Instant Pot Orange Chicken—tender bites of chicken in a flavorful orange sauce. And it’s made fast and easy in your Instant Pot.
Related: SLOW COOKER orange chicken recipe
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is so tasty and it’s a popular option at Chinese takeout restaurants. Why not make it at home instead? My version is probably much healthier than most restaurants since the chicken is not breaded and fried. The sauce tastes amazing and the little secret is that there’s not only orange juice in the recipe but lemon juice. This gives a great citrus taste but believe me the chicken doesn’t taste lemon-y at all!
How do I zest an orange?
The other secret to orange chicken is using fresh orange zest. It just bring so much orange flavor. Don’t skip this ingredient!
- Wash the orange.
- Use a microplane* or the smallest holes of an ordinary grater.
- Gently grate the skin off of the orange part only. Avoid grating off the white pith of the orange. It’s very bitter! Rotate the orange until all the orange part is grated off.
- Scrape the grated orange peel off of the grater/microplane and use in your recipe.
Can I use chicken breasts instead?
I know that many of you will be asking if you can use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. You can. I’ve made it both ways. By far I prefer the chicken thighs because the meat is much more tender and it has a lot more flavor. If you use chicken breasts use a 3 minute pressure cooking time instead of 4 minutes.
What should I serve with orange chicken?
White, basmati or jasmine rice are all good options to serve with orange chicken. I haven’t tried the pot in pot method with this recipe but I think that it would work! If your rice isn’t quite done when you open the pot then cover the rice and allow the rice to steam, while you are tending to your chicken. I like to use my stainless steel pan* to cook my rice in. Sometimes I use a Fat Daddios cake pan*.
Some other good options to serve with Instant Pot orange chicken are stir fry vegetables, steamed broccoli, riced cauliflower, fried rice or lo mein noodles. I really liked having the rice to soak up some of the delicious sauce.
Here is a Instant Pot rice cooking chart that may be a good resource for you:
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Instant Pot Chicken and Veggie Korma
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Orange Chicken I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Tender bites of chicken in a flavorful orange sauce. And it’s made fast and easy in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, see note)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- Zest from one large orange
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp diced green onions
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 cup brown sugar (see note)
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch + 3 Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Prepare your chicken. Blot it dry with a paper towel. Then trim off excess fat. I like to use kitchen shears. Then cut the chicken into bite size chunks.
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the chicken, salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Then turn off the Instant Pot.
- In a bowl stir together the orange juice, zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onions and sriracha. Pour the mixture into the Instant Pot.
- Cover and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. Stir in the brown sugar. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the Instant Pot and let the sauce thicken for a couple minutes. Turn off the pot.
- Serve the orange chicken with extra green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve the chicken over rice, if desired.
Notes
If you use chicken breasts use a 3 minute pressure cooking time instead of 4 minutes.
There is lots of sauce for this chicken. You can increase the amount of chicken by 1 pound and not increase the amount of sauce.
Brown sugar: I use 1 cup of brown sugar in this recipe. Many people have made it with half that much or even less.
For the 3 quart pot: Keep the recipe the same, no changes. For the 8 quart pot: Increase the sauce 1 1/2 times so that the pot can come to pressure. Alternately you can make it pot in pot and keep the same ratios as above.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Asian
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Jaime says
A family favorite! Very sweet 😀
Alycia says
Very good. Would recommend using 1/2 cup or less of brown sugar, 1 cup was way to sweet for us! 🙂
Karen says
Thanks for the 5 stars! Good tip about the sugar.
Janet G says
If I were to marinate the chicken then remove it from the marinade to brown it a bit it would probably burn because of the marinade residue, correct?
Karen says
I assume it would, but I’m not 100% sure
Ann gaskins says
I do not have any cornstarch on hand. Can I use flour instead question
Karen says
Yes you can do that 😊
Sheri says
Thank you for sharing recipes. I look forward to using my InstaPot soon. We are in process of moving and it was Xmas gift from brother. His girlfriend loves hers uses everyday and I have shared many of your recipes with her. Again TY so very much.
Karen says
I hope you can use it soon too! You will love it! Thanks for sharing the love.
Jen says
So darn good!
my picky husband said this is one of the top five meals I’ve ever cooked for him, I was shocked. Especially since he loves orange chicken from the Chinese restaurant and I wasn’t sure how he would like it without it being breaded and fried.
I skipped the Sriracha because I don’t like spicy stuff. And we didn’t have green onions, so I used like a half teaspoon of onion powder instead
Otherwise, I made it exactly as it said.
For health reasons, although I loved the sweetness of the sauce, I would maybe try not packing the brown sugar into the cup and just having a loose one cup of brown sugar. Should still be plenty sugary and sweet but save us some calories hopefully.
