Best healthy Instant Pot orange chicken recipe ever! Just 4 ingredients needed to make this pressure cooker chicken recipe in just 4 minutes. Grab your pressure cooker and try it tonight!
We love this 4 ingredient dinner! Get your orange zest tastebuds ready for our easy Instant Pot orange chicken recipe. It’s listed on our page with other under 30 minute Instant Pot recipes. (originally published 2/17, affiliate links present)
I have to say that this may be our favorite quick and easy meal!
I’ve made this in the crockpot for years but now with this favorite 7 in 1 appliance I can make it much faster.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Next time you go to the store, pick up these few items and give it a whirl this week!
Instant Pot orange chicken healthy
This is the Instant Pot I have. It has made my life so much easier, and has allowed us to sit and eat a great meal as a family more often because it cooks quickly!
- You could use either chicken breasts or thighs, either one turns out excellent.
- This is a healthy orange chicken recipe because there is no breading involved at all. You won’t miss out on the Panda Express flavors you love though.
Add a bit of chives or green onion to the top and serve it over rice! We call this “sweet chicken” in our house and my kids all love it!
Here are a few questions you might have before you make this one:
Typically chicken is chopped, battered, and fried. Then they’re coated in a sweet orange flavored slightly spicy sauce which thickens and looks like a sort of glaze.
Our version is batter free without any breading on the outside. Orange marmalade is perfect for the flavors you love.
Well everything should be eaten in moderation of course. Our version is much healthier than others since it is just meat and sauce. To lower the caloric intake you could choose a bbq sauce with less sugar.
It is easy to adjust the heat levels for sure if you make it yourself at home. Chili sauce, or a spicier barbecue sauce can be added to make it spicy.
This entire thing is easy to adjust to your liking. Want intense fruit flavors, add a decent amount of marmelade. Use less if you want a hint.
Orange chicken Instant Pot
- Chicken breasts or thighs – boneless, skinless, diced into bite size pieces
- Barbecue sauce
- I love this one – honey style is not best in pressure cookers as there is a lot of sugar content and can cause browning
- Soy sauce
- Orange marmelade
- Onion
- Cornstarch (if you want to thicken sauce)
- Rice – this is how to make the perfect Instant Pot white rice
Of course you need an Instant Pot, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi pressure cooker
We use 1/4 cup of marmelade but if you like bold flavors then you can increase that to 1/3 or 1/2 of a cup.
If you have a larger household just double it too.
What do you serve with Instant Pot chicken?
- We typically serve it over Jasmine rice
- Cauliflower rice would be a low carb and gluten free option as well
- Brown rice is a healthier option
- It’s similar to our Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken but without the breading.
I will say it is even better than the slow cooker orange chicken I’ve made for years
Find many more Instant Pot recipes on our site using the tab at the top of our main page. There are a few more Instant Pot chicken recipes below too!
- Instant Pot chicken parmesan casserole
- Our pressure cooker apricot chicken is similar to this but with an apricot twist
- Pressure cooker chicken and rice is one of the most popular recipes on The Typical Mom
- Easy Instant Pot butter chicken
- This chicken tinga looks amazing too.
Here’s the printable recipe for orange chicken in an Instant Pot + a video
Can you use pressure cook frozen chicken?
I haven’t done it for this recipe in particular but have cooked frozen chicken breasts this way first, and then added a variety of sauces later.
I think this would work well if frozen chicken breasts are all you had.
If cooking all together as directed your frozen chicken would need to be previously cut up into small bite size pieces. If this is the case I would keep timing as stated and not adjust.
- Keep in mind that the sauce thickens as it sits so you don’t need a lot of cornstarch.
- Just add a bit into a small bowl with some of your hot liquid.
Whisk until smooth and add it in at the last step after you’re done with high pressure setting, when it’s on saute.
Here are quick directions but there’s a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post too.
Time needed: 6 minutes.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Prepare
Cube your chicken and add to your IP along with your bbq sauce, water or chicken broth, onion if you want, and soy sauce.
Stir so chicken pieces are coated well. - Cook
Turn your Instant Pot on pressure, high, for 4 minutes cook time. Put lid on and close steam valve. When it beeps do a quick release and carefully lift the lid.
- Thicken
Turn IP to saute. Put cornstarch in small bowl (if you want it a bit thicker) and add some hot bbq sauce from pot in with it and whisk together until smooth. Add back into pot and stir.
Add marmelade to make orange sauce, stir and allow mixture to bubble for about 2 minutes, stir. Turn pot and serve over rice.
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If you love orange chicken flavors but want to skip some of the loaded calories from the breading, this is a great choice.
We have directions for air fryer orange chicken too here now.
Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, bite size pieces , can double recipe if you want 4 breasts
- 2 c barbecue sauce do not use honey style as there is too much sugar and may display burn message
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch at end to thicken sauce when chicken is done
- 1/4 c orange marmelade
- 1/2 onion cut into large pieces – optional
- chives or green onion to garnish
- 1/4 c water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Cube your chicken and add to your IP along with your bbq sauce, water or chicken broth, onion if you want, and soy sauce.
- Stir so chicken pieces are coated well.
- Turn your Instant Pot on pressure, high, for 4 minutes. Put lid on and close steam valve.
- When it beeps do a quick release and carefully lift the lid.
- Turn IP to saute.
- Put cornstarch in small bowl (if you want it a bit thicker) and add some hot bbq sauce from pot in with it and whisk together until smooth. Add back into pot and stir.
- Add marmelade, stir and allow mixture to bubble for about 2 minutes, stir.
- Turn off IP and serve over rice.
Video
Debbie
Sunday 13th of September 2020
It sounds great but With 2366 mg of Sodium per 4oz serving, that’s incredibly high to call it healthy.
The Typical Mom
Sunday 13th of September 2020
You can choose a low sodium bbq sauce and leave out the soy sauce.
Stacy
Sunday 16th of August 2020
If I double the chicken amount do I need to double the cooking time?
patricia hole
Sunday 19th of July 2020
Because doubled the meat I doubled the rest of the recipe, oppsy a heads up would of been nice for this first time insta pot user, I had way to much liquid....
Shiho
Wednesday 8th of May 2019
I love Orange Chicken too! Good to know using instant pot recipe :D Thank you!
Taryn
Wednesday 8th of May 2019
I've been trying to use my instant pot more and this orange chicken was fantastic!