

Who invented orange chicken

Orange chicken is such a popular takeaway dish and can be made healthier by cooking it in an air fryer ! Many versions of this recipe dish has been recreated by various restaurant and supermarket chains such as Panda express, Trader Joes – Pre cooked frozen orange chicken (in the US) and PF Chang’s Asian Table.

When I visited P.F. Chang’s Asian Table restaurant in London I was blown away by the amazing flavours. Of course, I had to recreate this amazing dish at home with a copycat recipe! P.F. Chang’s is an Asian restaurant concept founded on making food from scratch every day in every restaurant. P.F. Chang’s has 210+ U.S. restaurants, plus over 95 restaurants in more than 25 countries across the globe.

Find more great air fryer recipes below

How to make air fryer PF Chang’s orange chicken

(Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full list or ingredients and instructions on the recipe card)

Air fryer prep: Preheat the air fryer
Prepare chicken batter: Add the diced chicken thighs into a large bowl, pour in the egg whites, then mix. In a separate large bowl mix the dry ingredients together (cornflour, salt, white pepper, garlic powder).
Dredging the chicken: Pour the seasoned flour into a large food bag, slightly drain off the excess egg whites from the chicken mixture, place into the food bag and seal. Shake the food bag continuously until each piece of chicken is coated. Use your hands to massage the chicken into the flour to ensure each piece is coated well.
Air fry: Brush or spray the air fryer basket with a light layer of vegetable oil or avocado oil spray. Shake off the excess flour from the chicken and then place the chicken cornstarch mixture in a single layer into the air fryer. Spray or brush the top of the dredged chicken with a little oil before cooking. Air fry the chicken for the cooking time of 15 minutes at 170°C / 340 °F , turning the chicken pieces half way through the cooking process. The crispy air fryer chicken should be golden brown. If you are unsure if the chicken is cooked you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken is a minimum of 165 degrees f (75ºC) or over.
How to make p.f changs orange peel chicken sauce: Whilst the chicken is in the air fryer heat a pan to a medium level, add all the orange juice sauce ingredients listed into the pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 6-8 minutes until the sauce is thick in consistency.
Final step: Mix the cooked chicken pieces and orange sauce in a large serving bowl. Serve with white rice or noodles and enjoy! Store any leftover orange chicken in an airtight container once cooled.

Air fryer orange chicken pieces raw 1 inch cubes

What ingredients are in crispy air fryer orange

This crispy air fryer orange chicken recipe comprises of fresh ingredients for the coated chicken and the flavorful orange sauce. Here’s the ingredients you need below! (you can find the full measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom on this blog post);

Crispy air fried chicken

Boneless chicken thighs
Cornflour/ cornstarch
Egg whites
Salt
Ground white pepper
Garlic Powder
Vegetable oil cooking spray

P.f changs orange peel sauce

Freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange Zest
Light Soy Sauce
Rice vinegar
Fresh garlic cloves
Fresh ground ginger
Siracha sauce
Granulated white sugar or brown sugar
Sesame oil
Cornstarch slurry – 1 x teaspoon
Green onions / spring onions, sesame seeds (optional)

Other alternative ingredients you can also find in orange chicken include: black pepper, potato starch, coconut aminos, oyster sauce, all purpose flour, premade orange sauce packet, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, chicken nuggets, maple syrup, orange marmalade.

Air fryer orange chicken in the basket uncooked

Air fryer orange chicken cooked in the basket

AIR FRYER ORANGE CHICKEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is orange chicken spicy

Orange chicken is not typically spicy however you can adjust the flavour by adding red pepper flakes or fresh chillies. Chili flakes add a medium heat to the dish whereas fresh chillies would make this great meal pack a very spicy punch!

What to serve with orange chicken

Asian recipes I find work so well with freshly boiled rice or egg fried rice. Making it an easy dinner using pantry staples from the grocery store.

What to serve with orange chicken besides rice

Besides rice you could also serve orange chicken with lo mein egg noodles, stir fried vermicelli noodles, stir fried vegetables, and brown rice.

Is orange chicken healthy

Air frying pieces of chicken instead of deep frying will reduce the amount of fat in the recipe which in turn lessens the calorific content compared to ordering the takeout version which can be quite greasy like other popular dishes such as general tso chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and sesame chicken. Also, small steps like lining a medium bowl with paper towels to place the crispy chicken pieces on top can help to train off excess oil. Swapping chicken thighs for chicken breast pieces will make the dish leaner and higher in protein.

How to make orange chicken without cornstarch

A great alternative to cornstarch which is also gluten free is Arrowroot flour. This can be a substitute for the chicken flour coating and also used as a thickening agent in the orange sauce.

Reheat orange chicken in the air fryer

The best way to reheat air fryer orange chicken is to place the leftover chicken and sauce into a small bowl or casserole dish which is oven/heat proof, add an ice cube on top, cover with foil and air fry for 5-6 minutes at 170°C / 340 °F. You can add additional time if you use a larger deep bowl rather than a shallow bowl. This technique of reheating will ensure the sauce does not spill into your air fryer and will keep the chicken moist throughout the reheating process.