Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs in Orange Sauce is tender, savory and perfect for sauce lovers. It’s a grain-free, dairy-free, processed sugar free dinner that cooks in about 15 minutes in the pressure cooker, lid on to lid off! Make it ahead of time and re-heat later.
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I just want to get this out of the way right at the very beginning – This is not a recipe for Orange Chicken like from your favorite Chinese food place!
I repeat, this is not a recipe for Orange Chicken. What is it, then? It is a recipe for the most tender, flavorful, sauce-ful Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs in Orange Sauce that you will ever have in your life.
That’s a promise.
How long to cook chicken thighs in the pressure cooker?
Pressure cooker chicken thighs, or Instant Pot chicken thighs if that’s what tool you have, cook very quickly. If you want to cook boneless chicken thighs just through but still keep them whole (so that they don’t fall apart or shred) you can set the timer for 3 minutes and then manually release the pressure. That will be enough!
If you want to shred them completely, set the timer for 7-10 minutes.
I wanted tender chicken that was almost falling apart but not completely shredded, so I set the timer for 5 minutes, and then I let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes.
That gave what you see in the pictures – Large chunks of tender chicken that easily came apart but didn’t fall apart on their own.
I think I could have even just manually released the pressure after the timer went off and they would have been perfect, and quicker!
Making Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs in Orange Sauce
Step 1 – Make the sauce
This orange sauce comes together very quickly in the Vitamix or other high powered blender.
Real talk, though, I’ve used a lot of blenders in my clients’ home kitchens, and none of them compare to the power of a Vitamix. It just make sauces smoother than anything else I’ve tried.
You’ll want to let the blender run for at least a full 30 seconds, if not a full minute, so that you can completely blend the dates into the sauce so it’s as smooth as can be. You could always run the sauce through a mesh strainer to be sure you get out any little pieces, but I don’t think that’s necessary.
Step 2 – Brown the chicken
Lay your boneless, skinless chicken thighs out and season each side with salt and pepper. You can trim any extra skin or fat that you see, but I leave them as they come more often than not. Raw chicken thighs look like a real mess and if you start trimming too much, you won’t have anything left.
I find it’s better to sear them off and cook them through without thinking about it too much. They are flavorful and tender for a reason! And all that yucky looking stuff melts away when you cook them.
Turn your Instant Pot or other multi-use pressure cooker to “saute” on high, add a little oil, and sear each side of the chicken thighs. You aren’t trying to cook them through, so just do a couple minutes on each side.
PRO TIP: Make sure your pot and the cooking oil are good and hot before adding the chicken! When you try browning chicken in oil that is not hot enough when you add it, that’s when chicken sticks.
I had to work in two batches to make them all fit.
Step 3 – Cook
Once your chicken thighs have been browned, add them all back to the pressure cooker bowl and pour in the sauce with the “saute” setting still on. Use a spoon to scrape up any bits on the bottom as the sauce begins to bubble.
This is called “deglazing the pan” and it makes sure you keep all those lovely flavors that developed while searing the chicken.
When that’s done, cancel the saute function and put the lid on. Make sure the pressure valve is set to sealed!
Turn on the “pressure cook” function and set it to “high pressure”. Set the timer for 5 minutes, and walk away.
It took about 5 minutes for my Instant Pot to come up to pressure, and then the timer started.
Step 4 – Make the sauce
Once the timer goes off, you can either manually release pressure right then, or let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then release manually the rest of the way. The extra 5 minutes will give you a bit more tender, pull apart chicken, but if time is an issue then just release manually.
Remove all the chicken onto a plate, leaving the sauce in the pressure cooker.
Once again, turn the pressure cooker to the saute function (or turn the burner back on with the pressure cooker on it.)
Mix together the warm water and corn starch to make a slurry, and add that to the sauce.
Whisk that into the sauce and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
And that’s it! Serve over rice, barley, spaghetti squash, quinoa, or just some sauted veggies!
I made this Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs in Orange Sauce on a Sunday, and we had it for dinner on Monday night. It reheated perfectly! It’s a delicious and healthy make-ahead meal. Perfect for meal prepping on the weekend.
It also makes a wonderful meal-prep lunch to take with you to work!
And since it’s all done in an Instant Pot < (on sale!) or other Multi-function Pressure Cooker, this recipe is a great one to PIN for summer trips. You can easily make this in a hotel, a house rental, or even a camper!
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Serves 4-6
Vanessa at The Cheerful Kitchen
Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs in Orange Sauce is tender, savory and perfect for sauce lovers. 15 minutes in the pressure cooker, lid on to lid off!
10 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Save Recipe5 based on 3 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup orange zest from one orange
- 1/2 cup Soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
- 1/2 inch knob of ginger cut into a few pieces
- 2-3 Garlic cloves
- 10 dates
- 3 Tablespoons Rice vin
- 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper for seasoning chicken
- Oil for browning chicken
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch
Instructions
- Trim the boneless, skinless thighs of any excess skin or fat. Season thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pressure cooker on the "saute" setting and brown both sides. (this may need to happen in two batches.)
- While the chicken is browning, blend sauce ingredients together in a high powered blender until completely smooth. (This will not happen in a food processor. If you do use a FP or a hand blender, you will need to strain the sauce after.)
- Once your chicken thighs have been browned, add them all back to the pressure cooker bowl and pour in the sauce with the “saute” setting still on. Use a spoon to scrape up any bits on the bottom as the sauce begins to bubble.
- When that’s done. Cancel the saute function and put the lid on. Make sure the pressure valve is set to sealed!
- Turn on the “pressure cook” function and set it to “high pressure”. Set the timer for 5 minutes, and walk away.
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, then manual release. (If you don't have time for this, you can just manually release the pressure right after the cooking time is done.)
- Remove the chicken from the sauce and return the pressure cooker to the "saute" function.
- Make a slurry by whisking together the warm water and corn starch (or tapioca starch) and add to the pressure cooker with the setting on low saute. Stir and bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the sauce.
- You can serve hot or cool and store in the fridge to reheat for dinner later in the week! It will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Total time says "30 minutes". This is based on an estimated 10 minutes prep time, 5 minute pressure build, 5 minute cooking time, 5 minute natural pressure release, and 5 minutes to finish the sauce. Your time may vary based on your speed in the kitchen and your particular pressure cooker.
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