Then cut the chicken into bite-size chunks.

Wash and blot dry the chicken with a paper towel. To thicken the sauce, we’re using a slurry mixture of cornstarch or flour (gluten-free or regular) and water. We will finish the sauce on Saute function. Once the chicken is cooked and while it’s still very hot, you will be adding the sugar to further sweeten and caramelize the dish. Sriracha sauce or any other hot sauce will add a little kick/heat and you can use as little or as much as you like.Īll of the above ingredients are cooked together under pressure. Soy sauce will add a hit of salt and umami and lemon juice or vinegar will add a little acidity to the dish. Sauce ingredients: orange juice is our main liquid ingredient and we’re adding a lot of flavor with garlic, ginger, ginger and a bit of extra orange zest. INGREDIENTS FOR INSTANT POT ORANGE CHICKENĪs we mentioned, this is a beginner-friendly, step-by-step recipe but there are a few ingredients involved.Ĭhicken: you can use chicken thigh or breast meat, which needs to be cut into bite-sized pieces. Check out more Instant Pot Chinese recipes here. Making orange chicken in the Instant Pot is quick and easy and this beginner-friendly recipe will help you master this simple version of the dish. As such, you will not have that crispy chicken texture of the classic dish BUT the essence and flavors of the dish are still there.

Chicken is first cooked in the orange, soy, garlic and ginger sauce and then thickened and sweetened on Saute once it is cooked. This also means that this dish a little healthier and lower in fat. Our Instant Pot orange chicken recipe is a pressure cooker adaptation and is simpler than making the classic version which requires frying of the chicken. The chicken is crispy and the sauce is usually caramelised and sticky with a hint of chili. You can commonly find orange chicken at North American Chinese restaurants and it consists of chopped, battered and fried chicken pieces smothered in sweet, sour and savory sauce made with orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar and vinegar.

Chicken thigh instant pot