Sweet and tender Instant Pot Orange Chicken is ready for a weeknight dinner is less than 30 minutes. The whole family will love the flavorful sauce and you'll love how easy it is to make. {gluten free}
Are you feeling pressure to hop on the Instant Pot train? I think it's safe to say you should. If you are anything like me, with a house full of chaos most nights, you need a little help getting dinner on the table. Why do you think all those meal delivery kits are so popular right now?
We are busy, stressed-out folks who still have to eat!
The number one advantage to the Instant Pot is that it cooks QUICK. For example, this Instant Pot Orange Chicken only had to cook for 5 minutes. The result is a tender chicken and a thick juicy sauce.
The only downside to the Instant Pot is that the saute function really doesn't brown the chicken well - it's nothing like cooking on the stovetop. So the chicken can sometimes lack some of that browning flavor. But I'm okay with that for weeknights when I want dinner on the table fast.
If you are in the market here is the Instant Pot I love. It never lets me down and I've never gotten a burn message like many people complain about.
I think you are going to love this Easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken because it's...
- ready in under 30 minutes
- made with pantry staples
- full of flavorful sauce that can be spooned over rice too
- gluten-free if you use tamari instead of soy sauce
- kid and husband friendly
- low carb if served with cauliflower rice
Health Benefits of Chicken
Chicken is full of health benefits. It is an excellent source of protein. It is low in calories, cholesterol, sodium, and fat. And it contains a variety of beneficial nutrients including Iron, Phosphorus, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, and more. The American Heart Association even recommends that people give preference to lean meats like chicken and fish rather than red meats like beef and pork.
My daughter loves orange chicken and prefers the frozen kind from Trader Joe's. I've heard that is the top-selling product from TJ's - it's that good! But it's loaded with weird ingredients so it's always healthier to make it homemade.
This is a nice compromise. The chicken is not deep fried and it's made with simple pantry staples. Using fresh squeezed orange juice really amps up the flavor. You just can't get that flavor from the refrigerated orange juice. I tried to cut down on the sugar but wanted my kids to eat it so I added only 2 tablespoons.
Ingredients to Make This Recipe
- Chicken breasts - Chicken breasts work better than thighs in this recipe.
- Sesame oil - Sesame oil adds a nice flavor to Asian-inspired dishes.
- Salt and pepper - Brings out the flavor in the dish.
- Orange juice - Fresh squeezed orange juice adds flavor you can't get from store-bought juice.
- Soy sauce - Instantly adds bold flavor.
- Garlic - Garlic helps to liven up the dish.
- Sugar - Adds a little extra sweetness.
- Ginger - Ginger helps to brighten up the dish.
- Corn starch - Corn starch (mixed with water) thickens up the orange sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Orange Chicken
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In a small bowl whisk the fresh orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
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Turn Instant Pot to saute and add sesame oil. Add chicken and brown for 3-4 minutes.
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Turn pot off. Whisk sauce again and add to the pot.
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Close lid and push manual. Set timer for five minutes. Set vent to closed.
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When the timer goes off let it naturally release for ten minutes. Then carefully open the pot.
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Set pot to saute again. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to pot. Stir well and let saute for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens to your liking.
I like to serve mine with cauliflower rice that I keep in the freezer (also from TJ's). The kiddos eat theirs with rice that I cook hands-off in my cheap rice cooker. It's so easy!
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Chicken Curry
- Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 35 Gluten Free Chicken Dinners for Easy Meal Planning
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! I’d love it if you could add a star rating ★ and a comment below. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk the fresh orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Add siracha if you like spice.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and add sesame oil. Add chicken and brown for 3-4 minutes. It won't brown that well but it does add some flavor.
- Turn pot off. Whisk sauce again and add to the pot. Scrape up any chicken bits from bottom of pot.
- Close lid and push manual. Set timer for five minutes. Set vent to closed.
- When timer goes off let it naturally release for ten minutes. Then carefully open the pot.
- Set pot to saute again. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to pot. Stir well and let saute for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens to your liking.
- Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Allrecipes.
Lindsey Dietz says
House full of orange chicken lovers here! Haven't tried it in my IP yet, but definitely will!
Joni Gomes says
Love this recipe and the use of orange juice!
Yvonne says
Love Instantpot recipes! Can't wait to try out a low carb version of this.
Tessa Simpson says
orange chicken is a kid fav! What would yo recommend for those of us that do not do sugar?
Melina Malone says
Hi Tessa. I have made it without the sugar and it works just fine. The orange juice is naturally sweet so that helps!
Saema says
I made this using Splenda! It tasted great and with no aftertaste! 2tbsp sugar was approximately 4 Splenda pkts
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
I'm a huge fan of all things IP! This orange chicken looks amazing! This is one of my favorite flavor combos with chicken, I can't wait to try it.
Raia Todd says
This sounds so delicious! I love real-food-ified Chinese AND I love the Instant Pot. So this is definitely a must try for me!
Jean says
This orange chicken looks soooo flavorful. Can't believe it's only 5 minutes cook time in the IP!
linda spiker says
IP comes through again! This looks delish!
Carrie says
I love how easy this is and it sounds to die for, on the list for weeknight dinners!
Vanessa Price says
I will definitely be trying this recipe out! I love the all natural ingredients and that it comes together so quickly.
Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says
Oh, I love how easy this is! Orange chicken is a big deal for my family, so I beat that they would love it!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Awesome idea to serve this with cauliflower rice Melina. It looks delicious!
LoveCompassionateLee says
I love finding new recipes for chicken because I can get bored with it easily. This recipe is flavorful and easy to prepare.
Happy Tuesday
http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/thinkoutloud/success-that-lasts
Yang says
This dish is so easy to make in the Instant pot! So perfect for busy moms. Thanks for sharing!
Megan Stevens says
This looks completely delicious!! Love that sauce with oj and ginger, yum!!
ChihYu says
I adore anything made from Instant Pot because it's always so easy and this Asian take on orange chicken speaks right to my belly ! YUM !!
Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says
I'm always on the lookout for IP recipes full of flavour like this one! Appreciate all the options for changing up -- and my cauliflower rice will be perfect with this too! Thanks for adding the WW points! Helpful!
Karly says
I love my instant pot! Great recipe! I'll need to add this to my meal plan!
Christina says
Why haven't I made orange chicken in the IP before?? YUM! This looks perfect!
Tatiana says
I like easy instant pot recipes a lot. In less then 30 minutes? yes please!
Kimberly says
Made this dish and it was full of flavour. The family loved it.
Melina Malone says
Yay, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know.
Marianne Lamb says
Making this tonight but it looks like you dont cook rice in pot, correct? Have you ever tried to do that too with this dish?
Melina Malone says
I have not tried to do them both in the Instant Pot at the same time. Hope you enjoy it!
Jamie Priest says
Just wondering a substitute for the soy sauce, very hi in sodium and need an alternative. Thanks
Melina Malone says
I use tamari or you can use coconut aminos. Good luck!
Rita Davis says
Hi, when do you add the salt and pepper?
Melina Malone says
I fixed that for you! Thanks. I add it when I mix the sauce.
Be ky says
When do you add the ginger? Also, is it fresh ginger or ground ginger? Thanks.
Melina Malone says
Hi there, it's ground ginger. You add it in the beginning with the other spices. Sorry about that!