Time to take the hassle out of dinner prep and bring the fun into cooking! This simple and easy recipe brings all the flavor and none of the cleanup. A Chinese-inspired dish that will allow you to enjoy the sweet notes of oranges and zest, plus an added kick of spices to liven up the taste! Enjoy this sweet and savory dish for lunch or dinner. Instant pot = instant yummy meal!

By Christy Brissette, MS, RD of @80twentyrule

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 lbs chicken thighs
1 cup pure orange juice (no added sugar)
¼ cup tomato sauce (no added sugar)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup Purecane™ Baking Sweetener
¼ cup Purecane™ Brown Sweetener
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Optional: Pinch of red pepper flakes
3 green onions, thinly sliced for garnishing
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, white or black for garnishing

Low Carb Recipe - Savory Orange Chicken for Instant Pot

Directions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken into 1 ½“ pieces.
Turn on your Instant Pot’s Sauté function. Click the Adjust button to choose “Sauté More”.
Once the Instant Pot reads that it’s HOT, add the avocado oil and the chicken. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
If any of the chicken has stuck to the bottom, deglaze your Instant Pot by adding ¼ cup of orange juice and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
Add the ingredients from the orange juice to the orange zest (the rest of the orange juice, tomato sauce, soy sauce, Purecane™ Baking Sweetener, Purecane™ Brown Sweetener, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar and orange zest). Stir to combine.
Put the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure the vent is closed. Set it to Manual for 5 minutes on High Pressure.
Once the Instant Pot beeps, let it do a “Natural Release” for 10 minutes. This means letting some of the pressure slowly release on its own. Next, open the vent to release the rest of the steam (careful, it’s hot!)
Press the Sauté button and set it to low. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together until smooth.
Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the Instant Pot and stir gently. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. The sauce will also thicken more once you turn off the Instant Pot and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Serve your Orange Chicken over brown rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!