15 Minute Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe

Name: 15 Minute Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts (Do not use thin breasts. They will dry out.); 3/4 cup favorite dark (sweet barbecue sauce ( I used Sweet Baby Ray's)); 2 tbs soy sauce; 3/4 cup orange marmalade; 2 tsp cornstarch; chopped green onions for garnish

February 16, 2017 Updated: September 13, 2019 By Katie Crenshaw 80 Comments

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The Orange Chicken Dish at the Asian Restaurants is so yummy. What if you can make it at home in 15 minutes? Cook this Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe in 15 minutes! It is an easy, delicious, quick meal that your whole family will love.

15 Minute Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe

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Instant Pot Orange Chicken in 15 minutes

I absolutely love cooking with my Instant Pot. I have made things like Instant Pot Italian Pot Roast Dinner and Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken. It has been so fun coming up with recipes and figuring out what works and doesn’t. Let me tell you! This Instant Pot Orange Chicken recipe works! My husband couldn’t believe how delicious it is.

Cook your rice in a Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer, Premium White, 1.0-Liter. Then start throwing together the ingredients of the Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot Orange Chicken will be done in 15 minutes. In fact, the chicken will be done before the rice! You will drool with anticipation. It smells so good! It also tastes so good, you will want to double the recipe to save for leftovers the next day.

Is Orange Chicken Sweet?

If you have never had Orange Chicken, it is sweet and salty with bites of orange flavor…. And it is GOOD!!!!!! I served it over a bed of brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli. Top it with chopped, fresh green onions and BAM! Magic in the kitchen. It will be gone in minutes. This is one of my husband’s favorite dish. If you are not a broccoli fan, chopped bell peppers would add a nice flavor to the recipe also.

This recipe is very sweet. Once it you top it over the rice, it cuts some of the sweetness. However, if you don’t like very sweet dishes, one option is to reduce the amount of orange marmalade to half a cup and add in 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest. Reducing the amount of marmalade will make the sauce a bit more watery, therefore, you will will also want to add in a little more cornstarch in the end. Another option is to keep the recipe exactly how it is and add in a little more soy sauce. The salt flavor will level out some of that sweetness.

What Barbecue Sauce should you use in the recipe?

Here in the South, we have several vinegary liquid barbecue sauces. You will want to stay away from those sauces in this recipe. Instead, you will want to use a thick, sweet barbecue sauce. I use Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce because it is cheap and you can find it anywhere. However, any thick barbecue sauce will work. If you like spicy dishes, choose a thick spicy barbecue sauce. If you like tangy, use a thick tangy sauce. The orange flavor really comes out in this dish and the barbecue sauce is used to balance the orange from becoming overwhelming. It also helps with thickening the sauce. This is why the vinegary liquid barbecue sauces do not work in this recipe.

Can you use frozen chicken?

Several people ask if you can use frozen chicken. I always use fresh chicken. If I have frozen chicken, I thaw it out before using it. When you cook in the Instant Pot, natural juices from the chicken release. If you use frozen chicken, it is likely to release more juices than the fresh chicken, causing a watery sauce. This is why I personally recommend either thawing the chicken before cooking or using fresh chicken.

However, my readers have told me that they have made this recipe using frozen chicken. They increased the cooking time from 4 minutes to 7 minutes. My readers were happy with the end results.

What if you want a thicker sauce?

To thicken the sauce, you must add 2 tsps of cornstarch to the sauce. You will need to sauté the sauce with the chicken for about 6 minutes to help reduce the liquid. You will also need to let it cool down 3 to 5 minutes. The cooling process allows some of the steam to evaporate and the cornstarch to set into a thicker form.

Since writing this post, my bff blogger friend Karrie, from Tasty Ever After, recently introduced me to the brilliant Wondra All Purpose Quick-Mixing Sauce ‘N Gravy Flour (Pack of 3) 13.5 oz Size by Gold Medal. It magically thickens all of your gravies and sauces. It works 10 times better than cornstarch. I can’t find it at my store, so I order it on Amazon. Cornstarch works fine, but Wondra works BRILLIANTLY! It also doesn’t change the flavor of your sauce like cornstarch sometimes can. If you don’t have a bottle, get one! I did not change out the ingredient of cornstarch in this recipe, because most people can find cornstarch, however not everyone has access to Wondra. If you choose to use Wondra instead of cornstarch, cook it the same way with the same 2 tsp measurements. It thickens like cornstarch, only better.

Looking for a healthier option idea?

I typically serve this orange chicken over steamed rice. I am obviously not watching my carbs in this meal with the sugar content and starch in the ingredients. However, for a healthier option, my cauliflower fried rice makes a great substitute for white rice. The cauliflower fried rice is significantly less in calories, is loaded with tons of nutrition, and has a great flavor! Plus it is quick and simple to make. This recipe is a great way to sneak in some extra veggies.

What if you get a burn notice?

I have never had a burn notice. HOWEVER, I have had some readers say they received a burn notice. Other bloggers have had the same issue with some of their recipes.

What I have learned is that not all Instant Pots are the same. The older models can be more sensitive than the new models. This is a great article explaining the burn notices and what to do if you see a burn notice.

Are you looking for more great Instant Pot Recipes? Try some of these winner dinners!

All of these recipes can easily be made in the Instant Pot. Add them to your weekly meal plan and tell me what you think after you made them!