This Instant Pot Orange Chicken is sticky and sweet perfection. I love to make this when I am craving my favorite take out. It’s made in just 25 minutes in the comfort of your own home. It is hot, fresh and so delicious.
If you love making chinese food at home, try my hibachi yum yum sauce and my easy shrimp fried rice.
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Why this Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe because it’s a quick and easy one instant pot dinner that’s also super delicious. This chicken with tangy orange sauce is perfect is the perfect meal for when I’m craving take-out.
- Speed and Convenience: The Instant Pot drastically reduces cooking time, making it a perfect solution for quick and easy meals.
- Tender and Flavorful Chicken: The pressure cooking method ensures the chicken remains incredibly tender and juicy, while effectively absorbing the flavorful orange sauce.
- One-Pot Meal (Mostly): It minimizes cleanup by allowing you to cook the chicken and sauce in the same pot, simplifying the cooking process.
- Restaurant-Quality Taste at Home: It delivers a taste comparable to restaurant takeout, but with the added benefit of being homemade and customizable.
- Customizable Flavors: The recipe is highly adaptable, allowing you to adjust the sweetness, spiciness, and thickness of the sauce to your preferences.
- Versatility: It pairs perfectly with rice, noodles, or even quinoa, making it a versatile meal option.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: Leftovers reheat beautifully, making it ideal for meal prepping and enjoying delicious orange chicken throughout the week.
- Easy Cleanup: The non-stick inner pot of the Instant Pot makes cleanup a breeze.
- Healthier Option: By making it at home, you can control the ingredients and reduce the amount of added sugars and oils compared to takeout versions.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken for this Pressure Cooker Recipe?
Yes, you can definitely cook frozen chicken breasts in an Instant Pot, and it’s a safe and efficient way to get a quick meal, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time to account for the frozen state.
Pro Tip to Love this Recipe for Instant Pot Chicken
Corn Starch: If your sauce is not thick enough, make a slurry with cornstarch and water. mix into sauce to get thick.
Ingredient Notes and Variation Suggestions to Pressure Cook Chicken with Orange Juice and Orange Zest
To make this easy and delicious recipe, you will need just a few ingredients that can easily be found at the store. This recipe is super easy to customize to make it your own, so try using different ingredients or experimenting with flavors.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breast: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts. I use chicken breasts for the chicken pieces in this delicious recipe.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Also, use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce.
- Sweetness Variations: Use a sugar substitute to help sweeten this chicken dinner. Feel free to also add a splash of fresh orange juice or pineapple juice for a more tropical flavor.
Special Equipment Needed to Make Orange Chicken
A specific piece of equipment can sometimes make all the difference in a recipe. For this chicken dish, an instant pot is helpful.
- Instant Pot: An instant pot or pressure cooker will keep the recipe from getting soggy and will keep the cook time down. No need to let it come to pressure before cooking.
How to Make Instant Pot Orange Chicken
This is how to make orange chicken in 3 easy to follow steps. This mandarin orange chicken is so good, I make it any chance I get.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Cook the Chicken: Add the trivet and water, and place the chicken breast on top. Place lid on instant pot. Turn instant pot to high-pressure. Once the cooking has completed, release pressure manually.
- Dice Cooked Chicken: Remove the chicken and transfer to a cutting board. Cut chicken breasts into small cubes and add the chicken back into the pot.
- Make the Sauce: Turn your instant pot to sauté mode and mix orange marmalade, soy sauce, chili oil and BBQ sauce together so that the chicken is fully coated in the bubbling, thick sauce.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for the Easy Instant Pot Recipe
Preparing ingredients and steps ahead of time can help to save me time and kitchen space when it comes to making dinner.
- Chop and Prep Vegetables: Dice onions, bell peppers, or any other vegetables you plan to use. Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Marinade for Orange Chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate it in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a touch of sesame oil. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
How to Store, Reheat and Use Leftover Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe
- Storing: Any leftover chicken goes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to place chicken in an airtight container.
- Reheating: Reheat orange sauce for chicken in a pot on the stove or even in the microwave. I love to reheat and serve with instant pot rice.
- Using Leftovers: Enjoy this recipe for easy orange chicken with rice, stir-fry some fresh vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, and onions. Toss in the leftover orange chicken and its sauce at the end to heat through. You can add extra soy sauce, ginger, or garlic to boost the flavor.
Common Questions about Orange Marmalade Chicken Recipe
Yes, this recipe can also be made on the stove. Cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink. Add it to the bottom of the pot with the sauce ingredients and cook until the chicken is coated and the sauce is nice and thick.
If the sauce is too watery I add a little cornstarch to help thicken.
Yes. Meal prep this instant pot’s favorite in an airtight container or 3 months.
Yes. Chicken thighs tend to be a less expensive alternative to fresh chicken breasts.
Expert Tips for Making This Orange Marmalade Chicken Recipe and What to Serve with Orange Chicken
- Sear the Chicken: Searing the chicken before pressure cooking adds flavor and texture.
- Deglaze the Pot: After searing, deglaze the pot with a splash of chicken broth or orange juice to capture any browned bits.
- Natural Pressure Release (NPR) or Quick Release (QR) Correctly: NPR will result in more tender chicken. QR is faster.
- Zest an Orange: Use fresh orange zest at the end. Zesting an orange peel gives much orange flavor than the orange juice.
- Don’t Overcook: Overcooking the chicken will make it tough. Use a thermometer to make sure that your chicken has reached the temperature of 165°F at the thickest part of the breast.
- Serve With: Serve this tasty orange chicken dinner recipe with Fluffy White Rice. Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is also a great option to serve with orange chicken.
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Instant Pot Orange Chicken
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Add your trivet to the inner part of your instant pot. Add one and a half cup water.
- Place your chicken breast on top of the trivet. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Set your instant pot to high-pressure for 13 minutes. Close the sealing valve. Once the cooking has completed, open the valve to release pressure manually.
- Open the lid. Use a thermometer to make sure that your chicken has reached the temperature of 165°F at the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove the chicken from the instant pot, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut your chicken breasts into small cubes.
- Remove the trivet from the instant pot. Remove the water from your instant pot.
- Place your diced chicken back into the instant pot. Add in the remaining ingredients.
- Turn your instant pot on to sauté mode (you might need to press cancel on your instant pot prior to selecting Sauté mode.) and mix all of your ingredients together so that the chicken is fully coated.
- Sauté your chicken until you start to see the sauce bubbling, and thickening. They should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Christina’s Notes
- Sear the Chicken: Searing the chicken before pressure cooking adds flavor and texture.
- Deglaze the Pot: After searing, deglaze the pot with a splash of chicken broth or orange juice to capture any browned bits.
- Natural Pressure Release (NPR) or Quick Release (QR) Correctly: NPR will result in more tender chicken. QR is faster.
- Zest an Orange: Use fresh orange zest at the end. Zesting an orange peel gives much orange flavor.
- Don’t Overcook: Overcooking the chicken will make it tough. Use a thermometer to make sure that your chicken has reached the temperature of 165°F at the thickest part of the breast.
- Serve With: Serve this tasty orange chicken dinner recipe with Fluffy White Rice. Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is also a great option to serve with orange chicken.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.