Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe – 30 Minutes

Instant Pot orange chicken is better than takeout; it is made with tender chicken in the most amazing and flavorful Asian orange sauce. Highly versatile and easy to make, ready in just 30 minutes, this dish is one that the whole family will love, even the picky eaters.

I love using my Instant Pot to make easy and delicious dishes. My Pressure Cooker Orange Chicken is the most popular recipe on the blog. If you are an Asian food lover like me, you have probably had this dish at your local Chinese restaurant and wondered what they put in it that gives it that deep orange zesty flavor. Well, now you can make it yourself because you have the best fool-proof recipe.

instant pot orange chicken served with brown rice

juicy and sticky orange chicken pieces over rice with blue chopsticks next to them

Instant Pot Chicken Recipes are one of the easiest and most flavorful dishes that you can make in just 30 minutes in your electric pressure cooker. Better than any takeout and tastier than your favorite Asian restaurant, my Instant Pot orange chicken recipe features tender chicken coated with a sticky, sweet, and tangy orange sauce. I use real fresh orange juice and zest, freshly grated ginger, minced garlic, and rice wine vinegar for a flavor bomb.

The fresh zest is the star of the recipe, so you should make sure to zest your own orange. In the FAQs section, I explain several methods of how to do it with a zester, microplane, grater, vegetable peeler, or knife. It makes a major difference in the flavor of this dish.

When I serve orange chicken, I like to make it a presentation. Cut a nice juicy orange into thick slices and place the chicken pieces on top of them on the serving platter. Then, use another orange and make thin slices to arrange into twists for designs on top of the chicken. Also, do not be afraid to serve it with other sauces. I always have extra orange sauce, general Tso, teriyaki, sweet and sour, or Szechuan sauce available.

a large serving spoon of instant pot orange chicken

Why you will love this recipe 

  • Make it in minutes: I developed this recipe specifically to make it just under 30 minutes, so it can be made during busy weeknights, or special occasions. Either way, it requires minimum time and effort.
  • It’s easy to make: As a trained chef, I strive to deliver to my readers lots of flavor, with minimum effort. This easy recipe is no exception. Saute the meat, then dump and cook with the other ingredients.
  • One pot to clean: I made sure to make this takeout popular dish as a one-pot meal so not a lot of dishes to wash. Also, I found a way to cook the rice at the same time.
  • Everyone loves it: This easy recipe is not too spicy but not too sweet. It’s right in the middle.
instant pot orange chicken ingredients in bowls on a table

What you’ll need to make instant pot orange chicken

Special items

  • An instant pot – I have a six-quart Duo Plus Instant Pot. 
  • Wooden spoon – For stirring and scraping.

Ingredients:

For the chicken and sauce:

  • Chicken – I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into one-inch pieces.
  • Vegetable oil – Canola or olive oil will work.
  • Orange zest – This is important. Zest your orange. It is simple, fast, and easy. Plus, it will save you money and taste much better than store-bought zest.
  • Orange juice – I highly recommend you squeeze your own. But, if you use store-bought juice, make sure it is sugar-free.
  • Tomato sauce – This is optional, but I love the tangy flavor it adds.
  • Ginger – Freshly grated. I keep ginger root in my freezer year-round, so I always have some handy.
  • Garlic – This is another ingredient that should be fresh. It tastes better and has an entirely different flavor than store-bought stuff.
  • Rice wine vinegar – Adds a lightly sweet and mild vinegar taste with a hint of tanginess.
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar gives the sauce a bit of sweet stickiness.
  • Brown sugar – Adds some rich sweetness for a depth of flavor.
  • Soy sauce – An unexpected saltiness; make sure you use low-sodium, or it will be too salty.
  • Sriracha sauce – Only use a little bit or the heat will be too much.

For the cornstarch slurry:

  • Cornstarch – To thicken the sauce.
  • Orange juice – Helps dissolve the cornstarch and adds more flavor.

Garnish:

  • Green onions – Adds a pop of color and flavor to the top of your orange chicken.
  • Orange zest – For that extra bit of orange kick in every bite.

collage of photos showing how to make instant pot orange chicken

How do you make easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken?

This is a super easy instant pot recipe and ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. For exact ingredient measures, please see the recipe card below. Also, watch the short video tutorial I made to guide you with the cooking process. But the general cooking steps are as follows:

  1. Saute the meat in the Pressure Cooker: Turn the Instant Pot ON and select “sauté” mode, adjust heat to more. Then, add the oil to the bottom of the pot, and add the pieces of boneless chicken breasts, sauté for about 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. Cook until it just starts to get golden. It is important when sautéing it, to stir constantly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  2. Brown in the pan: Keep in mind that you can also sauté the meat in a skillet over the stove.
  3. Make the sauce: Once the meat is browned, add all the sauce ingredients to the pot over the tender chunks of chicken. Stir gently, and close the lid. Select manual, and set the cook time for 5 minutes on High Pressure. Make sure the vent is closed.
  4. Natural pressure release: After, allow a 10-minute natural release. 
  5. Quick pressure release: Open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.
  6. Add the cornstarch: Finally, add the cornstarch to the mix, and gently stir, until all the ingredients are combined, and there are no lumps. Close the lid, and cook on Sauté function for a few more minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens. 
  7. Serve: Enjoy it warm with some white or brown rice, sprinkle sesame seeds, chopped green onion, and orange zest on top. 
overhead shot of instant pot orange chicken

Expert tip

The pot in pot method

I almost always serve my orange chicken with fluffy instant pot rice. To reduce time and effort, you can use my pot-in-pot cooking method. This is where you cook other food in small heat-proof bowls or pans inside your Instant Pot’s cooking pot. It is a practical way of cooking a whole meal in one pot without having to mix them all. It also makes cleanup so much easier, and its very time-efficient! This works when you want to make multiple dishes for steaming and for reheating.

So, to use this method, follow all the steps for making the orange chicken, and then right before closing the pot, place a long-legged trivet inside on top of the chicken, and put the rice in a stackable steamer pan on top of the trivet. I have tested it, and the cooking time stays the same. Then, when the chicken is ready, the rice will be ready too. Check the details about the pot in pot method described here.

You can use this method to make dessert, too. They also have smaller stackable dishes you can stack in different ways to cook all sorts of things. Remember that the inner pot needs at least one cup of water or some other liquid, and you should always use a trivet. Another way to benefit from this method is to reheat leftovers.

chopsticks holding a piece of instant pot orange chicken

Recipe variations and add-ins:

  • Lemon lime chicken: I have tried this with lemon and lime for a different flavor. I enjoyed both, but when I mixed them, it was incredible.
  • Barbecue orange chicken: Take everything to a different level using your favorite barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce. This adds a whole other layer of flavor.
  • Orange flavor: Intensify the citrus flavor by adding 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade, instead of the brown sugar.
  • Extra spicy: I always have to have an extra spicy version of everything because there are so many spicy food lovers out there. Toss in some poblano peppers or cayenne pepper for extra heat.
  • Turn off the heat: On the other hand, if you do not want any heat, leave out the sriracha sauce.
  • Other meat: For a different taste and texture, use pork, turkey, beef, or ham instead of chicken.

Serving suggestions:

Instant pot orange chicken goes great with all sorts of side dishes. Here are some ideas my family loves:

  • I absolutely love to serve it with some homemade fried rice or brown rice.
  • Looking to avoid starches, serve it with my cauliflower rice. It is easy and tastes delicious.
  • Try Chinese dish is delicious with a side of crispy eggrolls, crab Rangoon, or potsticker soup.
  • Any type of bread would go well with this sweet and spicy chicken dish. You need something to sop up the excess sauce, so you do not miss even one drop.
  • Instead of rice, noodles always pair well with orange chicken. I love it with soba noodles. This recipe for Japanese soba noodles is sweet and a bit spicy with ginger, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil.
  • The perfect vegetables to go with this dish are steamed broccoli, perfectly roasted asparagus, and roasted bok choy.
  • The kids love this with bubble tea or a mochi dessert, an ancient rice cake with red bean filling.
a plate of rice topped with instant pot orange chicken recipe with chopsticks and an instant pot next to it

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken?

Although they are both Asian American dishes made with stir-fried sweet and tangy chicken, orange chicken is more zesty than sweet and sour chicken. The orange flavor in orange chicken stands out on its own, while the sweet and sour chicken is more of a pineapple flavor with hints of apple cider vinegar, ginger, and ketchup. Sweet and sour chicken is less spicy than orange chicken and has a thicker sauce.

Can I use frozen chicken?