Oh, and I didn’t see your note about adding more sauce if using an 8 quart pot. I made it as you listed the ingredients in my 8 quart pot and didn’t have any problems! Whew!
Karen says
Okay great that the 8 quart pot worked with original recipe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And the sugar is probably right, you don’t need as much as it calls for.
Dawn says
Hi Karen, your picture shows color to your sauce/chicken. Mine came out pale following your instructions. How can I add color? We loved the taste but pale chicken wasn’t appetizing.
Also, please tell me how to do pot in pot to cook rice at same time.
Thank you! You are my go to for cooking!!!
Karen says
For pot in pot rice you can follow along with this video: https://youtu.be/YZ5OGunf60Q
I would marinate the chicken in the sauce for a couple hours. That should help with color and flavor!
j says
I have a questions regarding your Notes below the Orange Chicken Recipe: about the amounts, the size of pot & pot-in-pot.
I noticed if you have an 8 quart, to increase amount of sauce or do pot-in-pot. Also I would actually like to use only ONE pound of chicken. Do I add the chicken & sauce ingredients to my Round Pyrex dish that fits nicely within my 8 qt., water (how much?) to the bottom of the pot, then place the dish on the trivet? Do I need to also COVER the pyrex dish? hope those questions make sense.
Karen says
Yes place the pyrex on top of a trivet with the chicken and sauce inside. It doesn’t need to be covered. Will work great!
Linda says
Plan on making this for dinner tonight. Can I use dry sriracha? Or does it have to be the liquid?
Karen says
I’ve never used dried sriracha. Is it ultra concentrated? I bet it will work fine. Go easy on it…you can always add more
Rebecca says
Delicious, despite my many substitutions and deletions. I halved the recipe, then used the pot-in-pot method to cook it.
Karen says
Glad it worked out!
Crystal says
Loved this!
Karen says
So glad to hear it Crystal!
Jackie says
I have a 8 quart pot. i am not sure what do i add to Increase the sauce 1 1/2 times so that the pot can come to pressure.
Karen says
I would use:
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp orange juice
Zest from one large orange
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup diced green onions
1 1/2 tsp sriracha
Franko says
I dont understand because this does not come to the minimum 2 cups liquid for an 8 qt
Karen says
The chicken releases moisture so you don’t need as much liquid to come to pressure.
Blackpearl says
If I use half the chicken do I half the juice? Will it have enough liquid so it doesn’t burn?
Karen says
I don’t think you’ll have enough liquid to bring the pot to pressure. So you may want to just keep the sauce part of the recipe the same.
Dawn Adams says
This dish is delicious! Made it for the first time tonight. Served with basmati rice and peas. I have flagged it as a favorite and shared your link with all my sisters!
Yummm!
Thanks!!!
Karen says
Thanks for sharing Dawn! Glad you liked it!
Sally says
Is the brown sugar supposed to be packed?
Karen says
That’s how I do it!
Gail Fesnak says
Have not tried this yet, but I know I will love it. I have a 6 qt. pot, could I double the chicken and sauce. I am new to instant pot cooking, but looking forward to trying all your recipes.
Karen says
Yes you can! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Jenn says
What if I don’t have brown sugar? What is a good substitute?
Karen says
Maybe a little white sugar and some molasses?
Jennifer says
Do you use fresh squeezed juice from the orange, or bottled orange juice? Does it matter?
Karen says
I use fresh from the orange. Although you certainly could use bottle OJ.
Ashley says
Ohhhh I wish I had seen this comment earlier I used orange juice when I definitely should have used fresh squeezed! Too late it’s cooking now ! Can’t wait to try it thanks for the recipe
judy moore says
I did the same thing the first time. I made it. So I squeezed the juice & froze it for next time.
RichV says
I had a partial container of OJ concentrate in the freezer. Scooped out a generous portion.
The result was fantastic. Wife loved it too.
Karen says
I love this idea Rich!
Jenny Rarden says
This was super delicious!! Left out the sriracha because neither my son nor I like spicy things, but without it, it was too sweet (I put in a bit too much brown sugar accidentally too, which didn’t help. LOL). Added some sriracha to my own bowl (& hubby’s), and added green onions and chopped peanuts because didn’t have sesame seeds, and it was perfect that way. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Karen says
Good to know it worked in the end 😊
judy moore says
We don’t like sesame seeds so I stirred in a couple drops of toasted sesame oil for the flavor just before I serve it. A little pinch of Cayenne pepper or Frank’s Hot sauce (We put that sh*t on everything! Lol) subs well for Sriracha if u don’t have it on hand
Candace says
Great way to use chicken. I used a bit too much ginger for my family, but not for mr. Yumm!Candace
Karen says
Glad to hear you like it!
Just Matt says
I used about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and added the slices of 2 clementines. Came out really good.
Karen says
Good! Glad to hear this Matt.
