Table of Contents
Easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Who doesn’t love an easy take-out dinner? But you’re often left feeling uncomfortable and bloated.
Next time you’re craving Chinese take-out, skip the line, save your money, and make this Orange Chicken recipe in the Instant Pot.
You get all the flavor you love from your favorite Chinese restaurant, but it’s MUCH healthier. Your wallet will thank you, too.
This recipe just might be the perfect weeknight meal! It’s easy to make, the kids will love it, and it takes very little hands-on time.
Why We Love this Orange Chicken Recipe
- Ready and on the table in 30 minutes.
- Way fewer dishes and less mess compared to cooking it in a skillet.
- Picky eaters will love it!
- Better for you than a restaurant with healthy, natural ingredients, including fresh oranges.
Ingredients
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Chicken. One pound of chicken breasts is tenderized and then cut into bite-size pieces. You can also opt for thighs if you want even more flavor.
- Starch or Flour. This gives the chicken a nice coating so it can get crispy in the Instant Pot. Use tapioca starch if on a Paleo or Whole30 diet, or a gluten-free 1-to-1 blend if not.
- Oranges. Fresh orange juice and orange zest really pump up the flavor and natural sweetness in this dish.
- Garlic & Ginger. It’s best if you use both FRESH garlic cloves and fresh ginger. I like to buy the jars of ginger paste from the produce section so I can easily scoop out what I need.
- Sweetener. Pure maple syrup is used as the sweetener in this recipe, but coconut sugar, brown sugar, or even honey can be substituted.
- Chili Garlic Paste. Depending on how spicy you like your orange chicken, you can use anywhere from 1 to 2 teaspoons.
- Soy Sauce. Regular soy sauce, gluten-free soy or Tamari sauce, or coconut liquid aminos can all be used interchangeably.
How to Make Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
1. Prepare the Chicken
In order to get the most juicy and tender chicken, you’ll want to tenderize the chicken breasts before cooking.
It may seem like an unnecessary additional step, but trust me: you’ll get melt-in-your-mouth chicken if you do this!
After you’ve pounded it to about 1-inch thick, cut the chicken into similarly sized 1-inch cubes. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss with the starch or flour, salt, and pepper until it is completely coated.
2. Make the Orange Sauce
The key ingredient to this orange sauce recipe is that you MUST use FRESH orange juice and zest.
Please make sure you DO NOT skimp and buy the orange juice from concentrate. The dish just won’t taste NEARLY as good. Also, make sure you ZEST the oranges before juicing.
Add the orange juice, zest, soy or Tamari sauce, maple syrup, and chili paste to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
You can store this healthy orange sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days if meal prepping ahead of time.
3. Add to the Instant Pot
I have the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-quart, 9-in-1, and it works for just about any and every use you can imagine!
However, if you think you will be making A LOT of bone broth, or enormous batches of soup, you might want to look into the Instant Pot Duo Plus 8-quart.
Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté function, then carefully add the oils, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the cubed chicken and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the orange sauce mixture over the chicken, being sure to get some of the sauce ingredients under the chicken pieces so it doesn’t burn.
One of the most common mistakes people run into when making this recipe is the dreaded burn notice.
To avoid this, make sure you thoroughly scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spoon before pressure cooking.
If any bits of food are stuck, the Instant Pot will think it’s burning and not allow you to cook your chicken.
4. Pressure Cook and Serve
Place the lid on the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, being sure to set the steam release valve to closed. Set a manual timer to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When it’s done, allow for a 10-minute natural release of the pressure before opening the pressure valve.
Then, turn off the Instant Pot and open the pressure valve for a quick release of the remaining pressure. Be careful of steam!
Serve the orange chicken over white rice or cauliflower rice with sesame seeds and green onions.
What to Serve with Orange Chicken
When you’re ready to dig into this healthy orange chicken recipe, all you need is rice and maybe some veggies to round it out.
Choose your favorite rice, like White Rice, Cauliflower Rice, Jasmine Rice, or Basmati Rice. You can also make your own Chicken Fried Rice.
Green veggies like Steamed Broccoli, Chinese Green Beans, or Roasted Asparagus are healthy, or opt for Air Fryer Carrots.
More Easy Asian Dinner Favorites
Skip the takeout and whip up any of these Asian favorites next time the craving strikes.
