Zesty Orange Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Flavor - Faster Than Take Out!!!

5 from 1 vote

Elevate your takeout game with homemade Zesty Orange Chicken. This recipe combines sweet orange zest with spicy chicken goodness.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese

Keyword: Air Fryer, Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos, Chicken, comfort food, one-pot, quick, Spicy

Servings: Servings

Calories: 499kcal

Author: Belly Laugh Living

Get Recipe Ingredients

Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces
2 Pounds Chicken Breast
Marinate the Chicken in one cup of orange juice for at least 30 minutes No more than one hour
1 Cup Orange Juice
Drain the chicken and discard the orange juice marinade. Toss the chicken in seasoning (cornstarch, cumin, garlic, salt, turmeric)
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, 1 teaspoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon Turmeric
To prepare the cooking surface, spray the air fryer with cooking spray (olive oil spray was used in this case). If baking, apply cooking spray to a baking sheet. If stir-frying, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan.
For air frying, put the chicken in the air fryer basket and cook it at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. If baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the chicken for 25 minutes until done. When stir-frying, cook the chicken in a sauté pan with oil until it is fully cooked.

Peel the oranges and remove as much of the white part of the orange as possible. Cut the orange peel into thin strips.
2 Orange peels
In a large sauté pan, heat some olive oil and add finely chopped ginger and garlic. Ensure that the pan is big enough to accommodate the cooked chicken later.
2 Cloves Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Ginger, 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
If you're using habanero, add it to the pan with the orange peel. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
1 Tablespoon Habanero
In a separate bowl, combine the orange juice, maple syrup, and soy sauce to create the sauce.
1 ½ Cups Orange Juice, ¼ Cup Maple Syrup, 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Simmer the sauce, stirring often, until it has reduced by half. This should take around 10 minutes.
Once the sauce has reduced, add the cooked chicken, whether it's air fried, baked, or stir-fried. Stir the chicken in the sauce and cook until the sauce coats the chicken in a glaze.
If the sauce needs to thicken, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir until the sauce thickens.
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Serve with rice or cauliflower rice. Or enjoy on its own.