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.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Pressuring/depressurizing time15 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Keyword: healthy orange chicken, healthy orange chicken recipe, instant pot chicken, orange chicken in the instant pot, orange chicken instant pot
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.
Frying Pan/Wok Instructions
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.