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Mongolian Beef
- Instant Pot Yellow Chicken Curry
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry
- Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Carrots and Potatoes
- Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry
Tap stars to rate!
Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe
email this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour or gluten-free 1-to-1 blend
- ½ tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. oil olive or avocado
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ tsp. ginger paste or fresh, finely minced
- ¾ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tbsp. orange zest
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce Tamari, or coconut liquid aminos
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1-2 tsp. chili garlic paste depending on desired spice level
- Sesame seeds toasted, optional
- Green onions optional
- Basmati rice or cauliflower rice for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: In a large bowl combine chicken cubes, flour or starch, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat chicken completely.1 lb. chicken thighs, ⅓ cup all purpose flour, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Make the Sauce: In a medium-sized bowl combine orange juice, zest, soy sauce, sugar, and chili garlic paste. Whisk to combine. Pour sauce over chicken and be sure to lift it off the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.¾ cup orange juice, 1 Tbsp. orange zest, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1-2 tsp. chili garlic paste
- Add Everything to the Instant Pot: Add oils, garlic, and ginger to the Instant Pot while it is set to the Sauté function. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken cubes and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. After sautéing, scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure any bits are no longer stuck. (This step is VERY important. If you do not scrape the bottom of the pot you'll end up getting that dreaded BURN error.)2 Tbsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp. ginger paste
- Pressure Cook: Place lid on Instant Pot and close pressure valve. Using the manual pressure cook function turn to High Pressure and set the timer for 5 minutes. Keep the lid on and the valve closed for an additional 10 minutes after the timer goes off. (This is called a 10 minute natural pressure release, or NPR.)
- Serve the Chicken: Turn the Instant Pot off, and open the pressure valve. Once the lid has unlocked, you can serve your orange chicken over rice with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!Sesame seeds, Green onions, Basmati rice or cauliflower rice
Tap stars to rate!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
While this was tasty, the recipe made way too much sauce. Next time I’ll either increase chicken to 1.5lbs plus additional flour and seasonings, or decrease the sauce ingredients. I served with cauliflower fried rice and steamed broccoli and carrots, separately which I steamed separately so as to not add more liquid to chicken mixture. Very good though, a keeper!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Dippy! Sauce is such a personal preference, but I’m glad you like the flavor! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
This was great! So nice to have a healthy version of one of our favorites.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I just made this for my family and they absolutely love it! Will be on my weeknight rotation menu!
And it was easy and quick. And healthy! Win win!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Emma! So glad your family liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Delicious and tender!! I had a craving for Orange Chicken and was delighted to find and make your recipe. Thanks so much!
I made a double batch. I did get a burn notice even after scraping the bottom. I think the next time i make this, I’ll still double the chicken and all ingredients except the measure for measure flour so that the sauce won’t be so thick and as likely to burn. I added extra orange juice, scraped the bottom again and started it back up to solve the too hot notice today.
It was also great with the riced caulifower and toasted sesame seeds. Great details. Thanks!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Leah! And yes, depending on your Instant Pot model some are a little more fickle with the burn notice. Thanks so much for the comment and rating 🙂
This turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe, I’m going to use it often! Just a note, if you double the chicken, you don’t need to double the sauce!
That’s great to know, Kat! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂
Any tips on how to make this if someone doesn’t own an Instant Pot? Would LOVE to make this recipe this weekend, but I’ll be IP-less. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Oops! Nevermind! Saw where someone else already asked! My bad!
No worries at all! Happy to see you found your answer.
Csn u make it not in an instantpot?
Yes, Sharon – you absolutely can make it on the stovetop! Follow the directions for sauteeing and then cover and cook the chicken over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Wonderful. I make it exactly as printed, and it turns out great every single time. It’s one of my kids’ most requested meals. Thank you for sharing!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Angela! I’m so happy even the littles enjoy it. Thanks for the comment/rating!
I made a double batch and it turned out perfect. I didn’t use much of the chili paste because of my grandbabies. everyone loved it. I was wondering if you could use lemons instead of oranges to make lemon chicken.
So happy you and the grandbabies enjoyed the recipe! I bet it would taste delicious with lemons, but it might be a tad bit tart since they don’t have as much natural sugar as oranges. I would add a bit more sweetener to make up for it. Would love to know how it goes for you, Tracy!