Alison says
Karen
Do you up all liquids for an 8qt pot? I’m confused on that part.
Thank you
Karen says
I would 1.5 times all these ingredients: orange juice, zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onions and sriracha
You can 1.5 times the other ingredients too including the chicken, if you want. It would probably taste best that way.
The 8 quart pot needs more liquid to come to pressure than the 6 quart pot. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Lisa says
I don’t like Sriracha sauce. Is it okay to omit or replace with something else? I don’t want to buy a whole bottle for just this recipe. Thanks
Karen says
Hi Lisa, you can just omit!
RichV says
I used a shake of cayenne instead.
Carol says
Very delicious, I don’t miss the breading at all! I used a tangelo in place of an orange. Used only 1/2 cup of brown sugar and it was plenty sweet.
Karen says
Glad you liked it Carol!
Gail Martin says
I used the entire 1 cup of brown sugar. Would probably use 1/3 cup the next time. Really good though!
Karen says
Good to know! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Angela says
Made it for a party 2 days ago, it was a hit! Thanks for the recipe. I only did 1/8 of brown sugar and added about 1/4 cup of light chicken broth. Because it came out liquid-y (but with tons of flavor) I also added more cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I didn’t have white sesame, so I added black sesame instead. It was served over coconut jasmine rice.
Karen says
Glad you liked it Angela!
Brian Richards says
I made it for dinner last night. I cut the Brown sugar in half. I would next time use a third cup of Brown sugar. The Orange juice was a lot of sweetness also. But very good.
Karen says
Thanks for sharing your experience Brian!
Carl says
We have an 8 quart Instant Pot. Can you explain in greater detail what do you mean by increasing the sauce by 1 1/2 times? Do you mean increase the amounts by 50% or do you mean double it then add another 50%? I just want to be sure. Thank you so much.
Karen says
Hi Carl, I meant if a recipe calls for 1 cup you would increase it to 1.5 cups. Make sense?
Susan says
So logic would tell me to increase the sauce to 2 cups for a 10 quart?
Karen says
Yes probably. A 10 quart pot is so large it will take a bit of liquid to come to pressure!
Michele says
Should I use lemon juice concentrate or fresh squeezed lemon?
Karen says
both would be fine! I like fresh personally.
PamG says
If you’re like me and don’t always have the right ingredients on hand…I just pulled out my blender (vita mix) and blended about 6 clementines in place of the orange juice and rind. Came out pretty great! Had some old clementines that needed to be eaten and didn’t want to have to run to the store for just an orange!
PamG says
I forgot that I doubled the recipe…so only 3
Clementines would be needed to replace one orange rind and the juice….
Karen says
Good way to improvise! I hate going to the store if I don’t absolutely have to.
Amy says
Do you think it would taste right if I used Swerve Brown Sugar?
Karen says
No idea! Sorry I’m not helpful but I have never used Swerve before 🙂
Veronica says
You can use swerve in place of the brown sugar. Replace 1:1. But as others have commented that 1 cup of brown sugar was too sweet, others recommended to use 1/2 cup instead. Just something to think about.
Heidi says
We loved this! I followed the recipe and it was perfect. Because of the extra sauce, I decided to add chopped broccoli at the end and just let it get tender in the pot after the chicken and sauce were finished cooking. Served it with jasmine rice!
Karen says
Thanks Heidi! I’m glad you liked it!
Laura says
I often read comments and reviews, but rarely leave a recipe review – the recipe has to be really good.
My family (including protein picky child) loved this! I made a few modifications: omitted orange zest b/c no oranges on hand and reduced brown sugar to 1/2 cup. It still tasted fabulous. I used boneless skinless thighs, and it took a little time to trim fat so next time may try chicken breast with note to lower time. Also, I use the Ginger tube in refrigerated section of grocery. It is so easy to use and adds great flavor without all the peeling/chopping.
Much healthier than the Trader Joe’s breaded version 🙂
Karen says
Yay Laura! So glad you took the time to write this 🙂
Colleen says
Thank you , our family loved this recipe . You have so many lovely recipes on your site. This is always my go to site.
Karen says
Thank you so much Colleen!
Mary Ann says
OMG. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe!!! It is FABULOUS! I was a little leery because I’m accustomed to breaded orange chicken but was excited to give it a try as I eat very little gluten and was glad to eliminate that. But seriously, I love orange chicken and this is the best! I had two packages of chicken thighs that, when combined were more like 2 1/2 lbs. And I use Tamari instead of soy sauce b/c it is gluten free (but basically tastes like soy sauce. The only “major” change I made was to use 1/2 cup brown sugar, instead of a whole cup based on other comments. I’m SO glad I did. It was absolutely sweet enough (and I like sweet things for sure). I love, love this recipe! I’m new to Instant Pot cooking (though I cook a lot) and this is honestly the best recipe I’ve made in it. Don’t hesitate to give it a try!
