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You’re going to love this tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful Instant Pot Orange Chicken! This easy and healthy orange chicken recipe involves no frying, nothing sketchy – just simple ingredients that beats takeout.
This Instant Pot orange chicken recipe is about to be your new favorite dinner! It’s so easy, absolutely delicious, and will make the most tender chicken you’ve ever had!
If you’re looking for a crispy and breaded version of this recipe, check out our Air Fryer Orange Chicken. And if you are new to pressure cooking and the Instant Pot, check out this post on recipes for Instant Pot beginners.
Ingredients
This recipe is rocking:
- Chicken breast – boneless skinless, but chicken thighs would work great too.
- Orange zest and juice – fresh is preferred.
- Olive oil
- Low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos if you need gluten-free
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda – for tenderizing the chicken
- Sriracha – leave out if spicy isn’t your jam
How to make instant pot orange chicken
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
The first step in making this orange chicken in the Instant Pot is to prep the chicken and marinate it with baking soda.
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, place them into a medium mixing bowl, and toss them with the baking soda. Let the baking soda sit on the chicken for 10-15 minutes.
While the chicken is resting, mince the ginger and garlic, and juice and zest the orange(s).
Place the chicken in a small strainer and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. You must completely rinse the baking soda from the chicken. Do not skip this step!
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and let it sit while the Instant Pot heats up using the saute function.
Once the Instant Pot shows “HOT”, add 1 tsp olive and sesame oil to the Instant Pot insert. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chicken will stick a bit, but that’s ok.
Push the chicken to the sides of the Instant Pot, add the other 1 tsp of olive oil, then add ginger and garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Turn Instant Pot to off.
Add a splash of the orange juice to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape any stuck-on residue off the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, and sriracha (if using). Give everything a brief stir and then lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
While the orange chicken is cooking, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Set it aside; you’ll be using it in a bit.
When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 5 minutes, and then flip the vent to venting and perform a quick release. Carefully open the lid and press “Saute”.
Add the cornstarch slurry to the chicken and mix. Allow everything to come to a boil, stirring often until the sauce begins to thicken, which will take about 3-5 minutes.
If you’re feeling extra, top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing Leftovers: Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: Place chicken in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 60-90 seconds.
Freezing Leftovers: Instant Pot orange chicken is best enjoyed right away, but you can freeze it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating following the instructions above.
What to serve with orange chicken
This recipe is easy enough that you can make something else to go on the side—or, if you’re not in the mood to cook, just pick up a pouch of heat-and-serve rice or quinoa at the grocery store, along with some air fryer egg rolls and roasted frozen broccoli.
In the mood to cook? Here are some ideas:
- Grains, like Instant Pot Basmati Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice (or Instant Pot Brown Jasmine Rice), or Instant Pot Quinoa.
- A simple salad. Chopped Cabbage Salad, Cucumber and Onion Salad, and Cold Soba Salad would all pair well with orange chicken.
- A vegetable like Air Fryer Green Beans, Snow Pea Stir Fry, or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes.
Frequently Asked Questions
In a nutshell, it turns the texture of chicken breasts into chicken thighs.
Tossing the raw chicken breast in a few teaspoons of baking soda, letting it rest for 10-15 minutes, and then rinsing it really well will give you the most tender chicken you’ve ever had.
You can skip this step if you’re pressed for time, but I highly encourage you to give it a try.
In a pinch, store-bought orange juice will work just fine. I think it misses some of the intensity of fresh orange juice, but sometimes it is the only option, which makes it the best.
I’ve had a friend make this with frozen orange juice concentrate when her fresh oranges went bad. At the end of the day, use what works best for you.
Yes! You can use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
This recipe was originally written to be Whole30 compliant and called for arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.
You can use the same amount of arrowroot as cornstarch in this recipe.
Absolutely! You can cut, marinate, and rinse the chicken and then store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
You can also prep the other ingredients ahead of time, or even use frozen garlic and frozen ginger.
Recipe Notes/Pro Tips
- Don’t skip the deglazing step. Any stuck on residue on the bottom of the pot could impact the ability for it to properly come to pressure. Deglazing only adds about 30 seconds of work to the overall recipe. Do it.
- No Instant Pot? Use a large frying pan or wok and cook the chicken throughout until no pink remains. Follow the instructions in the recipe card below for more details.
- Make the sauce pop even more by adding in a few pieces of dehydrated oranges during the cooking process. Discard prior to serving.
- If you prefer your sauce on the sweeter side, add 1-2 tbsp of honey to the sauce prior to cooking.