Yes, you can use frozen chicken in this recipe. If you use frozen chicken, skip the sauté step and dump and cook it all for 10 minutes under high pressure. However, this is a faster and easier process, but it does not mean you get a better-tasting orange chicken. I do not recommend this cooking method unless you are in a big hurry and absolutely do not have the time to wait for your chicken to thaw out or to get fresh chicken. The browning and crisping of the fresh chicken, in the beginning, are what gives it the best flavor.

Why did my instant pot chicken turn chewy?

When chicken turns chewy, it is almost always because it is overcooked. It is not difficult to overcook chicken in the instant pot, especially if you use boneless skinless chicken breasts. I like to use chicken thighs for this recipe because they are juicier and have a meatier flavor. When chicken is overcooked, the moisture is removed, making the protein fibers chewy and rubbery. It does not matter how much liquid you cook them in. If they are overcooked, they will still be dry. The cooking time for this recipe is five minutes.

What is zest and how do I get it off the orange?

Orange zest is the layer on the outside of the orange peel. It can add a lot of flavor and decoration to dishes and beverages. Zesting an orange is easier and faster than you think. It takes just a few minutes, and you do not need special tools. It is easier if you have a zester or microplane, but you can also use the smallest holes on a regular grater. You could even use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Grate the outer layer of orange peel off the orange. Do NOT include the white stuff. It is bitter and horrible. If you get any of that in your zest, remove it.

Instant pot orange chicken garnished with chopped green onion

How to store leftovers:

  • Refrigerate: The best way to store leftovers is to first let them fully cool. After that, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: In addition, to freeze this meal, just transfer the cooled leftovers to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Next, freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw: Finally, when ready to serve, transfer it to the refrigerator section and thaw overnight.
  • Reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium heat.

More instant pot chicken recipes:

Recipe tips:

  • The orange is the most essential ingredient. Use your fresh zest. I use the zest of one whole fresh orange for an incredible orange flavor.
  • Also, the orange juice should be freshly squeezed. Remember, orange is the main ingredient.
  • Besides the orange, the chicken is essential, so get high-quality organic, skinless chicken.
  • Remember to scrape the bottom of the pot well after you finish sautéing so you do not end up with the dreaded BURN notice.
  • Keep the cooking time the same. Five minutes is long enough. Otherwise, you end up with rubbery, chewy chicken.
  • Use a cornstarch slurry, not flour, to thicken. Flour will make your sauce too clumpy.
  • Using orange juice in the cornstarch slurry is a trick to make everything taste even better.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken is healthier than takeout and only takes around 30 minutes to make.

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Catalina Castravet
Instant Pot orange chicken is better than takeout; it is made with tender chicken in the most amazing and flavorful Asian orange sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes!
4.95 from 239 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 6 servings
Calories 337 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 lbs chicken breast or thighs cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:

  • 1 cup orange juice no sugar added
  • 1 tablespoon ginger grated
  • 6 cloves garlic* minced
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or dry white wine**
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce optional
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup lite soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha***
  • zest from 1 orange

Cornstarch Slurry:

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice

Garnish:

  • 4 green onions sliced
  • extra orange zest

Instructions
 

  • It is important for the chicken not to have any extra moisture. Dry it with a few paper towels, and then cut it into 1-2 inch chunks.
  • Heat up your pressure cooker: press Sauté, click on the Adjust button, and select More to activate the Sauté More function. This means that the food will be sautéed over medium-high heat. Wait for the Instant Pot indicator to read HOT.
  • Add the oil to the hot Instant Pot, add the chicken, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. Cook until it just starts to get golden. When sautéing it, stir constantly so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Also, after you sauté the chicken, check if bits are stuck to the bottom. In that case, deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup orange juice and scrape the bits with a wooden spoon. If you leave the bits stuck to the bottom, they may burn or cause the pot not to come to pressure.
  • Add the sauce ingredients to the pot: remaining 3/4 cups of orange juice, minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, orange zest, and Sriracha sauce. You can skip the Sriracha sauce or add more if you prefer your food on the spicier side.
  • Add the tomato sauce if you are using it. The tomato sauce adds tanginess to the overall sweet recipe and makes it taste more savory. It is based on your preference. I like it both ways: with and without the sauce. You can use less or completely leave it out if you want a pure orange aroma.
  • Stir gently until all the ingredients are combined and coated in sauce.
  • Close the lid, select Manual, and select 5 minutes on High Pressure. Make sure the vent is closed.
  • Use a 10-minute Natural Release. Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure by opening the vent. Open the lid.
  • Select the Sauté function again on LOW. In a medium bowl, combine two tablespoons of cornstarch with the orange juice, whisking until well combined and free of lumps. 
  • Add the mixture to the Instant Pot and gently stir to combine. Cook on the Sauté function for a few more minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • If you want the sauce even thicker, mix one more tablespoon of cornstarch with orange juice and add it to the pot.
  • Let the Orange Chicken stand for 5-7 minutes; the sauce will thicken more. 
  • Serve over rice and garnish with fresh chopped green onions and extra orange zest.

Notes

*I love the extra garlic in this dish, for some people it may be too much, you can use 3-4 cloves only if you are not a huge garlic fan.
**You can also skip it if you don’t have any on hand.
***You can add more or less Sriracha or skip it entirely, based on preference, or use red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 33gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 827mgPotassium: 775mgFiber: 0gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 305IUVitamin C: 28.2mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
4.95 from 239 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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548 Comments

  1. I’m always looking for new instant pot recipes! Love the flavors in this recipe!

    1. I am new to the instant pot and am making the orange chicken today. The recipe says to use the manual setting, there isn’t a manual button so I’m not sure how to program the cook time. Can anyone help? Thanks, Gail

  2. This is one of our favorite take out dishes! Can’t wait to try this one at home!

  3. So I made this for dinner tonight. I did add some red and green pepper and onion. This is only the second dish I have made in the IP. I would like to know how to cook the chicken without the vegs disintegrating. The last thing I made was Sweet potato, coconut chicken curry. The time called for 15 mins under pressure. The vegetables disintegrated. Same thing with this recipe on the poultry setting for only 7 mins. Do you, or anyone else out there have a solution for this? BTW, the flavor was awesome. Served over Cauli-rice.4 stars

    1. Hi there 🙂 I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 but if you liked it so much why did you give four stars? 🙂 just curious. Ok, so moving onto the veggies, yes they will disintegrate, cause if they are not in some type of broth, they are being over cooked. The red and green peppers need only 1-3 minutes of cooking on High Pressure and only 5 on Low Pressure, so they are being overcooked.
      There are a few things you can try if adding veggies to a recipe that doesn’t ask for some, you can steam them in the instant pot before you start on the recipe, it just takes a few minutes and you can mix them in later or serve on the side.
      Other option, when you open the instant pot, like in the Orange Chicken Case, you can select the Saute function, add the veggies and cook for a few minutes, this would work for peppers, snap peas, thinly sliced mushrooms.
      Let me know if that helps!

  4. Yum! I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used tomato paste and added some more orange juice. I will probably add some red pepper flakes next time since I like ?! I made enough for a several meals, and I can’t wait to see how this sauce carmelizes when I heat it up on the stove tomorrow night. Definitely going into my Pepper Plate file!5 stars

    1. Hi Gayle 🙂 so excited that you loved the recipe. Yes! You can add more pepper flakes to make it as HOT as you like! Thank you very much for coming back to let me know how it turned out!

  5. Can I make it without a pressure cooker? My husband’s brother was burned from a pressure cooker and he won’t have one in the house

    1. Hi nance, what a horrible experience. Yes, you can, I offer slow cooker suggestions in the post under Tips & Tricks, on how to make it in the slow cooker. You can just make it on the stove top too. Brown the chicken, add the rest of the ingredients, add the slurry and the end.

  6. Hi there
    I am making this tonight for dinner, just got my new instant pot duo! Can i double the recipe?

  7. I am new to the instant pot and this is the third recipe I’ve tried making and so far, the best! We had it over white rice. We made 2 substitutions, sesame oil instead of vegetable oil and tomato paste and some water instead of tomato sauce. I’ll use tomato sauce when I make it again. The paste seemed to make the sauce a little thicker, and once I added the corn starch it got really thick-we just added a little more water, since we used fresh squeezed oranges and ran out of juice. Maybe I didn’t use enough water to thin the paste, I’m not the best cook! Either way, this had great flavor and turned out really good!5 stars

    1. Very happy that you liked it, use more water/juice to make the sauce thinner if you prefer it that way! thank you for commenting with your results!

