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 says
It sounds great but With 2366 mg of Sodium per 4oz serving, that’s incredibly high to call it healthy.
The Typical Mom says
You can choose a low sodium bbq sauce and leave out the soy sauce.
Stacy says
If I double the chicken amount do I need to double the cooking time?
patricia hole says
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 says
I love Orange Chicken too! Good to know using instant pot recipe 😀 Thank you!
Taryn says
I’ve been trying to use my instant pot more and this orange chicken was fantastic!
Frank E Overman says
Made this last night and served over spaghetti squash – cooked separately. Delicious for dinner last night and leftovers for lunch. I brought a little much today, and passed out some samples to a few people. They just loved it!
My “interpretation” of the recipe.
Made with cutting up four pork cutlets.
1 cup of BBQ sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke (it was sitting right there)
about 2/3 c of fresh squeezed juice from a Cara Cara orange
I sauteed the onions in a little butter, then added the pork on saute, stirred a couple times, then added the rest.
Cooked this as directed, then after adding the corn starch, transferred it to a warm glass bowl, then into the oven. From there cooked the spaghetti squash, 7 minutes at pressure.
The Typical Mom says
So glad!!
Melissa says
This was really good but was your chicken frozen? This was my very first ip attempt and I love it but my chicken is a little overdone.
The Typical Mom says
No mine wasn’t frozen. If you cut your pieces a bit larger they won’t be overdone for your taste next time.
Mary says
Made this tonight for dinner. I, too, wish it wasn’t quite so barbecue-y, but I did not have too much sauce, when served over rice. I did spoon some mandarin oranges over the top when serving. Delicious!
The Typical Mom says
Personal preference for us all, try using more marmelade next time and less sauce or a bit of water to thin the bbq sauce down.
Mandy says
This would be healthier with home made BBQ sauce. Most commercial BBQ sauces have so much sugar they ought to be displayed in the candy aisle. Please don’t give dreck like that to your kids.
Lisa Maquera says
Made this for lunch today was very delicious thanks so much did a great job in my instant pot.
Karla says
Does this say 2 cups of bbq sauce ? It was very bbq taste and not orange
The Typical Mom says
Yes. Everyone has different tastes so if you want more orange add more marmelade.
The Typical Mom says
If you prefer a stronger orange flavor then add a bit more marmelade next time, everyone likes it a bit different.
L. Madden says
I was a little apprehensive about this recipe because when I’ve used bbq sauce my instant pot always shows “burn” on the display. Sure enough I’m making it now and it is displaying “burn”. Any helpful hints?
The Typical Mom says
Make sure you aren’t using honey style sauce as stated above it has a lot of sugar and sometimes triggers the burn.
Erica says
Is there a way to freeze this for a meal prep?
Julie says
This was delicious!!!!! I didn’t have enough bbq sauce but it was still great!!
Lisa says
This recipe was absolutely delicious. Thank goodness for this website, I am 3 for 3 with delicious recipes with my new instant pot.
The Typical Mom says
I am so glad I can help!!
The Typical Mom says
So glad I could help!
Karen says
Made this tonight, exactly as written, and it was perfect! Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
Oh I am so glad!
Suzanne says
This is great & fast. What other veggies would you recommend that we could add?
I like to add veggies when ever possible.
The Typical Mom says
You could add broccoli but can’t cook all together or that would be too long, that only takes about a minute for that veggie.
Melissa Remond says
If I am doing for chicken breasts. How long would I cook it for?
Brian says
What would you do if you only had frozen chicken thighs?
Mary says
They thaw pretty fast in the microwave, but otherwise, you’re supposed to be able to use frozen food in the pot. It would take longer to bring up to pressure, and probably would have to cook longer than 4 minutes, since it’s bone-in chicken.
megunprocessed says
Such a flavorful recipe! Love easy simple ingredients.
Ingrid Yates says
Which BBQ sauce do you recommend? Thank you!
Lisa says
I used Honey BBQ sauce from Sweet Baby Ray’s and it was DELICIOUS
The Typical Mom says
Oh good!!
The Typical Mom says
OH good!
Rhonda says
Does it work well without any extra liquid in it? I looks delicious?
Amanda Grahovec says
Thank you for sharing your recipes! They are a life saver for this mom of 4! I love that they are quick, simple and actually something my children will eat.
The Typical Mom says
You are welcome, I’m glad it helps!