Karen says
Nice Mary Ann, I’m so glad you loved it and thanks for sharing your experience!
Elaine says
I made dish tonight and it is extremely sweet. Any suggestions to make this not so sweet and still have enough liquid to pressurize?
Karen says
You could halve the amount of brown sugar! That’s what I would do.
Jackie says
How would I prepare this dish if I don’t have time to thaw frozen chicken breasts?
Karen says
I would skip the browning step. Just add the chicken to the pot. In a bowl stir together the orange juice, zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onions and sriracha. Pour the mixture into the Instant Pot. Then I’d cook chicken for 15 minutes with a 10 minute npr.
Jackie says
Thanks for this advice Karen. I made the chicken and got two different reviews from family members. One thought it was too sweet, the other thought it was too “orangy”. I will make this again and adjust by not adding the orange zest and reducing the sugar. I, by the way, loved it!. 🙂
Karen says
Ha I guess you can’t please them all!
Joyce says
My instant pot doesn’t have a sauté cycle. What do you suggest?
Karen says
Really? What brand is your pressure cooker?
David Dellus Patton says
Sent this to the wife and picked up the ingredients. She’s excited that I will make it for her.
Karen says
Good work David!!
Dawn says
If you double the recipe, is the the time the same or does it change?
Karen says
Time stays the same. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
David says
Thanks for the quick response Karen!
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I’m most familiar with the breaded style of Orange Chicken, and I wished the chicken would of been a little more browned, but I liked it a lot!. Maybe it was too much chicken for a 3qt mini to get browned…
Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes!
Karen says
You’re welcome David!!
Melody says
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! Tastes like one of our favorite Asian restaurants orange chicken!
Karen says
I’m so glad you liked it Melody!
Gerald says
I will use a bottle of orange sauce. Do I need to add liquid?
Karen says
It depends how thick or thin the orange sauce is. If it’s thick you may get the burn message without extra liquid added.
Kathy says
When you said prepare your chicken, did you mean cook it first?
Karen says
No I meant that you’ll prepare it by Blotting it dry with a paper towel. Then trim off excess fat. I like to use kitchen shears. Then cut the chicken into bite size chunks.
Sher says
Sounds delicious except for the 1 cup of brown sugar. Any ideas on how to decrease the sugar and make it healthier? Thanks!
Karen says
You could experiment with less. You add it in after the food has pressure cooked so you could start with 1/4 cup and taste test and go up from there.
Gerald says
Karen,I was thinking of making the orange chicken tonight. I got looking at the instant pot receipt and noticed there is only a half of a cup liquid with the orange and lemon juice… Isn’t
this a BURN situation with such a small liquid amount…Please comment.Thank you
Karen says
Also the soy sauce adds 2 Tbsp. The chicken puts off about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid per pound. It came to pressure for me no problems.
David says
I plan on trying this recipe tomorrow using the Pot-in-Pot method, with the Instant Pot Mini. I’m relatively new to Instant Pot, and have never used the Pot-in-Pot method. My question is do I still need to put water in the Instant Pot if liquid is in the individual pots (one for this orange chicken and the other for rice). Also, the Pot-in-Pot I purchased as two lids, one is perforated for steaming, and one is solid. The chicken goes in the bottom pot, with the other pot nestled on top if it, but do I use the perforated or solid lid for the rice?
Thanks!
David
Karen says
Hi David,
You would just put the orange chicken ingredients in the bottom. Then put the pot in pot rice on top with the rice and water in it. No extra water needed. Also I don’t cover my rice with a lid. You can if you want though. I would use the solid lid.
Dawn says
This is excellent!!!! Chicken thighs take a little prep, but so worth it. Loved it!!
Karen says
Totally worth it! Glad you liked it!
Vivian Hill says
Can I make this recipe in a crock pot?? What would the cooking time be ??
Thanks,
Ken Easterling says
The recipe for the crock post is at the top of this post. I think this is the link.k
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-orange-chicken/
Karen says
Yes thanks Ken.
Karen says
Here is the slow cooker version: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-orange-chicken/
Debbie says
One of my favourite Thai dishes has chunks/wedges of orange (including the outer peel). How do you think this would hold up under pressure? I’d like to add them in here, but not if they’ll turn to mush. Have you made a recipe that included oranges?
Karen says
Oh interesting. I’m pretty sure they would turn to mush, even with just a 4 minute pressure cook time.
Debbie says
Thanks for your reply!
William Foley says
Use half brown sugar
SUSAN says
I’D LIKE TO TRY THIS WITH TOFU. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS/IDEAS?
Karen says
Hi Susan, I’m so sorry but I have no experience cooking tofu in the Instant Pot! I have never tried it. But this post from Marci gives some great ideas: https://tidbits-marci.com/pressure-cooker-perfect-tofu/