The BEST Instant Pot Orange Chicken

This recipe is the BEST you will find for Instant Pot Orange Chicken. The orange juice gives it a fresh, flavorful taste, and by using only whole ingredients it’s so much better than takeout! 

instant pot orange chicken after cooking in its sauce in a white bowl with a spoon

You know by now that while some takeout food can be irresistible, it’s better to cook at home. The main reason is that you know exactly what you are putting in your food and your body. This means no extra additives, MSG, added or refined sugar, and you can adjust the ingredients as necessary. 

I love Chinese food just as much as the next person and personally, the first time I had orange chicken was at P.F. Changs. If you’ve been there before you know that it’s pretty expensive. But I do feel that their food is less processed than local restaurants, I don’t know I could be wrong. 

Anyway, one day I had a craving to hit, so I decided to make my own version of orange chicken in my Instant Pot. 

Here’s the thing about the Instant Pot. It’s an electric pressure cooker that cooks really fast in comparison to other methods. Older people used to say they felt uncomfortable using them because of the pressure being dangerous, this technology is much better now. 

I have this Instant Pot and highly recommend you go ahead and purchase the accessory kit. Sooner or later you are going to want to make other things where you may need the springform pan. The egg holder makes it super convenient when making boiled eggs. And for the price, you just can’t beat the bundle! 

Here is another one of my favorite easy Chicken Recipes and don’t forget to make my Instant Pot Pesto Chicken with Veggies!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Orange Chicken 

Chicken Breasts – I used boneless skinless breasts, some people would rather have chicken thighs, so can substitute if you like

Orange Juice – You can use store-bought, but if you want even more flavor you can squeeze oranges for fresh juice. 

Ground ginger – Using the ground kind is much easier, but you could swap it out for fresh ginger if you prefer.

Garlic – For your convenience, local stores have jars of minced garlic that keep for a long time if fresh garlic is too strong

Cornstarch – Using cornstarch will thicken your sauce, so don’t skip out on this ingredient! 

Other ingredients: honey, soy sauce, garlic chili paste or sriracha.

close up of instant pot orange chicken with broccoli over rice on a white plate

What’s The Difference Between Quick Release and Natural Release on the Instant Pot?

If you are new to the Instant Pot world, all of the buttons can be intimidating. When you hear natural release, that means at the end of the cooking time you are supposed to wait until all of the pressure is released by itself. The indicator will go completely down, that’s how you will know it’s finished. 

Quick-release means you manually move the sealing valve from seal to release. BE CAREFUL! When you start to twist it all of the steam will be coming out, so it’s really hot.

How To Avoid The Burn Notice on the Instant Pot?

Sometimes the display will say burn. At this point, you need to quick release and move the food around off the bottom and deglaze it. Afterward, you would restart the cooking time. 

In this case, after you saute the chicken breasts, just scrape the bottom before pouring in all of the sauce. If you need to you can use a little bit of the orange juice or a tad bit of water to deglaze.

top view of orange chicken in a white bowl with spoon after cooking in instant pot

Dishes to Serve with Instant Pot Orange Chicken:

Oh, by the way, find me on Instagram to see more tasty dishes, and be sure to tag me when you make something!

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The BEST Instant Pot Orange Chicken | Healthy Recipe

top view of orange chicken in a white bowl with spoon after cooking in instant pot

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs Chicken Breasts boneless, skinless
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 2 tsp garlic chili paste or sriracha
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup Orange Juice

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken and cornstarch and mix.
  • Cut the boneless skinless breasts into bite-sized pieces and saute for 1-2 minutes on each side. (You will need to press the saute function on the IP before)
  • Pour the sauce on top and cook on high pressure setting for 4 minutes.
  • Quick-release once the timer goes off.
  • Then, remove the chicken from the pot and place 1/4 cup of the sauce into a bowl.
  • Whisk in cornstarch to the 1/4 cup of sauce and create a slurry.
  • Whisk in the slurry for ~3 minutes until sauce thickens. Add the chicken back and toss to coat!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious! I sauteed some onion, peppers and mushrooms along with the chicken and served over rice.

  2. I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s incredible! I would definitely consider it a staple in our home now. We usually pair it with a side of rice or quinoa and some green beans or broccoli! Thank you, Elizabeth, for always sharing convenient and delicious recipes!

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