Instant Pot Orange Chicken

This Instant Pot orange chicken is so tender and flavorful. A delicious meal made quick and easy thanks to electric pressure cooking. If you’re looking for a yummy dinner, give this orange chicken recipe a try.

Hello, hello!

Today I’m excited to be here to share another awesome Instant Pot recipe with you. Of course like all of my Instant pot recipes, I assume that they can be made in other electric pressure cookers as well.

As always I’d love to hear from you if you give the recipe a try. It’s so helpful to receive constructive feedback from my readers.

Are you ready to dive into the recipe?

First lets talk about the chicken

I’ve tried cooking lots of different kinds of chicken in the Instant Pot. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are my favorite. The reason is because they don’t dry out like chicken breasts do. Chicken thigh meat is tender and flavorful and works perfect in Asian-inspired recipes like this one.

You can always try other types of chicken in this recipe, but keep in mind they may not be as tender and juicy as the chicken thighs.

Next a few tips & ingredient preferences

You will need about 2 medium-large oranges for this recipe. Be sure to zest the oranges before juicing them (they are a pain to zest after). Be sure to reserve half of the freshly squeezed orange juice to use later in the recipe when you thicken the sauce.

I’ve mentioned this before but I always like to use fresh garlic in my recipes. It is a total game changer. Refrigerated minced garlic is not as potent and often has a bitter flavor. So if you want the best Instant pot orange chicken of your life, don’t substitute for the fresh garlic. I use this garlic press for a quick and easy way to mince fresh garlic (aff. link) and I love it.

For the fresh ginger you can either grate it fresh with a microplane or I often use ginger paste. I don’t feel like it sacrifices any of the flavor to use ginger paste and I’m always up for a shortcut.

I haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing you can sub other types of vinegar for the rice vinegar if you need to. You could probably get away with using coconut oil instead of butter in the sauce if you are trying to make this dairy free.

I always use low sodium soy sauce in this recipe. If you are trying it with regular soy sauce you may want to cut back on the salt when seasoning the chicken so the dish doesn’t get too salty. You can always add additional salt after it’s been cooked if needed.

Finishing it off and serving

The broiling step is optional. If you are in a hurry, skipping it is an easy way to save 5 minutes (and another pan). I usually do it because I think it adds a nice color and caramelized flavor to the chicken.

I serve this dish with cooked rice (white or brown). It’s nice to garnish it with chopped green onions for color and/or serve it with vegetables. Stir fried vegetables or steamed broccoli or asparagus are some of my go-tos.

I hope you give this Instant Pot orange chicken a try. It’s quickly become a family favorite. Enjoy.

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Instant Pot Orange Chicken

This Instant Pot orange chicken is so tender and flavorful. A delicious meal made quick and easy thanks to electric pressure cooking. If you're looking for a yummy dinner, give this orange chicken recipe a try.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian-inspired

Keyword Instant Pot, Orange Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Pressurizing/Natural Release Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup (4 ounces) honey
• 4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (see note)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided (see note)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ginger paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (see note)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• salt & pepper, to taste
• green onions, for garnish
• cooked rice and vegetables, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Trim excess fat from chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place in bottom of electric pressure cooker insert.

2. Add butter and honey to large microwaveable liquid measuring cup and microwave in 30-second increments until butter is melted and honey is runny.

3. Add soy sauce, orange zest, 1/4 cup of the freshly squeezed orange juice, rice vinegar, ginger, and fresh minced garlic to the glass measuring cup with the honey-butter mixture and whisk until smooth.

4. Pour sauce mixture over chicken in Instant Pot. Lock lid in place and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. When time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release.

5. Remove chicken to a 9×13-inch baking dish leaving liquid in the pot. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup fresh orange juice. Select the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the Instant Pot and heat until thickened, whisking to avoid lumps. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

6. Pour thickened sauce over chicken. Preheat broiler. Place baking dish with chicken and sauce directly under broiler and broil for 2-4 minutes chicken browns slightly (see note).

7. Top chicken with sliced green onions to garnish and serve chicken with sauce over cooked rice with other steamed vegetables as desired.

Recipe Notes

1. Be sure to zest the oranges before juicing them. You will need about 2 med/large oranges for this recipe.

2. Make sure to use fresh garlic in this recipe (rather than refrigerated kind). It will really make a difference in the flavor.

3. The broiling step is optional, but I think it adds a nice color and caramelized flavor.

Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

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