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.
Jump to RecipeFor 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.

Orange Chicken Step by Step
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)
Preparation
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. 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. I used 15 drops of oil and it was very orange. We liked it, but it could be a lot for some people.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. 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.

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
Last Updated On: August 1, 2023

Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot
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
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.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Beef
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Beef and Broccoli in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken
- Instant Pot Lemon-Garlic Chicken
- Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Turkey Roasted to Perfection
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
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.
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.
I love cooking with my oils. They are easy and pack a lot of flavor into just a few drops! 🙂
We love orange chicken! Never thought about doing it in an instant pot though. I bet its delish
The IP made it so easy! I am slowly learning how to do more and more with it as I practice.
good thing is the dish have pretty simple steps and ingredients which are readily available. Planning to cook this week end.
I love recipes with simple ingredients. It makes it easy for anyone to make.
I cannot wait to try this recipe this week!
It’s delicious! I hope you guys enjoy it, too 🙂
My family loves glazed chicken with honey sauce. Your Orange Chicken recipe is intriguing. I will definitely cook it. It looks very appetizing!
Thanks! It was delicious and I hope your family enjoys it, too.
I love your recipe. And I cant wait to make it my own. Kids will definitely love to try it
I showed this to my family and it’s approved. I’m making this on the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
I cannot wait to try your recipe. Im always looking for new recipes to add to my cook book
Thanks for sharing the daunty recipe😋
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.
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!
That sauce though! Looks absolutely amazing! Yum! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us!
The idea of preparing Orange Chicken in the crockpot is pretty fascinating to me. I am certainly curious to try it.
This looks so yummy! Sending this to my fiancé now because I’m not cook… He is. 🙂
One of my favorite recipes. Looks so delicious., Thanks for sharing