      1. Very helpful H. Delvin! Newly discovered my allergy to soy and was having a hard time to figure what best to replace with whenever recipes call for soy sauce. I’m very happy to find that Coconut Aminos is both gluten-free and soy-free. Thank you!

      2. Enjoyed it!  I used red pepper flakes instead of sriracha sauce.  Next time I think I will add it while it thickens instead of cooking it in.  Yum!!5 stars

    1. Erin – I have a child with Celiac and cook almost everything we eat. Whenever soy sauce is called for, I substitute tamari sauce and get great results. San-J offers a low sodium variety as well as regular and organic. Hope that helps!
      -Gina
      PS- I just found this recipe today and am going to make it for dinner tonight. I’ll post about how it came out. We are very excited to try it b/c we love Chinese food and can’t find it GF anywhere!!

  8. Strangely, although I have an instant pot, on the poultry setting I could not program it for less than 10 minutes. So instead I chose manual on high pressure for 7 minutes and it was burnt on the bottom of the pot. Next time I’ll try medium pressure I guess. Otherwise it is delicious and I’ll be making it again.4 stars

  9. This is my second time making this dish. We LOVED it the first time which was just last week. We have been craving it again so making it tonight. However, I would like to double the recipe in my insta pot. Do I need to add more time to the poultry setting? Would it need more than 7 min for 4lbs of chicken?5 stars

    1. I would not do more than 10 mins with a 10 min manual release. I am very happy you like the recipe 🙂 Its one of my most popular ones!

    1. Love your reply! Seriously I’m always amazed at what people will post! Thank you for this recipe and all your crap:) very helpful!

  10. I LOVE orange chicken but Wow. 1/2 cup of sugar is A LOT!! I’m going to try and make this Whole30 compliant, eliminating the sugar and using chopped dates, and substituting coconut aminos for the soy.

      1. Hi Melanie, no I haven’t tried that method with this recipe, but i plan on soon as I have had many requests.

  11. Trying this tonight…it’s my first Instapot attempt! Mine doesn’t have a poultry setting though so i selected Meat/Stew…should this work ok?

  12. My husband and I are always looking for ways we can cook tasty, healthy meals in our Instant pot. Well we made this last night. It was so easy and amazing and spot on for the flavors. This is what we call a KEEPER. We are so blessed to have found your blog and look forward to making more of your outstanding recipes! P.S. I followed the recipe to a T. Thank you so much, Stephanie5 stars

    1. Hi Stephanie! I am so happy that you both loved this recipe! It is so easy, right? And the end result is a restaurant type meal!

      1. Hi, I’m in the same boat. Your second saute mentions a low setting. How do I do that with no adjust button? Thanks!5 stars

        1. If you press sauté again it will change to low…so hit sauté and automatically I believe it will be “high” sauté, hit it again and it should be “medium” sauté, and a third time should be “low”. The way to tell is the think red lights will flash as you press sauté. I hope this makes sense…

  13. The tomato sauce was overpowering so we added additional sriracha, orange zest, squeezed an orange slice over the chicken once plated and added ginger powder. Then it was phenomenal! I love how easy this recipe is to tweak to your liking. It makes a really great Asian chicken base. Next time, however, I may cook it with half as much tomato sauce and add more sriracha as well as add some whole ginger. Thank you for this recipe!4 stars

  14. Home run! In a family of 5, it’s hard to find new recipes that everyone likes. I made this for a night when everyone would be eating at different times due to our crazy schedules. Each person commented about how much they liked it, even my picky 13 year old! She even declared it better than the takeout from the local Chinese restaurant. Will definitely make it again and give some of your other recipes a try. Thanks!

    FYI: I tripled everything, but next time I could get away with triple the chicken and double the sauce. I browned the chicken in a skillet before adding to the InstantPot and added the cornstarch slurry at the end. I also steamed some broccoli and added that before serving. So easy!5 stars

      1. hm, tripling this recipe may be too much, start by doubling it, as its a large one to begin with. When it comes to cooking, I would do 10 mins if double the recipe and the 10 min NPR.

          1. How did the Doubling work out? I love instapots- but I have a hard time getting recipes to cook correctly when I double them- and I really dislike cooking for just one night- I usually just do 2 or 3.

            How did it work out? is doubling doable?

  15. it would be nice if you could just download and print out the recipe. there is way too much crap going on to just print this out.

    1. The crap that is going on is called a blog post. You can skip the crap that bothers you and click on print, didn’t you realize that? It actually prints the recipe for you. By the way, it took you more time to leave me this crappy message, you could’ve printed the recipe 10 times. Just saying.

      1. I think she might have meant the 6 or so advertisements breaking up the blog/recipe not your blog portion ? ❤️. But I could be wrong. Ads suck! Not your fault. Trying the recipe right now and excited to report back! Thanks for sharing your recipes! ? 5 stars

        1. oh no, do you see 6 ads? these shouldn’t be that many in the recipe card, it should be only one. I am sorry, I will check. But I think she complained about many other things, including too detailed instructions 🙂

  16. I love that this turned out with the flavor of natural oranges and not tasting like an orange jelly was melted on the top. The flavors are amazing. Great job on this recipe & thanks for sharing.5 stars

  17. My daughter-in-law loves Orange Chicken. We are giving her and my son and Instant Pot for Christmas and I am going to include this for them to try! Sounds great!

    No rating because we did not try it.

  18. I made this last night (first dish in my new Instant Pot) and it was great! I did use minced garlic and a lot of it, 2-3 tablespoons actually. We like a lot of garlic in our dishes and it was perfect. I was feeding a crowd of 6 and hoping for leftovers for a few days so I doubled the recipe and increased the cooking time to 10 minutes. It was so good that unfortunately there were only enough leftovers for one big lunch or maybe two small lunches if you really stretch it!5 stars

  19. Wow! My first recipe in my new Instant Pot and it turned out amazing. My husband and I loved it. I followed the recipe exactly as it was and it was delicious. Thank you!5 stars

  20. Tried making this today and I got then got “burn” message before it got up to pressure. I have an 8qt do I needn’t more liquid?4 stars

    1. Did you deglaze the pot? You have to make sure that there is no stuff stuck to the bottom, otherwise it will burn. I didn’t have to add more liquid, but you can add 1/2 more of orange juice.

  21. Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! I added some bell pepper at the end along with the green onion and cooked them with the sauce. I think some pineapple added at the end would be good too! Thank you for this great recipe!!5 stars

    1. Those are great additions Michelle! You should try my Instant Pot Sweet n Sour chicken recipe if you like pineapple and belle pepper 🙂

  22. Hello! Just tried this for my first ip recipe. I really enjoyed it but have a question. The recipe says it makes 6 servings. I didnt see a serving size though. I only ask because the wife and i track what we eat. Thanks!5 stars

    1. I use a 6qt IP, I dont think you need more liquid, to be safe you can add another 1/2 cup of Orange Juice.

  23. This was my first IP meal and it was a hit! Now that I have the base recipe down I know the tweaks I’ll make next time. I put this over cauliflower rice and it was fantastic!!5 stars

  24. Loved it & so did the hubs. It’s going to be in our regular rotation from now on. I switched the sugars to coconut palm sugar & only 1/3 c and thought that was just about right sweetness wise. Also added some green beans when I put in the corn starch. So good!! Than you for the recipe!!5 stars

  25. I’m really excited to try this recipe, I miss Orange Chicken from P.E. and this looks like it’s a close match. I do have one question, do you think I could substitute Honey for the Sugar? Thank you.

  26. THANK YOU, Thank You, thank u! This was a huge hit, for all 7 of us to like it, I’d say that was a successful IP recipe! Only bad thing I can say is that there certainly ain’t no leftovers to enjoy later, not with my big family! Just found ur site, looking fwd to trying more of the recipes you’ve posted. This was only my 4th meal in my Crockpot Express Pot and fortunately, it was a success, first 2 times not so much. Definitely still getting over the learning curve so very grateful for great recipe sites such as yours. Gracias!5 stars

    1. OMG you are so sweet! Thank you for this amazing comment, I am so happy to hear feedback and I am very glad that your family loved this recipe!

