Instant Pot Honey Orange Ginger Chicken

Jeff the Chef

The chicken just seems to blossom in this setting of sweet, tantalizing spiciness with whispers of bitter orange. And it’s all wrapped up in a thick quilt of comfort-foodiness. The broccoli makes a beautiful complement, and the rice makes it a whole meal.

Instant Pot Honey Orange Ginger Chicken
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Instant Pot Honey Orange Ginger Chicken

Makes

8

servings

The rice will cook itself and keep itself warm. Same with the chicken, which leaves you free to keep track only of the broccoli. You can keep the finished dish warm easily.

Ingredients

  • For the Rice:

  • 21 oz. (3 cups) long-grain white or brown rice

  • 24 oz. (3 cups) water

  • ¾ tsp salt

  • For the Chicken

  • 1 orange

  • 8 garlic cloves, minced; or 1 tsp powdered garlic

  • 6¾ oz. (¾ cup) soy sauce

  • 7¼ oz. (⅔ cup) honey

  • 3 oz. (6 Tbs) ketchup

  • 1 oz. (2 Tbs) apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tsp dried oregano

  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

  • 3 oz. (8 inches) of ginger

  • 2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • Florets cut from 4 large crowns of broccoli

  • ¼ cup cornstarch

  • 2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds, optional

  • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

  • Freshly-grated black pepper

Directions

  • For the Rice:
  • Place rice, water, and salt in Instant Pot. Set the Rice function, set to Normal (see notes), Low (pressure); Natural Release for 10 minutes. Find a lidded container that will hold the finished rice and run it under very hot water to warm it. Place the finished rice into it, put the lid on it, and place it in an oven that’s been heated to its lowest setting and then turned off.
  • For the Chicken:
  • Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from as little as half, or as much as three-quarters, of the orange, leaving most of the pith behind. Slice the peels into thin slivers. Juice the orange. Add the peels and juice to the Instant Pot.
  • Add the garlic, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, vinegar, oregano, and pepper flakes (and ginger – see notes) to the pot. Whisk to blend. Add the chicken; toss to coat. Distribute the chicken evenly. Set the Poultry function to Normal (10 minutes), High (pressure); Natural Release for 15 minutes.  
  • Place the broccoli and 1 cup water in a large, covered pot over high heat (setting 7 out of 9) until the broccoli is steamed to just barely al dente, 9 minutes. (Set a timer!) Strain out the water; leave the broccoli in the pot with the lid on.
  • Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the chicken to the broccoli pot. Whisk cornstarch and 4-6 Tbs water to create a pourable liquid, and pour it into the sauce. Set the Sauté function to Normal (2 minutes). Without the lid, cook and stir until the sauce thickens, which should happen properly just as the sauce comes to a boil. Turn the pot off. (Grate the ginger – if you didn’t add it earlier on – into the sauce and stir. Coarsely shred the chicken) Stir broccoli and chicken back into sauce. Finish with pepper, to taste.
  • Serve with rice, garnished with (sesame seeds and) scallions.

Notes

  • Brown rice may need a longer cooking time: try rice, more (time), low (pressure).
  • You can cook the ginger, or add it raw at the end. Raw gives you a bigger ginger hit, but because it will be visible in the final dish, you must grate the ginger. In addition, raw ginger may give some people heartburn. If you cook the ginger, the flavor will be milder, but because it cooks down into the sauce, you can mince (easier) rather than grate it (a chore).
  • I developed this recipe using a six-quart Instant Pot. If your Instant Pot is a different size, you may have to make modifications.
  • The difference between 1/2 and 3/4 of the orange’s peel is the difference between a citrusy undertone and a citrusy flavor.
  • I store the cooked rice in a medium-sized, metal mixing bowl, on which I use a universal, oven-safe, silicone lid.
  • Your sliced peels should weight 1 oz., and your juice should weigh 6 oz. Peel more of the orange if you need more slices. No need to compensate for a shortage of juice.
  • Barley makes a great substitute for the rice.
  • Feel free to add veggies to the broccoli. Carrots make an excellent addition, as does celery.

Social Learning

This dish leftovers well enough that you’ll enjoy it, but if you’re making it for guests, make it fresh.

I recommend shredding the chicken in the finished dish, or as you plate it. I didn’t do that for the servings that I photographed, but I wish I had, because it’s very pretty that way. Or, instead of shredding, when adding the chicken back into the sauce, give it a healthy, vigorous stir to break it up a bit.

Substitute lemon for the orange. Delicious! Substitute skinless chicken breasts, cut into marshmallow-sized chunks, for the thighs.

I don’t bother to peel the ginger. Ginger peel has a mild, gingery flavor, and quickly cooks down into the sauce. You’ll never know the difference, and eating the peel is probably better for you than throwing it away.