More Instant Pot Dinner RECIPES to Try
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 2 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast {boneless skinless}
- 2 tsp baking soda {optional – see notes}
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger {minced}
- 4 cloves garlic {minced}
- 4 tbsp orange zest
- 1/3 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium {or coconut aminos}
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tsp sriracha {optional}
Slurry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch {or arrowroot powder}
- 1 tbsp cool water
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Toss with baking soda, stirring to distribute. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.2 lbs chicken breast, 2 tsp baking soda
- Chop the ginger, garlic, zest and juice the oranges.3 tbsp fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 4 tbsp orange zest, 1/2 cup orange juice
- Place the chicken in a small strainer and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. You must completely rinse the baking soda from the chicken.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute and allow to heat until it shows "HOT" on the display.
- Add 1 tsp olive and sesame oil. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.2 tsp olive oil, divided, 2 tsp sesame oil
- Push the chicken to the sides of the Instant Pot, add the other 1 tsp of olive oil, then add ginger and garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Turn Instant Pot to off.3 tbsp fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic
- Add a splash of the orange juice to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape any stuck on residue off the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients through the cornstarch.1/3 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tsp sriracha
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water until smooth and set aside.2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp cool water
- When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 5 minutes, and then flip the vent to venting and perform a quick release.
- Open the lid and press Saute.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the chicken and mix.
- Allow everything to come to a boil, stirring often until the sauce begins to thicken ~ 5 minutes.
Notes
- You MUST rinse all the baking soda from the chicken prior to cooking.
- Don’t skip the deglazing step. Any stuck on residue on the bottom of the pot could impact the ability for it to properly come to pressure. Deglazing only adds about 30 seconds of work to the overall recipe.
- Follow steps 1-3 above. Make the arrowroot slurry and set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil and sesame oil to the pan. Swirl to coat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Push the chicken to the sides of the pan and add the rest of the ingredients including the arrowroot slurry to the pan.
- Cook thoroughly until the chicken is completely white when a test piece is cut.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe, but if you use soy sauce, use just a splash. I did a straight substitution, and it’s inedible. My first instant pot fail that went right in the trash. I think I’ll do it again, and not use any soy sauce at all. It smelled so delicious while it was cooking!! Tasted like a salt lick. Heartbroken.
Amanda, we use reduced-sodium soy in this as a straight sub and it’s been ok for us. Did you use regular?
We had to throw it all away beware of the baking soda taste is horrible
Hi Sarah (great name), the baking soda cannot stay on the chicken when it is cooked. In the recipe card step 3 notes you must remove it: “Rinse the chicken thoroughly. I place it in a small strainer and rinse until it runs clear. Pat dry with paper towels.”
If you haven’t made this orange chicken you are missing out! I ended up using some chicken broth to cut the salt in my soy sauce and the flavor didn’t suffer. My kids ate the leftovers before I could get to them, that’s how good this is!
Just found your site and love love it, thank you so much for sharing
I will be ordering a rimmed baking sheet from your site.
Regards
Judy-Ann
Welcome Judy-Ann, I’m so glad you’re here! I use those baking sheets daily. They’re so versatile. Enjoy!
I’m curious… my kiddo cannot have sesame oil. Does sesame contribute a lot to the flavor? This recipe looks so amazing.
I love the flavor of sesame, but if you need to leave it out you’ll still have an enjoyable dish.
Made this tonight, I have been trying to make more healthy options for dinners. Definitely will be adding this to the rotation! so amazing. I added an orange bell pepper after the ginger and garlic but before all the other stuff! ( I made it in a frying pan)
My husband would LOVE your addition of the peppers! He loves them and the rest of us don’t. 🙂
So happy to hear you enjoyed this!
This was delicious! The baking soda trick is genius. We usually do a bag of Trader Joe’s orange chicken but this was way healthier and super easy in the instant pot. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Baking soda is magic! Who knew such a cheap little ingredient can do so much?
I’m thrilled that you liked it so much. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This is a delicious recipe that comes together so quickly! Our whole family loves it. So many orange chicken recipes don’t have that much orange in them. Orange is front & center here, it’s so good!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Ann! It’s one of our favorites, and I agree, it’s very “orangey”. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
The chicken magic really works! Amazing!
That said, I used the zest of two pretty big navel oranges, and the juice from them was about one cup, but I still don’t get much orange flavor. I think oj concentrate would yield more flavor.
I enjoyed giving it a whirl, and am thrilled about the baking soda trick, so thank you for that!
Pretty freaking rad, right?? Baking soda is magic!
Hmmm, how much zest did get from those oranges? Ours is usually very orangey (is that a word?)!
The most awesome instant pot recipe for me… my family loves chicken and especially with Asian inspired ingredients… (ginger, sesame,etc.) so when I made this three times now.. win-win for me all the way.. so easy to especially since I used two different types of instant pot and enjoyed similar results.. thank you Sarah .. you da Bess as we say in Hawaii Ne.