  27. Made this tonight really enjoyed it – a little too much sauce – if I increase the chicken to 3lbs and keep the liquid the same do you think it will work? Same cooking time? Thank you I just got my instant pot today!5 stars

  28. Still learning with my Instant Pot I got fir Christmas. Just made this tonight… HOME RUN! We loved it and hubby went for seconds – so it’s a keeper for sure! Thanks for the great recipe!5 stars

        1. You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores. I don’t use a specific brand, I just get the one that is cheaper lol

  29. I made this for the second time tonight. It’s a huge hit! Tonight, after I got the recipe half way made, I realized I didn’t have tomato sauce. I used a can of tomato soup instead and it worked great! It tastes basically exactly the same as the first time I made it. Just wanted to let the world know in case they run into the same problem!5 stars

    1. That is a great tip~I bought a case of tomato soup recently after my daughter went on a tomato soup kick. Apparently her craving was satisfied, because she hasn’t touched the case! This will be a good way to use it up (though I have already donated a bunch of it).

  30. Tried this tonight and it turned out great! I used peanut oil, my go-to oil for anything remotely Asian. I added about a tablespoon fresh grated ginger, because I had it on hand, and would definitely recommend it in this. I subbed crushed red pepper instead of Sriracha for heat. And I mixed in some lightly steamed broccoli at the end (because my favorite restaurant version has broccoli). Best homemade orange chicken I’ve ever had!5 stars

    1. You need to wait 10 minutes, it is important, the chicken will be more rubbery if you don’t and also when you open the valve it may release some sauce.

  31. Happy Thursday! I have a question . I prefer to brown my meat on the stove top, as opposed to the IP (yes, I know that somewhat defeats that “one pot” purpose). I can just brown a lot of meat faster way.

    Here’s the question: When I brown outside of the pot, do I have to adjust cooking times or do anything special when I add the meat to the IP to make my recipe, as the pot is not yet heated (like it would have been if I browned the meat in the IP)?4 stars

    1. Hi Mikel, yes, I love the stove from browning too, I said many times that the IP is probably not the best for this if you want a truly golden chicken. However, with that said, make sure you don’t over cook the chicken when you brown it on the stove. Also, you can easily make this recipe on the stove, others have tried it with success, brown the chicken and add the sauce ingredients, let it simmer for 5 minutes on low and add the cornstarch slurry and bring it to a boil.
      If you want to use the IP, add the browned chicken and don’t adjust the cooking time, use 7min on High Pressure with a 10NPR. Hope this helps.

      Catalina

  32. This recipe looks super yummy! I want to take sugar out and substitute it….I tried looking in the comments didn’t see one but maybe I missed it. I was thinking of using honey to replace the white sugar and maple syrup to replace the brown sugar. And if so would the measurements be the same? Any thoughts or recommendations? TIA!!

  33. No big deal, but the fractions in the instructions don’t seem to add up for the OJ. We start out with 1 cup and add 2/3 cup, leaving 1/3 cup – but the instructions say to save the other half. Later, we add 1/4 cup of OJ. It’s all a bit confusing. 🙂

  34. Excellent! Made this last night with the addition of ginger and pineapple and it was fantastic. We were hoping for leftovers but it was too good to resist seconds! Looking forward to trying some more of your posted recipes. Thanks for sharing!5 stars

  35. This looks awesome – can’t wait to try it! I have a couple of questions:
    1) is lite soy sauce the same as low sodium soy sauce?
    2) is there a substitute for rice wine?
    Thank you

  36. So my wife was wanting an instant pot. I got one yesterday and began looking for recipes online. I came across this one (and I LOVE orange chicken) and decided I’d make it for lunch today. Nothing but clean plates afterward. This was by far superior to any Chinese restaurant’s orange that I’ve ever eaten. I’m also a huge fan of General Tso’s chicken and saw that you have a recipe for that…. YESSS!!!! Thanx5 stars

  37. What do I do if I don’t have rice wine? I couldn’t find it at the grocery store. I wanted to make this tonight but not sure what to do about the rice wine substitute. Thanks!5 stars

  38. Made this tonight. This was the first time using my ip. I did not add the tomato sauce, and I only used 1/4 cup of sugar. I also added garlic chili sauce for the spice. It was delicious!5 stars

  39. This is simple to make, quick, and delicious. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and it turned out great. It’s a keeper recipe for this household.5 stars

  40. I cooked this tonight. My second instant pot meal. Your photos, instructions, and videos made this meal a delicious success! We had over brown rice and broccoli on the side. I’m so glad to have found your site. Thank you for sharing your talent! I will definitely share this with friends and family! I made just as instructed.5 stars

    1. Hi Pennie, you are so sweet and that you very much for taking the time to comment! You made my day! I work so hard to produce beautiful content and to make it easy for my readers to follow my recipes, that it makes me incredibly happy when I hear that it helped someone! Have a good one and stay in touch 🙂

  41. I tried this recipe tonight as my first attempt at using an instant pot. It was delicious! My husband and I loved it, and my 2 year old actually asked if I would make it again tomorrow! Um, yeah, that was a first.

    I didn’t have any rice wine, so I had to omit that ingredient but tried to follow the rest of the recipe closely, opting for organic chicken breasts, and including the tomato sauce.

    I was a little skeptical that this would be as tasty as restaurant style (as in my experience that is usually breaded and less healthy), but I actually think I liked this better! Thanks so much for the recipe! I will definitely make this dish again.

    1. Hi Carolyn! I am so happy that your family loved this recipes, especially that your toddler asked if you will make it again. My son also loves it and asks me to make it all the time for him. Thank you very much for your feedback and enjoy your IP. Definitely check my Pineapple Chicken recipe, kids go nuts for it!

  42. I made this last night and it was perfection! Way better than any take out place! Adding this to the list to make again and again-thank you so much for a great recipe! Trying your sweet and sour chicken next as that is one of our all time favorites!!5 stars

  43. I made this last night. I couldn’t find rice wine at the grocery store and didn’t have time to search elsewhere, so I just bought my favorite white wine, Kendall Jackson chardonnay. I know that’s not that dry, but it worked! Other than that I followed the recipe. Except I mistakenly doubled the Sriracha sauce. This was the first recipe in our Instant Pot. It was a little hot, but still delicious! After reading many of the comments, I’ll try to reduce the sugar by half. Orange Chicken was one of my favorites when we go out. That is breaded. This is not and I didn’t miss it one bit. My wife said that we should make this often. I will! Thank you5 stars

  44. Just made this in 8 qt Power Cooker Plus (similar to Instant Pot). I used liquid aminos instead of soy sauce and 1/2 was tbs rice wine vinegar instead of rice wine since it seemed to have plenty of sweet to balance. Halved the brown sugar. Did not use tomato sauce but used the sriracha. Browned the chicken on the stove instead of in the cooker. This was DELICIOUS! Plenty of sauce. A huge hit! Can’t wait to make it again.5 stars

  45. Delicious flavor and my husband said, “Keep this recipe – it’s one to make again!” One question, though, many times when you order orange chicken, it’s has a crispy coating on it – did I miss a step or is this one without that crunchy bit? It’s hard to tell from your picture. Thanks!5 stars

  46. This was great! I fed this to 5 kids (one nine year old, three six year olds, and one three year old). Everyone liked it. I did 1/2 the sugar based on other reviews. I think it was probably even better with more sugar, but I loved it at 1/2 sugar. I used arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.5 stars

  47. Just finished my meal and yummmmmm. Only thing I’ll add next time is sesame seeds on top! Thank you for sharing!4 stars

  48. I was wondering about using Panda Express orange chicken sauce. Only because my teenager loves their sauce. It would be healthier to cook the chicken this way instead of frying it.

  49. After reading all the rave reviews, I made this for dinner last night (as written but a little lighter on the garlic an hot sauce and 1 T of ginger paste). Excellent!! My husband loved it exactly as written. I mentioned adding some green pepper to the leftovers and he nixed it. I love green pepper so might give it a try. Thanks for the recipe. A winner in our house.5 stars

  50. Please stop posting these pictures as you are making me hungry! The dishes all look delicious and I like that the instapots reduce the cook time and make for low maintenance cooking. I think most people enjoy a home-cooked meal (and it’s not difficult to learn how to cook if you can read and/or watch a video), but they don’t have the time. I know someone who bought an instapot and they use it a lot. In fact, they’ve found some great recipes and have been on a cooking spree.5 stars

  51. Exceptional! Husband asked me to add it to my rotation of his favorites. I fresh squeezed my oranges and used liquid aminos in place of soy sauce but otherwise followed everything else – fresh grated ginger, garlic, orange zest, tomato sauce, shiracha, etc served over jasmine rice. Planning to make it for a friend (and her family) who’s having surgery. Thank you for blessing us all with this deliciousness!5 stars

  52. Turned out very tasty! Served it with rice and steamed broccoli. The only thing I changed was using 1/4 c of tomato sauce instead of 1/2 c. Great recipe!5 stars

  53. That was a delicious recipe, I followed it exactly except I went a little heavier on the ginger, I also took your advice and browned the chicken thighs on stovetop for that nice browned look. This is definitely going into one of the top rotations! Thanks!

  54. I’m going to try it tonight but I’m a little confused. When do you add the orange juice because is has it with the sauce ingredients and then at the end with corn starch???? How can you mix with corn starch when you have already added the orange juice?

  55. This dish was fabulous! I browned my chicken on the stovetop only because I was making brown rice in my Instant Pot at the same time. I thought the chicken was a bit dry because I kept it on the stove too long. I only had tomato paste and was happy to see in reviews that this worked fine mixed with water, and replaced the soy sauce with liquid aminos, and sesame oil in place of vegetable. I also added the tbsp of fresh ginger (I wouldn’t skip this, the flavor stood out wonderfully!), and only put in the 1/4 c of brown sugar, which we thought was plenty sweet! We added some frozen stir fry veggies at the end and lots of green onions. Funny that others made this for someone recovering from surgery, my boyfriend requested this as he is recovering from wrist surgery. I will definitely make this again!5 stars

    1. I used tomato paste, but “cooked” it, which is needed for raw tomato paste, vy adding it to the chicken once browned, this allowed it to xook some. Then continued on with recipe.

  56. I received this recipe from a friend and have made it twice already. I mixed breast and thighs the first time, and just thighs the second time. Both came out wonderful. So easy and the combination of sweet and spicy is perfect. The bright orange taste really makes this dish!! It is a keeper for sure!!! Thank you!!5 stars

  57. Hi, I am trying to see how to adjust cooking times if you are using bone in drumsticks? Looks like it should be 22 mins, (in the instantpot), does that sound right to you? Thank you5 stars

    1. If you sauce them before cooking, you will need to do High Pressure 10 mins and a 10 Minute NPR, after that remove the drumsticks. click Saute and add the cornstarch. You can broil the drumsticks for 2 minutes if you want, before adding them back to the pot.

  58. That was quite good, thanks! I did notice that my chicken pieces (thigh meat) ended up falling apart. So I didn’t see chunks of meat like in your photo. It was more like a shredded chicken. I will try chicken breast next time to see if I get different results.4 stars

  59. This was delicious and very simple to make. Thank you for the recipe. I used a tightly packed 1/8 cup dark brown sugar and it was plenty sweet but my orange juice was from concentrate if that makes a difference. I used pre-minced ginger and very little Sriracha but then I enjoyed dousing mine with more Sriracha after.5 stars

  60. Very good, but I did have a problem maybe you could help me with. I dried my chicken but it rendered so much liquid as I tried to sauté. So I let it dry in the pot and sadly it over cooked the chicken and it got stringy. Your thoughts?5 stars

  61. I’m preping the ingredients now, and was wondering about how much orange zest do you use? The oranges at the store today were HUGE and I can’t imagine using all of it.

  62. I won’t buy the frozen stuff from Costco any more. This recipe is by far so much better! I keep a fresh root of ginger in my freezer that is cut up in pieces and this makes it a cinch to grate up a tablespoon for dishes like this after a quick run under the hot water faucet and peeling it. Thank you for sharing this! My family loved it!5 stars

  63. Very, very good; a winner for sure. I think this recipe screams for sweet peppers. Next time. The only changes I made was in using Basmati rice (It’ what I had), and cooking it in a 50/50 water and OJ mix. I used my homemade tomato sauce, and halved the sugar, using a total of 1/4 cup of palm sugar.5 stars

  64. This made for an outstanding weekday dinner! I love that most of the ingredients are in my pantry/freezer/refrigerator at all times, the prep was super-easy, and the flavours absolutely extraordinary. I prepared it exactly as written the first time, then tweaked it tonight with a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil added to the sauce and about 3/4 cup of sliced mixed sweet peppers added along with the slurry. They cooked slightly that way, but remained crisp. My husband–who is relentlessly suspicious of new dishes–requested that this be added to our “rotation” of favourite recipes. High praise, indeed! An unexpected bonus is that the post-cooking aroma fills the house with the most heavenly orange-cinnamon scent…5 stars

  65. Just made this recipe tonight. A keeper—will definitely make again. Easy, tasty. The orange sauce is very flavourful. Thanks so much.5 stars

  66. I have to admit that this has turned into my most favored dish. I did make a minor change. I no longer keep brown sugar in the cabinet. I use molasses and add it to my own taste, since brown sugar is only molasses and sugar. However, I was pretty sure the brown sugar was a sub for hoisin sauce and sugar. Not everyone keeps hoisin sauce around but we eat a LOT of Asian foods from Chinese to Japanese to Korean etc. Then for Chinese we eat a lot of Hunan, Mongolian, etc. AnI keep a tiny jar in the fridge and so I added a small scoop of that and measured a 1/2 c. granulated sugar. I could definitely taste the hoisin but it gave it a great authentic flavor. It was still very delicious!

    Unfortunately, I have an instant pot that stinks. By now so many are aware at how bad the Ultra is and naturally that’s the one I got. It just doesn’t pressurize properly… EVER… since I’ve owned it. I’m not alone. I used this recipe the first time I used the IP. It turned out dry and scorched the bottom but it was incredibly delicious. We just had to add more liquid when it was over.

    So! Any suggestions on how to cook on the stove top or slow cooker? I think I can still use the IP as a slow cooker but I haven’t tried. I am sick to death though because I ditched my slow cooker that I LOVED and now may have nothing at all.5 stars

  67. Making this recipe again tonight as it was a huge hit in my house a few weeka ago!! Flavors are amazing and the instant pot just makes it so easy! Thank you for sharing!!5 stars

  68. Tried this last night. I was a little skeptical when it looked so juicy before the cornstarch but it really thickened up nicely. It was so delicious! I have to stop myself from making it again tonight! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!5 stars

  69. Delicious!  Recommended by a friend as a ‘Must Try’ in my new Instant Pot.  Every member of my family loved it. 5Stars5 stars

  70. Made this for dinner last night with rice and steamed broccoli. The family loved it, even my picky eaters. I decreased the amount of sugar by omitting the granulated sugar entirely and cutting the brown sugar in half (so I only added 1/8 cup) and it was just fine. I served it with red pepper flakes and hot sauce on the side b/c not everyone likes it spicy. It was a big hit and I’ll definitely be making it again. It’s great to have a gluten free Chinese themed dinner to turn to – I made it gf by using tamari sauce in place of the soy sauce.5 stars

  71. This was the best orange chicken I’ve ever had. I didnt use tomato paste. I did a huge no no. I bought bone in skin on thighs. Ugh. Took so long to cut. I wont make that mistake againt. I also browned on stovetop. Next time I will be tripling this recipe for my gang. 2 lbs of chicken was enough for 2 people…not 6. I added rice to help feed all the hungry men in my family.5 stars

  72. This looks delicious ?!  Will the cooking time be the same if I half the recipe?  Can I half the recipe?  Thank you ?!  Can’t wait to try this!

    1. You can use half the chicken, but still same amounts for sauce, as it needs enough liquid to come to pressure, maybe reduce the orange juice a bit. Cooking time stays the same.

    1. tomato sauce is optional, many make the recipe without it, you can use 1 tablespoon of tomato paste for flavor.

  73. Tried this tonight! We love this!!!! I will leave out the tomato sauce next time but I wanted to make this exactly as listed first the maybe change it depending on taste. My 12 year old loves it and he doesn’t like half of what I make lol. 5 stars

  74. This was the first dinner I made in my new Instant Pot, and WOW – I will admit that it is one of the most delicious meals ever! The chicken is so tender, and the flavor is great. I used 1/4 cup maple syrup instead of the sugars. I’d like to try it with honey next time instead of the syrup, but the syrup gave it another layer of flavor with the maple. I also used Frank’s hot sauce instead of Siriacha since I prefer that flavor, and it added just the right amount of heat. I’ll definitely be making this again soon!5 stars

  75. This recipe is so good, that my husband and son request it weekly.  Delicious, easy, and healthy!!  I serve on top of brown rice or riced cauli.  So good with fresh zested orange.5 stars

  76. Hi there!
    Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe! I followed it pretty much the same except, instead of tomato sauce I added a couple squirts of ketchup! Ive made it twice now and it turns out perfect! My only suggestion is if you’re planning on cooking for more than 3, double the recipe!5 stars

  77. This is an absolutely terrific dish, and very easy to make. This will be a regular in our household. Thank you so much for sharing this.5 stars

  78. Has anyone one tried to meal prep this and freeze it with all ingredients raw? I absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times. I’m just the kinda person that would much rather have one day of prepping for the week and then just dump it in the IP real quick when I get home from work. Thanks in advance!5 stars

    1. Did you ever try this??  I was scrolling through the comments looking for an answer about prepping ahead and freezing.  Thanks!