Honey Orange Ginger Chicken

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Though I did develop this recipe independently, there are many like it on the Internet – but don’t be fooled: there’s only one Honey Orange Ginger Chicken recipe out there that introduces you to amazing, made-up terms like “set-it-and-forgettedness.” 

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56 thoughts on “Instant Pot Honey Orange Ginger Chicken”

  1. This sounds fantastic, Jeff… makes me wish I had an instapot! The flavors are perfect and I love that you tried it with lemon. I am wondering if I can figure this out for my slow cooker. (I was gifted my first slow cooker about 3 months ago! As you can see, I am way behind the eight ball…)

    Reply

    • Seriously, I’m no slow cooker expert, but my intuition is that the only dif with the slow cooker would be the timing. I have no idea how long it would take to get the chicken to temp in a slow cooker, but I’m sure the internet knows. Once you know that, I would suggest trying it as-is and see what happens.

      Reply

    • Yes, you definitely can. You know what I love about it is how deep the flavors are. It’s a lot of soy sauce, but it’s worth it.

      Reply

  3. You are an IP expert! I have never used my IP to make any Chinese stirfry. I am totally with you on grating ginger..it’s a pain on the neck. Mince is the best method.
    angiesrecipes recently posted…Sesame Rolls

    Reply

    • Thanks! That thing is still mostly mysterious to me, but I’m getting the hang of it! I agree with you about the mince.

      Reply

  5. Jeff, you know how to combine ingredients so that tastiness results. In other words, I like this recipe! As for broccoli, my wife recently made a dish that’s cooked in a skillet. Shrimp, quinoa and broccoli were a major part of it. It was good.

    Reply

    • Thanks! Mmm, shrimp, quinoa, and broccoli sound like good combo!

      Reply

  6. This is a recipe that’s packed with flavor. I’ll have to leave my ginger peel on next time since you say it stays in the grater. I have always painstakingly peeled mine but if this works, I owe you one!
    Theresa recently posted…Newest Laser Cut Welcome Signs

    Reply

    • It MOSTLY stays on the grater. Some will find its way through, but it doesn’t seem to have any bearing on the dish. More peel stays on the grater when I use my microplane; more gets through with the box grater.

      Reply

    • I know. It’s a craze. But I have to say, I have found the thing to be useful.

      Reply

  9. Ah, a reminder that I should probably get an Instapot one of these days. This does sound delicious, and it sounds like a great weeknight meal, too. And rice that cooks itself and keeps itself warm? You need to market that – sounds like a million dollar idea to me!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Sausage and Cheese Grits Casserole

    Reply

    • There is a bit of tinkering to keep the rice warm, but if you had an instant pot AND a rice cooker, you’d be just watching TV, waiting for it all to cook.

      Reply

  12. Use to love getting Orange Chicken at our local Chinese restaurant. This reminds me very much of those wonderful flavors. Great looking dish!

    Reply

  14. We love Asian flavours so this dish would definitely be a winner in our house. Interesting note to add the ginger at the end for a more robust, gingery profile. I store my ginger in the freezer and grate using a microplane, that way I have ginger anytime. Also, like you, there is no need to peel.
    Eva Taylor recently posted…Cheese Crisps

    Reply

    • What a great idea, Eva! Thank you for sharing it with me. I didn’t realize you could freeze ginger. Adding as much ginger as this recipe calls for, and not cooking it, could give some people heartburn … but we just loved it and were fine with it. I feel like there’s so much soy, and the flavors are so deep, that the dish could easily balance that big hit of ginger.

      Reply

    • Thanks! This would be delicious with firm tofu. I’m guessing you’d probably have to change the way you cook it, but the flavors and textures would work perfectly.

      Reply

  20. That combination of honey, orange and ginger sounds like it would be amazing on everything- such a great combination of flavors. I love my Instant Pot and I make my rice in it too…

    Reply

  21. Definitely up for giving this a go sometime in my slow cooker Jeff. They flavours of this dish have got my taste buds all tingling just with the thought!
    Neil recently posted…Salmon Macaroni Salad

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  24. I’m another Instant Pot hold out as I don’t have room to store another large appliance but I’m sure I could adapt this to the oven or slow cooker too as I love those flavors and yours has such a beautiful color. There is nothing like freshly grated ginger. I buy small fingers of fresh ginger, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them. They are so easy to peel and grate when they are frozen!

    Reply

  26. I just got rid of my instant pot – simple because we don’t have any room to store all these huge appliances – but this recipe is easy to duplicate on the stove-top. Thanks!

    Reply

  27. I love the flavors in this dish, Jeff and it’s very pretty. I have a Power Cooker (same idea as an Instant Pot) and I love it alot! This will be a new recipe for me to try this summer, looking forward to it!!

    Reply

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