Air Fryer Orange Chicken

 

Crispy breaded chicken glazed in an addicting orange sauce. I’m continuing last week’s theme: waistline friendly foods that satisfy cravings. Is this dish authentic Chinese? I say who cares? It has my mouth watering from here! The best part is this version has 1/2 the fat, calories and carbs than the takeout version. Plus it’s so easy to make. The chicken gets marinated, breaded and air fried. The sauce gets reduced on the stove and tossed with the chicken before adorning some rice and broccoli.

MAKE AHEAD

This recipe is easy to prepare in advance. The chicken can marinate several days in the refrigerator and the orange sauce keeps for at least 3 days. You can also put the chicken and marinade in a freezer safe bag and freeze. Thaw before using. While the chicken thaws, it's marinating too, so it saves time and effort! The orange sauce also freezes well. Thaw at the same time as the chicken and proceed with the recipe. 

REDUCING CARBS

Omit the breading. Marinate the chicken and then air fry it. I've also used Trop50 orange juice which has less sugar. Using an orange juice also makes this recipe simpler. 

REDUCING WASTE

I zest the orange, juice it and serve the orange sections as garnish for this recipe but if you're using orange juice simply zest your orange and serve the orange sections as garnish so you use everything.  

SHORCUT

If pressed for time use chicken nuggets in place of marinated chicken. You can make this meatless by using vegan chicken nuggets.

DON’T HAVE AN AIR FRYER?

Bake the nuggets. Preheat oven to 425. Spritz the chicken with cooking spray, add to a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake 8-10 mins, flip and bake for 4-5 mins or until cooked through. 

DON’T WANT TO JUICE ORANGES?

You can use orange juice. The reduced sugar kind (Trop50) works well. Don’t skip the zest though. It really adds the flavor here. 

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve with steamed broccoli and white rice or riced cauliflower if low-carb. 

RECIPE

Makes 4 servings

Per Serving 233 cals/4.9g total fat/1.6 sat fat/31.5g carbs/24.3g protein/11.3g sugar

Chicken Marinade

16 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces [approx. 2 inch pieces]
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tbs Shaoxing wine or sherry
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs liquid egg white, beaten

Chicken Breading

2 tbs cornmeal
1/2 cup panko
Dash salt

Orange Sauce

1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tbs sugar substitute that measures 1:1 with sugar [allulose, swerve]
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Marinate chicken: Combine chicken marinade ingredients. Marinate at least 1 hour or for several days. Nothing in this marinade will break down the chicken.  

Bread Chicken: Combine breading and pulse in blender if you prefer finer texture. Dip marinated chicken in the breading. Allow to sit on counter 15 minutes to dry the breading.

Air fry: Preheat air fryer to 400 F. Spray basket with cooking spray. Add chicken in single layer and flip so some of the oil coats top and bottom of chicken. Cook approximately 8 minutes, 4 minutes per side. Chicken should be brown. Cook chicken in batches. Set aside and make orange sauce.

Orange Sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium sized skillet. On medium heat, allow sauce to reduce until it makes a glaze, about 4 mins. Toss with the chicken. Serve with steamed broccoli if you like.