  79. Has anyone juiced oranges to use for the sugar-free juice in this recipe? Couldn’t find sugar free OJ in the grocery store today so figured I’d just juice fresh oranges. Hoping I don’t screw up the flavor since fresh squeezed sometimes seems to taste sweeter.

  80. I don’t think I have ever seen such an exceptionally well written recipe as yours for your orange chicken. Very precise and easy to follow step by step instructions. Were you by chance a technical writer in a previous life?
    At any rate it was a pleasure finding such a well written recipe.5 stars

    1. Thank you very much Dave!! I try to be very precise and detailed in my recipes as I remember when I first started cooking I was confused and frustrated when the recipes were too general. I am very happy that you found it helpful and thank you for the time you tool to leave me this beautiful comment.

    1. no, it was not fried, some of the chicken has shredded and with the sauce it makes it look like that in the photo.

  81. These instructions were frustrating to follow. In the future, please keep long comments out of the actual cooking directions. Nothing is more frustrating than having to read through several sentences between each of the individual “steps” of a recipe. Also, when I need to scroll back up to the ingredients to look for quantities to add for each new step, it is frustrating to have to scroll through so much text back and forth each time. I understand and appreciate that you want to teach new techniques to beginners, and you did most of that before the actual recipe, but being concise when it comes to the actual cooking instructions makes for a much more user-friendly experience. Thanks!

  82. Wow. Absolutely delicious. I just got an instant pot, so I’m still kind of learning how to use it. Not only was this recipe the most delicious thing I’ve cooked in it.. well maybe the most delicious thing I’ve cooked period.. but your directions were Soo descriptive, it made it a breeze to follow the recipe and cook in this rather frightening appliance! Thank you so much!

  83. I’ve made this three times and I am currently making this and I plan on straining it to make the Orange Chicken . This Recipe is very good and Thanks for your help!5 stars

  84. Just got my instant pot and found your beautiful site. Can’t waIt to make this recipe.  I read many of the comments but didn’t see this question addressed – can I use 1 lb chicken instead of 2? Would I need to decrease other ingredients as well as the cooking time? Thanks for any help – I’m looking forward to mastering this amazing new appliance. 

  85. Ok so I have a couple things to say, but first this recipe is amazing because i messed up so much and it still turned out delicious!
    First it took me 2 hours to make, not 30 minutes because its my first time using instant pot, and mincing and chopping so much stuff takes forever!

    I didn’t have granulated sugar so i just double brown sugar, I could not find my grater and had to use a peeler and then chop up the zest, lol. I also accidentally had “keep warm” setting pressed at the begin and so I cooked it for like 5 more minutes than needed…

    So after all that, it looked nothing like your images, but more like bbq chicken you can get at panda express. But the orange flavor was there and amazing! The sauce didnt thicken like it was suppose to and I regret tossing so much sauce out I should have saved it and simmered more chicken in it. i love it and am looking forward to the 2 more servings I have divided for lunch.5 stars

  86. I’ve been searching for more instant pot recipes to use, and I stumbled upon your Instant Pot Orange Chicken recipe, and it look so delectable. This recipe sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much!5 stars

  87. 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!5 stars

  88. Listen. This does not look at all my beloved Panda OC but the flavor is really delish. Next time, I may use the suggestion to cook the chicken on the stove top but not sure if it’s worth the effort. If you are a flavor hound, do not cut back on a thing (garnish excluded). I even added a smidge of lime juice just as an extra but honestly, not necessarily. Also for you foodies, don’t skimp on the ginger. I will make again.5 stars

    1. Hi Jeff, I am so happy that you loved the recipe 🙂 yes, it doesn’t have the texture of Panda OC, but like you said, the flavors are really good 🙂 thank you for the feedback!

  89. Very delicious. Much healthier than the deep fried chicken version from Chinese carryout. I do recommend browning the chicken first, as it adds a lot of flavor. I added some pineapple chunks and the juice, as well. Ketchup works wonderfully instead of tomato sauce, it has a lot more ZING. Very good recipe!!! Don’t skimp on the orange zest! If you want to add veggies, such as bell peppers and onions and pineapple, keep them in 1 inch chunks and throw them in after the first pressure cook (step 9) and pressure cook for another 3 minutes. That way the veggies do not disintegrate.5 stars

    1. The orange zest is the best part! I am so happy that you love it, thank you for sharing your feedback and great tips!

  90. Thanks for this excellent recipe! I appreciated all of the comments from other cooks too. I followed the recipe as directed and used the optional grated ginger and tomato sauce. I steamed broccoli florets and sliced carrots ahead of time, then added them to the pot to warm up while thickening the sauce. Also, I used a rack and an uncovered small stainless steel bowl and made jasmine rice (1 cup rice, 1 cup water) at the same time as the chicken – it was perfectly cooked. I’m new to the Instant Pot but recipes like yours are helping me develop some skills and learn some successful recipes. Thanks again. 5 stars

    1. It can be replaced with an equal amount of dry sherry mixed with some sugar. For a tablespoon of dry sherry, use less than half a teaspoon of sugar.

  91. I made this tonight in my Crockpot Express and it is delicious! Honestly, I’ve never ordered it at a restaurant, so I don’t have anything to really compare it to. I did use the tomato sauce and I think  I will continue to do so in the future. Thank you for posting this recipe5 stars

  92. I absolutely love orange chicken but I haven’t seen a good recipe for it. Definitely want to try this one. This will probably be the only chicken dish my cat won’t bother me to try as he doesn’t like orange. It was cool learning how you make orange zest. It’s a little prep work, but it sounds like it’s worth it.5 stars

  93. I’m confused on the orange juice part.  
    It says to add it with the other ingredients. 
    Then again with cornstarch you’re supposed to whisk it with more orange juice? So how much.?
     Mine came out a little runny and I added more cornstarch to thicken it because the directions weren’t clear. I even re read them the next day to se where I went wrong 
    I loved this recipe it was the first one I made. And I’ll  definitely make it again 5 stars

    1. Hi Travis, I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, its definitely a favorite here on the blog. I have checked the recipe directions, and actually if you look under cornstarch slurry it says to mix the 2 tbsps of cornstarch with 2 tbsps of orange juice. I hope that helps, you can always add more or less, depends how thick you like the sauce.

  94. This recipe is fantastic and is definitely going into the regular rotation!! It was a little on the sweet side but once I added a little more soy sauce and siracha, it was perfect for mine and my husband’s tastes. Have any suggestions for some veggies to add? 🙂 5 stars

    1. Hi Sarah, I am so happy that you loved it 🙂 you can add some carrots or mushrooms with the chicken, I also like to add thawed frozen broccoli at the end when I add the cornstarch, this way the broccoli wont be overcooked. Same way you can add some sweet peas 🙂

  95. Just give us the recipe, a 10 page write up about what you think is not needed or wanted. I had to fight through pages and pages of opinion and useless banter just to find the damn recip, and by the time I found it, broken up in pieces between more useless opinions I wanted to write this nasty letter.

    We are here for recipes, not your pointless prattle and inane babel. I stayed on this page just long enough to write this, then I moved on to a website that gets to the damn point!

    Fail! Nobody cares what you think, give us the information.

    1. If you don’t care what I think and what I recommend about this recipe, cooking techniques, how to make it better, please find another blog. I wish you all the best.

  96. Not only is this the FIRST google search result it is also my very 1st insta-pot dish cooked in my brand new, Santa delivered, Intant Pot IP-DUO ?. LOOOOOOOVE this recipe. Next tile I will add maybe a tablespoon of sugar just because I like my chicken more on the spicy vs sweet side. WONDERFUL!!! Thank you for sharing… (at this very moment I’m making your Mongolian Beef recipe w a bit less sugar and sooooo excited!!)

    Please keep posting recipes. I NEED YOU . We all do since this new Insta-Pot fad!!!

