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Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Make deliciously Zesty Instant Pot Orange Chicken with simple healthy ingredients! Refreshing pressure cooker orange chicken in a tasty sweet-savory-tangy-citrusy honey glaze. Quick and easy dinner your family will enjoy!
Servings 4
Marinate 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 - 6 (2lbs or 913g) chicken thighs
  • 1 orange , juiced (90ml) and zested (6g)
  • 6 (25g) garlic cloves , chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger , crushed and sliced
  • 1 (95g) small onion , sliced
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) peanut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) Shaoxing wine
  • ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) honey or sugar to sweeten
  • Salt to taste

Thickener

  • 2.5 tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water

Marinade

Instructions

  • Marinate Chicken: Place 2 lbs chicken thighs in a mixing bowl. Add ¼ tsp (1.6g) salt, ¼ tsp (1.4g) sugar, ½ tsp (1.5ml) sesame oil, and 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce to the chicken. Mix well and marinate for at least 25 minutes.
  • Saute Onions and Garlic: Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function. Wait until it says HOT (~8 mins). Drizzle the inner pot with 1 tbsp (15ml) peanut oil or vegetable oil. Add onions & ginger, then saute until soften (~2 mins). Add chopped garlic cloves, then saute for another 30 seconds.
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour in 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry wine/water), then completely deglaze the bottom of the pot.
  • Pressure Cook Orange Chicken: Add ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock, ⅓ cup (90ml) orange juice, and 6g orange zest in Instant Pot. Mix well. Add marinated chicken in Instant Pot. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 6 minutes + 10 minutes Natural Release.
  • Thicken & Season: Set aside the chicken. Bring the liquid mixture back to a boil using the Saute button. Taste and season with salt (for reference, we added 3 pinches of salt). Depending on your orange’s sweetness level, add roughly 2 tbsp (30g) honey to sweeten the orange sauce. Mix 2.5 tbsp (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water in a small mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture one third at a time to thicken the orange sauce until desired thickness.
  • Optional - Broil in Oven: In an oven tray, generously coat the chicken with the orange sauce. Place oven tray under the broiler for 5 – 7 minutes until the chicken skin is browned.
  • Serve: Drizzle more yummy orange sauce on the chicken, then serve Instant Pot Orange Chicken with your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!~ :)

Notes

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Author: Amy + Jacky
Calories: 632kcal

Nutrition

Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 223mg | Sodium: 836mg | Potassium: 617mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg