Instant Pot Orange Chicken
We love this easy instant pot chicken recipe!
We don’t go out to eat that often, so when we do, I have this rule that I never order something I could make at home. Eating out is a special occasion, so I want to make sure I get a really special meal.
Until recently, whenever we went out or sent out for Chinese, one of my favorite things to order was orange chicken. This was an extra-special treat, with tender chunks of chicken in a luscious, sour-sweet orange sauce. Definitely not something I could make myself.
You’ll love this easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipe!
Except now it is. Because with the help of my Instant Pot, I’ve figured out how to cook perfect orange chicken at home. And it’s not even that hard!
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The key to this recipe turned out to be orange marmalade, which gives that really intense orange-y flavor you need for the sauce. By mixing it with tangy BBQ sauce, salty soy sauce, and sweet honey, I was able to create that perfect sweet-tart sauce I loved. Plus, I can mix up the sauce and cook the chicken right in the Instant Pot, and have the whole thing done in under 20 minutes – less time than it takes to order takeout.
Guess I’ll just have to find a new favorite when we go out for Chinese, because orange chicken is now home cooking with my Instant Pot Orange Chicken recipe!
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
DIRECTIONS:
- Place chicken pieces, barbecue sauce, garlic and soy sauce into your Instant Pot. Push the manual cook button and cook on high for 4 mins. When done, do the fast release of steam.
- Carefully mix in a little bit of cornstarch in at a time, to prevent lumping. Next add orange marmalade and honey. Mix well.
- Push the sauté setting on the Instant Pot and sauté chicken and sauce for 6 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and allow for 5 minutes before serving, to allow sauce to thicken. Serve over white rice.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup favorite BBQ Sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 3/4 cup orange marmalade
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- chopped green onions for garnish
- cooked white rice for serving.
Instructions
- Place chicken pieces, barbecue sauce, garlic and soy sauce into your Instant PotPush the manual cook button and cook on high for 4mins.
- When done, do the fast release of steam. Carefully mix in a little bit of cornstarch in at a time, to prevent lumping, Next add orange marmalade and honey. Mix well.Push the sauté setting on the Instant Pot and sauté chicken and sauce for 6 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and allow for 5 minutes before serving, to allow sauce to thicken. Serve over white rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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I may be missing something, but I’ve read it through a few times and I don’t see when we’re supposed to add the garlic. Please help.
I’m wondering this as well. I think it’s probably supposed to be added at at first with the bbq sauce and chicken to fully release the garlic flavor (?) This is where I’ll add it, anyway 😉
Yes, You add it in step one. 🙂
Sorry about that . All fixed up. You add it in step one 🙂
This is the first recipe I tried in my new Instant pot. Easy to do, tasted very good.
As good or better than restaurant version as it is made fresh at home.
We enjoyed this for the second time today. But I didn’t have marmalade today, so I substituted 1/2 cup Kikkoman Orange Sauce and left off the honey. It was great too.
I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ (it’s not my favorite but it’s what I had on hand) and my instant pot complained with the food burning warning so I popped the lid and added a cup or two of chicken stock and that kept the dish from being totally ruined. (This my reason for 2 stars.)
Also, my marmalade had orange peel bits in it and I used a bourbon infused honey so combined with the burnt chicken pieces, my finished product came out quite bitter.
I would consider making this again but with a much less viscous BBQ sauce and with a different marmalade and regular honey
I had a few burnt pieces of chicken so was happy my pot.didnt throw a burn signal. It was good but too sweet for me. I think if I make it again I will use half the marmalade and use fresh orange juice to pop the taste.
I made this recipe and it’s delicious!
We love this recipe. A favorite for dinner. Tonight using Hawaiian BBQ. sauce! I make no changes in the recipe.