  97. This is SO good!!! I’ve made it every week for about a month now because I keep craving it and we all love it!! Thanks for such a great recipe!5 stars

  98. This was my first Instapot dish and it came out delicious!  Thank you for this delicious recipe, it’s a keeper. And, I appreciate your website and pointers. Cheers to a happy & healthy 2019!5 stars

  99. Made this for dinner tonight, it was fabulous and everyone loved it! I’m new to the IP, but I already love it!! The directions were easy to follow. This will be a recipe I make again and again. Thank you for sharing.5 stars

  100. I made this tonight. It was the first dish I made for my Hubby in the IP. This was a gift for Christmas. I have the 3qt mini. It was delicious!  I made as directed with no siracha sauce. Thank you for the recipe!  I will have to try some of your others. I’d like to find some breakfast recipes too. ?5 stars

  101. I used hot taco seasoning and sweet corn. Also seasoned with garlic, pepper, and creol seasoning when done. Used two chicken breast and had to cook 16 mins instead of 8 mins. Chicken was not done, rice was hard, and it was very soupy after 8 mins. After 16 mins it was perfect. 5 stars

  102. I also got my IP for Christmas.  This was the first recipe I made in it tonight.  It was delicious.  Because I am counting my macros, I put all the info in my calorie tracker. I just couldn’t find what the serving size is.  I am guessing 1 cup? 

    I am looking forward to trying more recipes!!5 stars

  103. This recipe was delicious!  Thanks, Catalina, for sharing. I added the tomato sauce that was suggested. Yum!5 stars

  104. It was my first adventure in IP land and it turned out great! Thanks for the detailed instructions, I had no clue what I was doing.5 stars

  105. This was my second recipe in the insta pot and let me tell you all of my family members including my kids enjoyed this and it was quickly gobbled up.  Wished I had doubled the recipe, it was so good.  We did make it without the tomato sauce per husband request and it was very tasty!  5 stars

  106. So delicious!  My four year old granddaughter had two helpings!  Just getting into Pressure cooking and this will be made again!5 stars

  107. I made this today,AMAZING,I put a bowl of 1 c washed white rice and 1 c water on a egg trivet and set it on top of the chicken then proceeded as instructed.Perfect fluffy rice with my meal5 stars

  108. Wow! You did an incredible job with this recipe! It’s delicious! My entire family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!5 stars

  109. In the recipe you say I can substitute red pepper flakes for the Sriracha….how much? Is there a straight conversion from Sriracha to red pepper? Would like a little heat but not overwhelming

  110. My first instant pot dinner, a great success! I used semi-thawed chicken tenderloins from Costco and stewed tomatoes because that’s what I had. I also didn’t zest the orange because i’m lazy af. OH and I did this as a “dump” meal and didn’t saute the chicken ahead of time. Seriously delicious, will definitely make again.5 stars

  111. Looks delicious and I want to make this dish, can you tell me how many servings this recipe makes? I have a family of 6 but they eat like a family of 12.

    1. Hi, depending on how much chicken you use, we usually make it for a party of 4 and is plenty especially if mixed with rice. If you have a hungry family, I would suggest doubling up on the ingredients, or at least by 50%. Give it a try, thanks!

  112. I have now made this 3x. I am fairly new to instant pot but this hands down is amazing!!! We would prefer this over any orange chicken we would order because it feels healthier because it’s not fried, but insanely delicious! We did exactly what the recipe said for spices but added a bit less of the ginger as I felt the ginger was a little overwhelming from the first time. After I looked at comments from the first time of making- I did sauté the chicken in a separate pan on medium high/high because I felt like the first in the instant pot it took a long time, and it definitely helped. I also sauté it for a bit longer after it’s done after you add the cornmeal and orange juice to make it a little thicker. But so, so good. I will continue making this and recommend it to my friends! 5 stars

  113. I am also new to the Instapot scene and have discovered it is now my favorite kitchen appliance I have ever had, I tried this Orange Chicken recipe the first time and thought it was great then. Both my wife and stepdaughter loved it. It is so easy and it was so good that I had it again tonight. The first time I added broccoli and this time since I didn’t have any broccolli, so I added some green beans. Broccolli by far is better. At the end this recipe is a keeper.I

  114. Thanks for your blog.   I made this tonight. I used fresh chicken breast and browned on stove.  I followed cooking directions for IP and chicken was dry.  I think I overcooked when browning?  Browned over med heat until visibly browned.  Ended up using mixer to shred it so there was more sauce contact (to deal with dry texture).  Next time I think I will try without the tomatoe sauce, maybe lightly sauté in IP, or maybe not sauté at all?   Have you ever tried it without sauté? Or maybe I should use thighs?  Love to hear your thoughts.  Used 2 teas Siracusa but tempted to try chili paste or chili flakes next time. Served over rice with steamed broccoli.  (Ignore those rude people.  Hope they go elsewhere quickly!)

  115. I have a 3 quart IP. How long would I cook it? Do I cut the ingredients in half, too? Cannot wait to make this recipe. Thsnk you!

    1. My 6qt is half full when I make this, so I would say to cut it in half. I hope you like it!

      1. This recipe was our first pressured cooked dinner. It was delicious. It fit perfectly in my 3 quart InstaPot I have a broken arm and couldn’t zest an orange so i used orange peel granules instead. We will definitely make this again.5 stars

  116. Catalina, what a great idea! I love chicken. Your version really pleases me very well, with ingredients that I often use in cooking too.5 stars

  117. I just got a 3 quart instapot. How do i adjust the amount of ingredients and the amount of time it cooks? There are only 2 of us. Thank you.

    1. Hi Ruth, I would cut the ingredients in half if you plan to use only half the sizes. Please try to follow the recipes, and reduce the ingredients by about half. Hope this helps. thank you!

  118. I absolutely love orange chicken but I haven’t seen a good recipe for it. Definitely want to try this one. This will probably be the only chicken dish my cat won’t bother me to try as he doesn’t like orange. It was cool learning how you make orange zest. It’s a little prep work, but it sounds like it’s worth it.

    1. Hi and thank you for stopping by. Yes this is a nice and delicious dish, easily made in the IP. We highly recommend it!

  119. Thanks for this recipe which inspired me to try something different! I LOVED the orange sauce. It still tasted very good without using any soy sauce. I avoided it due to my soy allergy. So for people who are concerned about soy in this recipe, it’s still WORTH trying without it.

    I also reduced both brown sugar and white sugar from 1/4 cup to 2-3 tablespoons only. Just to keep things a little healthier for me.

    After I zested the orange, I asked myself what to do with the orange itself? So I diced it up and threw half in with the sauce and half after cooking – just to see which way I like better. If you like more texture in your sauce, I’d suggest adding the diced orange after cooking. If you like everything more blend in, throw in at the beginning before cooking.

    One thing I look forward to trying differently next time is having the chicken breast slow cooked in the sauce instead of high-pressure cooking it. This really comes down to my preference of wanting that soft juiciness of the meat retained from slow-cooking.

    Thank you for this WONDERFUL recipe!!5 stars

  120. I was used the lemon in my chicken dish. When I discover this recipe, my dish will become extra flavorful because of the orange ingredients. Simple and easy to prepare5 stars

    1. Hello Kimberley and welcome to sweetandsavorymeals.com We are very glad that you have given it a try and loved it. It is really one of the easiest dishes to make, and one of the best you can make in the pressure cooker. Hope you enjoyed it!

  121. This was excellent. My husband was super skeptical of orange chicken that wasn’t fried and even he liked it! 5 stars

    1. Hello Meghan and thanks for posting. Yes, this is one of our favorite dishes to make in the pressure cooker as well. We are delighted that you have liked it, and enjoyed with your friend.

  122. They look great! From color to taste, I can feel it. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I will do it right now. thanks again5 stars

  123. At 1st sight, I wasn’t so sure if it was gonna be good…
    Boy Was I WRONG!
    This recipe is AWESOME!5 stars

  124. That’s so great, just 30 minutes for a delicious dish for dinner or weekend meal, my family will like this, thanks for sharing.

