Sweet and tender Instant Pot orange chicken covered in a juicy sauce. Made with less than 10 ingredients and done in 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
Asian Orange Chicken
Instant Pot orange chicken is a popular Asian-inspired dish made by pressure cooking tender pieces of chicken in a sweet and tangy orange sauce. It’s a simple way to enjoy this classic takeout favorite at home especially when served with steamed rice or fried rice and a side of steamed vegetables and homemade egg rolls
This isn’t a deep fried coated orange chicken recipe like you would find at Panda Express or even in my stove top easy orange chicken. Although, we do love this copycat Panda Express kung pao chicken! It is a sweet glazed chicken and lighter than the fried version.
Plus it is SO much easier to make than coating and frying individual pieces like you do in my sweet and sour chicken recipe. With this easy orange chicken – everything is prepped in the Instant Pot! Once I learned how to use the Instant Pot, I became obsessed!
Give me one pot meals and I’m a happy girl. They’re quick, easy and require less clean up. We love this orange chicken Instant Pot just as much as one pot chicken and rice, burrito bowls, Instant Pot spaghetti and Instant Pot meatloaf.
How to Make Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Make the sauce: Whisk together orange juice, honey, garlic, ginger, vinegar and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Cook in Instant pot: Pour orange sauce over meat and stir together. Close lid and turn to manual pressure. Set to cook for 5 minutes. Once done, let naturally release for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release and remove lid.
- Thicken the sauce: Turn pot back to sauté. Remove 1/4 cup sauce and whisk in corn starch. Stir mixture back in pot and let cook for 2 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired thickness.
- Serve over rice: Serve in a bowl over rice and add sliced green onions and fresh orange zest if desired.
Cooking Tips
- Can sub honey for sugar or brown sugar if preferred.
- For more heat, whisk in 1 teaspoon sriracha to the sauce.
- For an even thicker sauce, add in a little more cornstarch.
- This is a great meal prep recipe. Make in instant pot, then portion into glass containers with rice and a veggie.
FAQs
Yes, it is possible to use frozen chicken for this chicken in orange sauce recipe! Your chicken will need to be in bite sized pieces though, so you have two options. Before freezing, cut your chicken into pieces then freeze it. You could also make Instant Pot frozen chicken, cut it into bite sized pieces and then proceed with the recipe.
Yes, chicken thighs could be used for this Instant Pot orange chicken recipe. Chicken tenderloins is another option.
Yes, vegetables would be a great addition to this orange chicken in Instant Pot! Add bell peppers, mushrooms or even green beans. Cooking time will remain the same.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
More Chinese Dishes
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Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into bite-sized pieces
Sauce
- ¾ cup 100% orange juice
- 3 Tablespoons honey , could also use sugar
- 3 Tablespoons lite soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic , about 4 cloves
- 2 teaspoon grated ginger , or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
Optional: S&P, pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce for heat, orange zest, green onions
For serving: cooked rice
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the Instant pot. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of the chicken.
- Dump in the orange juice, sugar, garlic, ginger, vinegar and soy sauce. Add in red pepper flakes or sriracha if you'd like to add a little heat. Stir until combined.
- Close the lid and turn on manual pressure and set to cook for 5 minutes. It will take about 5-10 minutes to build pressure.
- When the cook time ends, allow to do a natural release of pressure for about 10 minutes. Then do a quick release by turning the top knob and let it release any extra pressure. Then remove lid.
- Turn the instant pot back to saute. Remove about 1/4 cup liquid and whisk in the corn starch. If there's still a lot of liquid you could dump about 1/4 cup out. Then add the corn starch back to the chicken and let cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce reaches desired thickness. It will thicken as it stands. Taste and salt and pepper if desired. If you'd like to cut the sweetness and add a little heat, add a dash of sriracha sauce.
- Serve over rice. Add green onions and fresh orange zest if desired.
Notes
- If you’d like to sear the chicken, saute in a pan with 1 Tablespoon for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Asian, Chicken, Dinner, Instant Pot, Instant Pot, One Pot, One Pot
I don’t have a instant pot, can you recommend one. I see at the top, it says pressure cooker. I have one of those. Would it work? Thank you for sharing.
Yes a pressure cooker works well too. This is the instant pot I use https://amzn.to/2ZrJiC0
Cooked it today, followed the recipe and it was delicious. The prep time was a bit longer, since I seared the meat and chased the kids. Since they don’t like spicy food, I added just 1/2 tsp chilly- garlic sauce (which I was scolded for) but it was just right for an adult palette.
That chilly-garlic sauce sounds like a delicious addition! So glad you liked it!
I don’t have an instant pot yet but this sounds amazing! Do you by chance know how to make this in the slow cooker? Would I follow the directions but just let it cook for 4-6 hours? Thank you!
Hi Sarah! Yes, this should work the same in the crock pot cooking on low for 4-6 hours.
Orange chicken is one of our all time favorites! Can’t wait to try this!
This is seriously making me hungry! I have to put this chicken recipe on my menu!
I know what I am making for dinner tonight! This looks amazing!
This looks so good and so easy, can’t wait to try it!