Skip the takeout and enjoy your favorite Panda Express orange chicken from home tonight when you make this easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken! These bite sized pieces of chicken drenched in your favorite sweet and spicy orange sauce, will vanish as fast as you can make them! Just 3 ingredients and dinner is done!
Trust me, you need to make a date with this crazy delicious orange chicken instant pot recipe!
It’s a masterpiece of perfectly tender and juicy chicken bathed in a sensational orange sauce. A sauce that will dazzle and delight every last one of your orange chicken loving taste buds!
Heather writes: “SO simple and SO delicious!!”
The secret to this recipe is simplicity itself. After just a few simple minutes of prep… your instant pot takes over and makes dinner for you!
Just like when you make this tasty Instant Pot Italian Dressing Chicken, super-flavorful Buffalo Chicken Instant Pot recipe, or this crowd-pleasing Instant Pot Shredded Chicken bathed in bbq and coca cola!
With Easy Family Chicken Dinner Recipes like these, you’ve got the perfect upgrade for a hectic week!
So prepare to serve up some perfection on a plate… when you make the world’s easiest orange chicken instant pot recipe…
Ingredients
You’ll just need a few simple ingredients to make the BEST instant pot orange chicken thighs…
- Chicken – I like to use chicken thighs for this recipe, as they are extra tender and juicy.
- Orange Sauce – I used the Panda Express Orange Sauce, but you can also use the Orange Marmalade BBQ Sauce I used with my Crockpot Orange Chicken.
- Water – To add the extra moisture the instant pot requires to build pressure.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Optional for an added touch of heat.
Like most of my easy Asian Instant Pot Recipes, you’ll also need an Instant Pot 6 quart Pressure Cooker to prepare this Panda Express orange chicken instant pot recipe.
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Pin ItHow To Make Instant Pot Orange Chicken
You won’t believe how EASY it is to make this sweet and sassy orange chicken instant pot recipe at home!
Here’s what you’ll do…
1. Take part of your sauce and set aside for later.
2. Cube your chicken, then place in the Instant Pot.
3. Take the rest of your sauce and mix with the correct amount of water, then pour over the chicken in the Instant Pot.
4. Stir the sauce and chicken together.
5. Set your Instant Pot to cook per the instructions in the recipe card below.
6. Then… don’t miss my tip for what to do before removing the lid!
7. When done, remove your instant pot chicken thighs and pour the sauce you saved in step 1 over the top.
8. Serve and Enjoy!
Instant pot orange chicken recipes don’t get any easier or delicious!
Scroll down for the printable instant pot chicken thighs recipe card with detailed, step-by-step instructions.
What To Serve With Orange Chicken?
This flavor packed orange chicken Panda Express copycat goes great with a variety of sides, like:
- Brown Rice
- White Rice
- Fried Rice
- Udon Noodles
- Chow Mein
- Japanese Teriyaki Noodles
- Cream Cheese Won Tons
- Egg Drop Soup
- Egg Rolls with Egg Roll Sauce
- Spring Rolls
- Sweet Coleslaw Recipe
Reviews
Here’s what your frugal friends are saying about this easy instant pot orange chicken recipe…
D. writes: “So good!!!”
Heather writes: “SO simple and SO delicious!!”
Stephanie writes: “The sauce has a little kick to it, so I didn’t add the pepper flakes 🙂 But it was another dinner hit.”
Kelly writes: “This was soooooooo good 😋”
Cyndi writes: “Super easy and delicious! Used a trivet and cooked white rice in a bowl at the same time.”
More Amazing Instant Pot Recipes
Did You Enjoy This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a comment & review below!
Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1″ cubes (fresh or thawed)
- 20.75 ounces Panda Express Orange Sauce, (1 bottle)
- 1/3 cup Water
- Optional: ⅛ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Pour 1/2 cup of Orange Sauce into measuring cup, stir in Red Pepper Flakes, and set aside to drizzle on chicken after it has finished cooking.
- Mix remaining sauce and 1/3 cup water in medium mixing bowl.
- Placed cubed Chicken into Instant Pot, and pour sauce mixture from bowl over chicken, then stir together.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot, select “Meat/Stew” setting, select “High Pressure,” and change cooking time to 6 minutes.
- Preheat will start 10 seconds after settings are selected.
- Once Chicken is done, Quick Release pressure before removing lid.
- Remove Chicken from Instant Pot and discard excess liquid.
- Serve Chicken over a bed of rice, and drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup of sauce you had set aside.
Notes
- Additional Time to Build Pressure: In addition to cook time, it will take approx. 15 minutes to initially reach pressure before cook time begins.
- Crock Pot Pressure Cooker Instructions: If using a Crock Pot Pressure Cooker, select the “Beans/Chili” setting to manually override cook time and pressure settings.
- FAQ’s: For answers to Frequently Asked Questions or tips for common substitutions and variations, please refer to the detailed information above this recipe card.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Can you double these recipes? I have a large family and 4 servings is not enough.
Hi Megan ~ yes, you can… although the cook time will be longer. I’ve found that using 2 separate crockpots works best when doubling the recipe. Hope that helps!
How would you make this as a crockpot meal?
Hi Rebecca ~ here is a Crockpot version of a Panda Express Chicken you could try… https://diythrill.com/2017/08/27/panda-express-orange-chicken-recipe/
Hi! Would I be able to put the chicken breasts in whole and cut them after they are cooked?
Hi Kellie ~ you definitely could make them that way, thought you’ll need to alter the cook time a bit.
Oooh. This sounds great. I love that you can make it an instant pot!!
Thanks, Rebecca! And yes… it’s so nice how fast it’s done thanks to the pressure cooker! 🙂