orange chicken

03 Nov, 2026

From ChihYu at iheartumami.com

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.25 lb chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or potato starch
• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• ½ tbsp gluten-free mirin or Chinese shaoxing wine, optional

Sauce

• ½ cup orange juice pulp-free
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos or 1.5 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Zest 1 small orange reserve a few slices of orange for garnish
• 0.7 oz garlic cloves grated, 4 large
• 0.5 oz ginger grated
• 2.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 2 tsp tapioca starch or potato starch

Others

• 2-3 tbsp avocado oil for pan-fry
• Avocado oil spray for air fry
• Spring onions chopped, garnish

Instructions

1. To prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken into 1.5-inch chunks. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the seasonings from salt to mirin, if using. Gently stir and mix-well. The batter mixture will be a little wet. This is okay.

2. To prepare the sauce: In a separate bowl, add the ingredients from orange juice to starch. Combine and stir-well.

3. To air fry the chicken: Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Spray the basket with oil then add the chicken piece-by-piece into the basket with some space between them. Air fry for 8 minutes. Open the basket and carefully flip the chicken pieces. Spray with more oil and air fryer for 4 additional minutes. Transfer the chicken out and set aside.

4. To pan fry the chicken: Preheat a large saute pan over medium-heat until it feels hot. Add the oil and chicken pieces and spread them into a single layer. Pan fry the chicken without touching for 3 minutes or until the bottom turns golden brown then flip to cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through before transferring them out.

5. To combine: Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until it feels warm. Pour-in the orange sauce and gently stir with a wooden spoon until it thickens, 1-2 minutes.

6. Add-in the chicken and toss to coat well, 30 seconds. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with spring onions and orange slices. Serve hot or warm.