Instant Pot® Orange-Flavored Chicken

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 on your Instant Pot and set it to the sauté function on high. Once it’s hot, add a bit of oil and let it shimmer. Toss in the chicken and cook, stirring often, until it starts to turn golden—this should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in 3/4 cup of orange juice and bring it to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Then add the tomato sauce, sugar, molasses, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and rice wine. Give everything a gentle stir so the chicken is nicely coated. Turn off the sauté function.

Step 3

Lock the lid in place and make sure the vent is closed. Set the pot to high pressure for 5 minutes. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure. Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully do a quick release to let out any remaining steam.

Step 4

Open the lid and switch back to the sauté function, this time on low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice and the cornstarch until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pot and stir well. Cook for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens, then let it simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5

Turn off the sauté function and let the sauce sit for 5 to 7 minutes to thicken a bit more before serving. Enjoy!