I tried making a popular air-fryer chicken recipe. It was so easy — and the dish tasted as good as takeout.

• I tried making a popular air-fryer recipe for orange chicken from the food blog Lite Craving.
• The ingredients were simple, and putting the dish together took me less than 30 minutes.
• This orange chicken was delicious and tasted like takeout to me. I'd definitely make it again.

In the summer, I love making dinner without turning on my oven — and if I can use my air fryer, even better.

While searching for easy meals to add to my dinner rotation, I looked up some of the most popular air-fryer recipes on Pinterest. I found myself drawn to the No. 1 pick from The Kitchn's list at the time of writing: orange chicken.

So, I pulled up the gluten-free version of this list-topping dish and followed a recipe from the food blog Lite Cravings.

Luckily, it turned out even better than expected and gave classic orange-chicken takeout a run for its money.

All of the ingredients were easy to find

The list of ingredients was surprisingly short and included things like boneless chicken breast, egg, cornstarch, orange juice, ginger, oyster and soy sauce, honey, and red-pepper flakes.

I already had most of these ingredients in my pantry and fridge, so shopping was a breeze.

The prep was pretty straightforward, too

After I chopped my chicken into 1-inch cubes, I whisked an egg into a bowl, then dumped a cup of cornstarch into a plastic, sealable bag.

I dipped the chicken pieces into the egg and then, using tongs, placed them into the gluten-free coating. I allowed the extra egg wash to drip off the meat before placing each piece in the bag.

Once I shook my plastic bag full of egg-washed meat and cornstarch, I dumped its contents onto a cutting board and liberally coated all the chickenwith cooking spray.

As I got ready to cook the meat, I preheated my air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

The chicken bites took less than 30 minutes to cook in the air fryer

After laying out the chicken pieces in the appliance in as flat a layer as I could, I sprayed them again with a nonstick cooking spray.

I cooked the bites for about 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the baskets halfway. They didn't quite turn golden, but they did crisp up nicely.

In the meantime, I easily threw together the sauce

While the chicken cooked, I began to make my simple sauce.

I whisked together freshly squeezed orange juice, oyster sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, cornstarch, rice-wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, water, and red-pepper flakes in a pan on my cooktop.

After simmering and stirring constantly for about seven minutes over medium-high heat, the sauce thickened to an almost molasses-like consistency.

Once the chicken was ready and crisp, I tossed it in the sauce, which easily coated all of my nicely air-fried pieces of meat.

I couldn't get over how tasty this dish was

The glaze was absolutely delicious — tangy, savory, and sweet, with a perfect balance of orange and soy flavors. The garlic and oyster sauce in the mix gave it an addictive and fantastic umami flavor.

I hadn't fried anything with just cornstarch as a breading before, but I was pleasantly surprised with the result, as the exterior had a hardy crunch.

Although it wasn't as crispy as deep-fried takeout alternatives, it held up well in the thick, sticky orange sauce.

Even after tossing the chicken in the sauce, the breading stayed intact and didn't flake off. Plus, the cornstarch breading meant this recipe was gluten-free-friendly and not too heavy.

The tender chicken had a great texture inside and out. I felt it tasted shockingly similar to orange chicken I've had from Panda Express.

Next time, I plan to use more nonstick oil to thoroughly coat the chicken pieces in hopes they'll get a more golden look. I'd also air-fry them for a bit less time, as I was so focused on getting a golden crust that I may have slightly overcooked the meat.

Ultimately, though, I'll absolutely make thisair-fryer recipeagain next time I want an easy dinner or atakeout dupe.

This story was originally published on March 5, 2021, and most recently updated on July 23, 2026.

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