Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot on top of a bed of rice in a round white bowl on a round white plate next to bamboo chopsticks with another serving behind on a grey placemat on a white wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot

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Using the Instant Pot is a great way to make a delicious meal. Adding essential oils to this orange chicken recipe gives a boost of clean flavor.

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For Christmas this past year I received an Instant Pot from my parents. I’ve still been working on learning how to use it, and have made a few recipes so far.

I also wanted to work on recipes using my essential oils. So I decided to put these together and made orange chicken in the Instant Pot.

This recipe is simple to make and lets you use a few of the options on the Instant Pot. You start by pressure cooking the chicken, the saute everything together.

Since the Instant Pot can do both of these, you only have to use one device. This means only one thing to clean and that’s my favorite type of meal! We did make some rice to go with this, which used my rice steamer. But still a simple cleanup.

Step by Step

Combine the coconut oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, chicken broth, pepper, and pepper flakes in the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot.

Sauce mixture in an instant pot on a wooden surface

Add the chicken to the pot and mix it into the sauce.

Uncooked chicken in sauce mixture in an instant pot on a wooden surface

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the vent. Set it to manual cook for 10 minutes. When it finished cooking, immediately release the pressure.

Chicken in sauce in an instant pot on a wooden surface

If you are making rice with your orange chicken, get that started while the Instant Pot is getting up to pressure.

Switch the Instant Pot over to the saute setting and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Chicken and sauce bubbling in an instant pot with steam coming out on a wooden surface

Add the orange essential oil and stir. I used 15 drops of oil and it was very orange. We liked it, but it could be a lot for some people.

Woman's hand holding a bottle of orange essential oil over an instant pot

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Add that to the sauce and stir until it thickens.

Orange chicken sauteeing in the instant pot on a wooden surface

Stir in the sesame seeds and serve over rice. Garnish with a few more sesame seeds and sliced green onion.

Orange chicken garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onion on a bed of rice in a round white bowl on top of a round white plate with wooden chopsticks next to a bottle of orange essential oil and another plate of orange chicken on a grey placemat on a white surface (vertical)

Leftovers

Store the orange chicken in a separate container from the rice. Keep both in the refrigerator. Reheat in two saucepans before placing the reheated chicken over the rice.

Recipe

Originally Published On: August 10, 2020

Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot on top of a bed of rice in a round white bowl on a round white plate next to bamboo chopsticks with another serving behind on a grey placemat on a white wooden surface

Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot

Using the Instant Pot is a great way to make a delicious meal. Adding essential oils to this orange chicken recipe gives a boost of clean flavor.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Pressurizing Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
chicken
|
essential oils
|
instant pot
|
orange
Dietary Needs:
Dairy-Free
|
Egg-Free
|
Nut-Free
Meat:
Chicken/Turkey
Cooking Method:
Instant Pot
Servings: 4
5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp chili sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized chunks)
  • 15 drops orange essential oil
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 cup rice (cooked)

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • Combine the coconut oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, chicken broth, pepper, and pepper flakes in the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot
  • Add the chicken to the pot and mix it into the sauce
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the vent
  • Set it to manual cook for 10 minutes and when it finished cooking, immediately release the pressure
  • If you are making rice with your orange chicken, get that started while the Instant Pot is getting up to pressure
  • Switch the Instant Pot over to the saute setting and bring the sauce to a simmer
  • Add the orange essential oil and stir
  • In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and add that to the sauce and stir until it thickens
  • Stir in the sesame seeds and serve over rice
  • Garnish with a few more sesame seeds and sliced green onion
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Nutrition Facts
Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 307 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 2503mg104%
Potassium 576mg16%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 104IU2%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

22 thoughts on “Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot”

  1. Melanie williams

    You got me at instant one pot…sometimes if we are really busy it is a great way to cook and makes life much easier x

    Reply
    1. Stephanie

      I am learning to really love my instant pot lately! I haven’t used it a whole lot, but I am finding myself wanting the simplicity of it more and more recently, especially since my boys started school virtually this week.

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth O

    5 stars
    I was wondering what gave it the orange flavor. That is a brilliant idea to use edible orange essential oil. I must remember to try that myself. Yum.

    Reply
  4. Mr. Nobody

    good thing is the dish have pretty simple steps and ingredients which are readily available. Planning to cook this week end.

    Reply
  6. Margarita Baker

    5 stars
    My family loves glazed chicken with honey sauce. Your Orange Chicken recipe is intriguing. I will definitely cook it. It looks very appetizing!

    Reply
  11. Talya Stone

    I haven’t used my Instant Pot for a while as have been needing some inspiration and this is most definitely it! Thanks for sharing the recipe which I’m going to put on my must-try list.

    Reply
  12. Nyxie

    I’ve never had orange chicken but have heard good things about it. A lot of our Chinese restaurants over here don’t even offer it, if you can believe that!

    Reply

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