Instant Pot Orange Chicken

                          

I freely admit (and I'm a little embarrassed by the fact) that I'm very late to the Instant Pot cool kids club. My only excuses are that:

1. I'm never one to immediately jump on a bandwagon. I'm an introvert who needs to mull over things before I jump in.
2. They're a pricey addition to the kitchen. 
3. They're BIG and take up a lot of space. I have a walk-in pantry but with two bread makers, two crockpots, Pampered Chef baking stones galore and other culinary accoutrements, I have a lot of kitchen-y stuff. 
4. I wasn't sure I'd use it enough (boy, was that a ridiculous concern!!) 
5. But the biggest reason, albeit kind of embarrassingly absurd, has to do with the Instant Pot being a pressure cooker. See, with my vivid imagination and loose grip on science, I kept envisioning this appliance blowing up my kitchen. Ka-BOOM! I could see the headlines: "Women Killed by Instant Pot". Ya, I know. My science teachers are banging their heads against walls right now.

But now??? I'm totally and utterly smitten with my 8-quart Instant Pot.

Where has this glorious, magical machine been all my life?!? The way it cooks food in a fraction of the time either has something to do with science, dark magic or House Elves. Or a combination of the three. Anyway you look at it, I wish I had had this kitchen beast in my repertoire long ago.

I've been playing with my IP for a few weeks after getting it on a wicked Amazon.ca sale. A few of the recipes I tried were okay but not blog-worthy. Others were good and then I made this Orange Chicken. Oh, sweet Mary Tyler Moore! This was so tasty!

So if you're on the fence about the wonder that is the Instant Pot you may want to take the plunge and get one of these bad boys. They will make weeknight meal making sooo much easier and faster!

Note 1: This recipe assumes the home cook has a basic understanding of the Instant Pot. I found the Six Sisters YouTube videos helpful as I started out with my IP. You can find Kristin's videos for IP help and inspiration here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tkqQwO8KP0

Note 2: Please ensure that you read your Instant Pot instructions carefully. While this appliance is easy to use, it is important to understand and follow the safety instructions.

                             

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Servings: 4
Cooking Time: 5 minutes!!!

Pressure Building and Releasing: approx. 20 minutes

3 large chicken breasts, cut into 1-2-inch pieces
2 tbsp. oil
salt and pepper - to taste

Sauce Ingredients
1 cup orange juice (plus a little more for the slurry - see below)
1 tbsp. fresh ginger (I used the jarred ginger)
3 tsp fresh garlic (approx. 6 cloves)
2 tbsp. white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp Sriracha (or more if you like it spicy)
zest of 1 orange (you may want to save some for garnish)

Thickening Slurry
3 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. orange juice

Garnish

Green onions

Orange Zest 

Side Dish
Hot rice


Sauté your chicken. You have TWO options for sautéing your chicken

1. Sauté chicken on stove-top

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Once oil is shimmering, add chicken pieces and sauté, turning the pieces until all sides are slightly browned. Put chicken pieces into the Instant Pot stainless steel cooking pot.

** I opted for this stove-top method this time around.

2. Sauté chicken in your Instant Pot

Dry chicken pieces with a paper towel to get rid of excess moisture.
Heat Instant Pot by pressing the SAUTE button until it says HOT.

Add oil to the IP pot. Once the oil is heated, add the chicken. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until chicken pieces are starting to become golden in colour. If you notice brown bits sticking to the bottom of your pan, deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup of the orange juice you'll be using for your sauce. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get rid of all of the brown bits. If you don't remove all of the bits, your IP will think that something is burning and you run the risk of getting the dreaded Burn Error which means your IP won't come to pressure and your meal won't cook.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Now that your chicken is sautéed, combine sauce ingredients. Originally I opted to use 1 tablespoon of Sriracha (the sauce I can never spell correctly) but it was a little too spicy for us so I've chosen to cut back on the sassy sriracha. If you prefer spicier fare, then have at it.

Pour sauce over the chicken in the IP. Gently stir to get all the chicken in a saucy bath of orangey goodness. 

Close the lid of the Instant Pot and select Manual (or Pressure Cook). Select 5 minutes (using the - or + button) on HIGH Pressure and make sure the vent on the top is set to SEALING (not Venting or your IP won't build pressure). It will take approximately 10 minutes for the IP to get up to pressure (make sure you factor this time and the steam release time into your schedule).

Use a 10 minute Natural Release and hit CANCEL to turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure manually by carefully opening the vent (see IP instruction manual - remember steam is HOT!!). Open the lid.

Prepare the slurry: To thicken the sauce prepare the slurry. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and OJ, mixing well so there are no lumps. Add the slurry to the chicken mixture and combine well. Select the SAUTE function on LOW setting. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring regularly.

Serve over hot rice and garnish, if desired, with chopped green onion and/or orange zest.

Inspired by: Instant Pot Orange Chicken by Sweet and Savory Meals