Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe

Step 1

Chop chicken into bite-size chunks. Juice the oranges if you are using fresh orange juice. Grate the lemon zest.

Step 2

Set the instant pot on the SAUTE function let it heat up. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.

Step 3

Add the chicken pieces and cook until they brown.

Step 4

Turn the Instant Pot off and add a small amount of orange juice to deglaze. Stir and scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot to make sure no bits of browned meat are stuck. This will reduce the likelihood of getting a Burn error.

Step 5

Add orange juice, followed by minced ginger, chopped garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, tomato ketchup, and orange zest. Do not add the water and cornstarch!

Step 6

Stir until all ingredients are combined, and chicken is well coated in the sauce.

Step 7

Close the lid and pressure valve. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 7 minutes.

Step 8

Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over, do a 10-minute natural release. Chicken breast can get rubbery if you do a manual release, so wait the 10 minutes, before using a quick pressure release to remove any remaining pressure.

Step 9

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir to make a cornstarch slurry. Make sure there are no lumps.

Step 10

Turn the Instant Pot on SAUTE. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring. Continue to stir until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. This should take 2-3 minutes.

Step 11

Turn the Instant pot off and garnish the dish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.