Quick Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot®

Ingredients

• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ¾ cup orange juice
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 orange, zested and juiced, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Step 1

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut it into bite-sized pieces, about 1 to 2 inches each. Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting on high heat. Once it's hot, add a bit of oil and let it shimmer before tossing in the chicken. Cook it, stirring often, until the pieces start to turn golden—this usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in ¾ cup of orange juice and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom—this adds great flavor. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, molasses, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and rice wine until everything is well combined.

Step 3

Lock the lid in place and make sure the vent is sealed. Set the pot to high pressure for 5 minutes. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes for the pressure to build up. After cooking, let it sit with the Keep Warm function on for 10 minutes, then carefully release the pressure using the quick-release method.

Step 4

Once the lid is off, switch the pot back to sauté on low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice with the cornstarch until smooth, then stir this mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes, and then let it simmer for a couple more minutes.

Step 5

Turn off the sauté function and let the chicken sit for 5 to 7 minutes to let the sauce thicken even more. Give everything a final stir and it’s ready to serve!