  125. Ive had my instant pot for a couple of months now..this recipe has been my go-to..ive read thru all the comments..a lot of little changes here and there in the suggestions but for me this has turned out really great every time. The more i make it the easier it gets. I take the ip to work on sundays and have it ready for coworkers..if they keep asking for it im going to keep making it. I stay fairly healthy in my cooking..a lot of chicken..rice..and olive oil..the recipe as is is easy and no left overs…thats a good and bad thing..thanks for this..roll tide 🙂5 stars

  126. Love the recipe!!  Great flavor. I’m a bit confused on step 5. What am I doing with 3/4 cup of the sauce mix?  Thanks
    DONNA 5 stars

  127. Hi Catalina, I have been wanting to try making orange chicken with healthier chicken. I had it once at a noodle place. And once I got over the shock of uncoated, grilled chicken I decided I liked it. And you skip some fat and carbs. Your sauce is the bomb!!!! Exactly what I wanted. I decided to skip the instant pot since I didn’t intend to coat and fry the chicken. I did one pound of chicken and a container of Asian veggies from Trader Joe’s. I sauté the veggies and set aside. Then I sautéd the chicken until the outside was cooked. Added the sauce and let the chicken and sauce simmer a few minutes til the chicken was cooked thru. Thickened the sauce as the recipe calls to do. Added the veggies back to the pan and cooked a few more minutes to ensure it was heated thru. Turned out a great! No side dish required. My husband and I both loved it. Sorry to butcher your hard work but I will be using your sauce recipe and my method to make this again soon. Yum!!!!5 stars

  128. Doubled the recipe, which worked well. I personally would lessen the srichacha but otherwise the flavor is incredible! We didn’t use sugar free OJ so we reduced the sugar by 1/3. Thanks so much!5 stars

  129. I just made this and it’s pretty good. Added red pepper flakes and the sriracha to make it spicier. Wondering if there’s a substitute for the wine?
    Also I needed to add a *lot* of salt to bring out the flavors. Is that normal? Assumed?5 stars

  130. Just made this and wow- delicious! I didn’t have tomato sauce so I subbed 1/4 cup tomato paste and 1/4 water (thanks Google!) Ok, also, I used my trivet and a 3-cup glass pyrex bowl to make rice in the pot as well. I did 1 cup jasmine rice with 1 cup water and a splash of oil and salt. Came out perfect. While the pot came to pressure I took a bag of mixed veggies (broc, cauli and baby carrots), tossed them with oil, salt, and a little leftover garlic from the chicken recipe, and roasted them at 425 for about 12-14 minutes. Total score! Thanks!5 stars

  131. I’m usually cooking right after work while helping kids with homework, so I’m searching for recipes that work for a busy evening. This one was great. I found it yesterday and stopped for oranges and juice on the way home.

    I also used tomato paste (no sauce in my cupboard), and I couldn’t find good oranges so I got some mandarins which were great for the zest.

    I used fresh garlic and frozen cubes of ginger. Mixed the sauce while the chicken sauté’d. I really like recipes that use the saute function to start. Although the instant pot isn’t as consistent as a good pan on the stove, it works fine, heats up quick, and the convenience factor is totally worth it.

    I also really like this recipe as a base, which came out fantastic the first time. And next time I might add more zest, or try more sriracha, or whatever else to suit my taste.5 stars

  132. This is one of the best IP recipes I have made in the year i have used it. It came out perfect. Did not add the tomato sauce but may next time just to see the difference. I made Brown rice ahead of time, and put the orange chicken on top of the rice. Also made broccoli for a side. All together a great meal!5 stars

  133. I made this tonight exactly as written for my (gluten-free) dinner and also lunch prep for the next few days. Amazing. I’ll be making it regularly, I’m sure. Thank you so much!5 stars

  134. Insta pot Orange Chicken is the best, made it for dinner this evening served on a bed of riceWill never Oder it again from any take out.Oh so good.

    1. Thank Mardi, glad you have enjoyed it! This is indeed a super delicious dinner that is quick to make, and beats any takeout! :)))

  135. I didn’t have tomato sauce so I used crushed tomatoes & cut the sugars in half as well. FABULOUS! I may add a bit more heat… This is going to be a go-to for us.5 stars

  136. I’m trying this tonight! My husband’s been craving orange chicken so I’m excited for this recipe. Is there a substitute for the wine? I cannot use rice or white wine. Is there something non alcoholic I could use instead?5 stars

  137. Good recipe. I substituted orange marmalade for the granulated sugar, which made it sweet enough and boosted the orange flavor.

  138. Just made this tonight. I didn’t have tomato sauce so I just added a tablespoon of tomato paste. It really came out lovely!5 stars

  139. I had company last night. We raved over this recipe. Thank you. Due to an allergy, I left out the garlic & green onions. I also skipped the white sugar. We had to hold off on dinner for 30 min and it thickened beautifully.4 stars

  140. Excited have to share. I made orange chicken tonight for dinner. My teenager son only eats few things. Very picky. He tried this tonight came back for seconds. Even went as far as saying mom I give this a five star..

  141. This was DELICIOUS!! Will definitely make again. I used all brown sugar instead of brown and white granulated sugar … turned out great!!5 stars

  142. Do you think I can lightly coat the chicken pieces in some corn starch and then saute the chicken so that it has a crispy exterior? Will it effect the thickness of the sauce later in the recipe?

  143. I found an easy fix to this. Depending on the amount of vegetables, I put them in a no stick pan with oil and put it between medium and low. Leave some room in the middle of the pan to let steam escape. Do this while making the rice. After rice is done take the pan off the burner an d now both are ready. do not take the top off the rice to keep it warm. After doing the chicken, layer with rice first, then veg, then that wonderful orange chicken. Looks both visually appealing and so so tasty!

  144. This is the best instant pot recipe I have made. It is so easy to make, and super delicious! My family loved it, and I am super happy that I made it. The pressure
    Cooker did a nice job. Loved this recipe and highly recommend it!!5 stars

  145. My son loves to eat chicken and i think that your recipes give me the new one to make him surprise at the end of the weekend. It is so delicious and nutritious. Thank you so much for your tips and sharing.5 stars

  146. What a great home take on a favorite restaurant dish! It was awesome! My husband ate two big bowls before I even finished my portion lol. I was out of tomato sauce and subbed a little ketchup so I cut down the sugar to compensate. It was so good. I did white rice in the rice cooker and steamed some veggies in a basket over the rice. If you start the rice a few minutes before the chicken, it will finish right about the same time. This is going into our recipe rotation for sure.5 stars

  147. Making this for the second time. The first try my work friends raved! Added a little more sriracha this time. Perfect recipe, easy and delicious!5 stars

  148. Got an IP for Christmas and this recipe popped up when I did my initial google search of IP recipes. Couldn’t resist as orange chicken is one of my favorites. One switch I made was that I used sesame seed oil instead of vegetable oil for sauteing the chicken for a more authentic Asian experience. 5 stars on the flavor but the sauce was a bit too thin as there was a lot of liquid, even with extra corn starch and longer sauteing at the end to reduce the liquid. I will definitely make it again. Next time I’ll drain the liquid after sauteeing the chicken and use tomato paste instead of sauce so the sauce is extra thick.5 stars

  149. I just made this last night. I only used 1/4 cup tomato sauce and I was out of sriracha so there wasn’t a lot of heat. But WOW! This is so amazing. My sons and I loved it and it’s going to be a permanent part of our menu from now on. (with a little heat).5 stars

  150. I would give this 8 stars if I could! This is a fabulous, “lick the plate clean” recipe that my husband and I loved! Truly, a fine-dining restaurant recipe, that can be made at home….WIN!

    I used all the garlic and Sriracha, and used the entire 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. You end up with more sauce, but it is so yummy and it stretches the amount of servings!

    Served this with a rice pilaf with steamed mixed vegs (recipe from a friend) and it was deemed a HUGE success, that we can proudly prepare for company.

    Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this, and all the time that goes into tweaking recipes so they can be successfully duplicated by others. Looking forward to more delish recipes from your blog. Happy New Year!5 stars

  151. My family loved it…even my picky three year old grandson! I’m not a great cook, but this was easy! We used less garlic and added the tomato sauce.5 stars

  152. Wondering is I could add some apple cider vinegar for a tang since I’m out of tomato sauce. Also this time I’m going to try Siracha Dry seasoning I have. It a combo of red pepper flakes among others but all with the Siracha flavor.5 stars

  153. Wondering if I could use Apple cider vinegar for a tang in place of the tomato sauce, if so how much would you recommend, also I’m going to try Siracha seasoning instead this to round and see how that works!5 stars

  154. This. Was. AMAZING! Next time I’ll double the recipe, my two teenaged boys demolished it. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!5 stars

  155. Way to go, great reply!…making your recipe as I type this. I’m very good at judging a recipe before putting it together, and this one fills the bill. Can’t wait to serve this tonight! I will report back, ASAP5 stars

  156. Have you tried putting all the ingredients together and freeze it before you cook it? I was wondering if I could prepare this recipe and then freeze it for another time?

  157. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing. This will definitely be a regular in our home! The sauce is fantastic!5 stars

  158. My second time making this. I used fresh squeezed mandrian oranges juice. This really upped the orange flavor. I also added balsamic vinegar instead of rice. Steamed a bag of stir fry vegetables and threw it in at the end. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you!!5 stars