Cooking Lesson #284: Instant Pot Orange Zest Chicken

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Back a couple of hundred recipes ago, I published a recipe for Cantonese Orange Chicken (Cooking Lesson #96). As I wrote at the time, this is the Americanized version of Orange Chicken. In this recipe I would like you to see what a more traditional Hunan-style Orange Chicken tastes like—it has all the orange, but some of the Hunan heat as well. The big bonus—it’s made in an Instant Pot leaving you with just one pot to clean.
 
All Orange Chicken recipes ask for orange in some form—juice, zest, dried peel or a combination of all three. Authentic Chinese-style orange chicken isn't battered and fried, and it's not sauced with fresh oranges or orange juice either; it calls for using dried orange peel and chili peppers instead. Those recipes can vary all over the place but they’re all in the same ballpark.
 
With this recipe—Instant Pot Orange Zest Chicken—I’ve come as close as I can remember to what I originally tasted in Hunan province…orange, sweet, pungent and slightly spicy.
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients
 
For the chicken prep
2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts (cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 cup Shaoxing rice cooking wine (for deglazing the sauté pan)
 
For the sauce
3/4 cup orange juice (no sugar added)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
1/4 cup lite soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman low sodium)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice Asian seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce (more if you like it spicier)
1/3 cup tomato ketchup
 
For optional added goodness
1 peeled tangerine segmented from small a Cutie
1/2 cup spring pea pods
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons green onion bottoms (cut in circles)
 
For the cornstarch slurry
1 teaspoon cornstarch 
2 tablespoons cold water 
 
For the top garnish
2 green onions, tops thinly sliced
1 teaspoon orange zest
 
Instructions

1. Dry the chicken to remove any extra moisture with a few paper towels and cut the chicken into 1 to 2-inch pieces.
2. Dredge the chicken by shaking in a bag in with cornstarch, salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
   
   Special Note: If you want to cook the chicken faster, brown it on the stove top, as the Instant Pot isn't really the best for a large sauté task. If you do so, be sure to add the deglazed bits from Step #4 to the Instant Pot so you get the benefit of the flavor.
3. Add the oil to the non-stick sauté pan, add the chicken and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring a few times.  Cook until it just starts to get golden brown. When sautéing the chicken, stir occasionally to cook all sides evenly.
4. After you sauté the chicken, check to see if bits stuck to the bottom—if that’s the case, deglaze the pan with the Shaoxing wine and scrape them with up with a wooden spoon.
5. Set the hot pot to SAUTÉ and add the sauce ingredients to the hot pot—orange juice, minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, rice wine, orange zest and Sriracha sauce. You can skip the Sriracha sauce for mild or add more if you prefer your food on the spicier side.
6. Add the tomato ketchup. It adds a tanginess to the sweetness of the recipe, and it makes it a more well-rounded flavor.
7. Add the cooked chicken and stir gently until all the ingredients are combined and coated in sauce.
8. Top the mixture with tangerine segments and pea pods if using—do not stir them in. 
9. Close the lid, select 5 MINUTES on HIGH PRESSURE. Make sure the vent is closed.
10. At the end of the pressure cycle, use a 10-MINUTE NATURAL RELEASE.
11. Release the remaining pressure by opening the vent and carefully open the lid.
12. Select the SAUTÉ function again, on LOW.
13. In a small glass combine the cornstarch with the water and mix until combined.
14. Add the mixture to the Instant Pot and gently stir to combine.
15. Cook on sauté function for a few more minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens.
16. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
17. Add in the bean sprouts and green onion bottoms and stir the pot.
18. Let the Orange Chicken stand for 5-7 minutes, the sauce will thicken even more.
19. Serve over hot jasmine rice and garnish with fresh chopped green onion tops and a sprinkling of the additional orange zest.

ChefSecret:  You can sauté all the chicken in batches in the Instant Pot. If you want to brown the chicken faster, cook it on the stove top, as the 6-quart Instant Pot isn't really designed for a large sauté.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “You can tell the pandemic is taking its toll when the doctor tells you that you are the perfect weight, but you are 4 feet too short.”
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