This Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Cauliflower dish with gluten free sweet and spicy sauce is an easy, high protein weeknight meal that the whole family will love.
After a full day of work, feeding and cleaning up after my kiddos, bathing them, reading them stories, and putting them to sleep, there is NO way I’m busting out a frying pan to work on dinner. It’s greasy Chinese delivery or cereal with milk, folks. As someone who legit cooks for a living, I am horrified by the thought of my total Uber Eats bill since the day I gave birth. Enter my mom to the rescue! Grandma Sharp got me an Instant Pot when they were on sale (#blackfriday), and I instantly fell in love. The rest, as they say- is delicious history.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
Not only does this recipe require minimal equipment/prepping, but I also love this recipe because it’s:
- Gluten-free (perfect for those with dietary restrictions)
- Only takes 25 minutes to make
- High in protein (40 grams per serving)!
- The PERFECT excuse to go out and buy an Instant Pot (trust me, it’s a game changer)
Key Ingredients
Florida Orange Juice – A ½ cup of Florida Orange Juice has just 55 calories and 11.5 g of naturally occurring sugar, while a medium sized orange has 69 calories and 12 grams of natural sugar. It’s also an easy way to sneak in lots of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium, folate, and thiamin, plus calcium and vitamin D (in fortified options). Cauliflower and chicken breast are both pretty neutral flavoured ingredients, so adding that tangy sweet of Florida Orange Juice is a great way to bring this instant pot dish to life.
Low Sodium Tamari – To keep this dish gluten free, I use low sodium tamari instead of soy sauce. But if you don’t need to make this gluten free and have soy sauce on hand instead, then soy sauce it up!
Cauliflower – The most hyped up veg right now! Cauliflower is being subbed everywhere for rice, hashbrowns, and even pizza crust thanks to its neutral taste. We won’t be transforming cauliflower into anything crazy, but it is a great way to sneak in some extra vitamins and minerals.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a small bowl whisk Florida Orange Juice, tamari, garlic, ginger, maple, and sriracha and set aside.
Step 2: Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and add sesame oil and olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and brown for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Turn pot off. Add the sauce, close lid and push MANUAL. Set timer for 4 minutes. Set vent to closed and cook.
Step 4: When timer goes off, vent, open and add the cauliflower. Push MANUAL and set the timer for 1 minute. Allow to vent then open and remove the chicken and cauliflower to a bowl.
Step 5: Set pot to SAUTEE. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to pot. Stir well and let sauté for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens to your liking.
Step 6: Toss the chicken and cauliflower in the Florida OJ sauce.
Step 7: Serve on top of rice garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, pomegranate arils, and coconut chips.
Expert Tips
While you can totally use chicken thighs in this instant pot orange chicken (which will yield even juicier results), I personally prefer lean chicken breasts in general. Thankfully, this sweet and spicy Florida OJ sauce keeps things deliciously juicy and moist, resulting in an amazingly light and fresh spring dish.
Recipe FAQs
One thousand percent you can. It’s also one of those recipes that tastes better as it marinates making it a perfect meal prep option.
By using the tamari vs. soy sauce you can keep this recipe gluten-free for those with dietary restrictions or gluten sensitivity.
More Recipes You Might Like
Looking for more quick and easy instant pot or air fryer recipes? Check out these recipes below!
- INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS (VEGAN & NO ADDED SUGAR)
- INSTANT POT CABBAGE (EASY + VEGAN)
- AIR FRYER TOFU (EASY VEGAN RECIPE)
- AIR FRYER PIZZA ROLLS (EASY APPETIZER)
Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Cauliflower with Gluten Free Florida OJ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Florida Orange Juice
- 1/4 cup low sodium tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp of sriracha or to taste
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
- 1 head cauliflower cut into large florets
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
Garnish:
- Green onion thinly sliced
- White and black sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp pomegranate arils
- 3 tbsp toasted coconut chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk Florida Orange Juice, tamari, garlic, ginger, maple, and sriracha and set aside.
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and add sesame oil and olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and brown for 3 minutes.
- Turn pot off. Add the sauce, close lid and push MANUAL. Set timer for 4 minutes. Set vent to closed and cook.
- When timer goes off, vent, open and add the cauliflower. Push MANUAL and set the timer for 1 minute. Allow to vent then open and remove the chicken and cauliflower to a bowl.
- Set pot to SAUTEE. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to pot. Stir well and let sauté for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens to your liking.
- Toss the chicken and cauliflower in the Florida OJ sauce.
- Serve on top of rice or cauliflower rice garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, pomegranate arils, and coconut chips.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Laura says
This is tasty and I love the easy clean up. Very warming and such a yummy complete meal.
Kerstin says
This was really lovely. I left out the sriracha because of my kids (3 and 5). I do not have an instant pot so just heated the sauce in a different casserole and then added it to the chicken later on. The chicken was cooked perfectly my children really loved this dish. I roasted the cauliflower in the oven because that is my favourite way of cooking it. Will try this with tofu and broccoli next time.
Abbey Sharp says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the rating Kerstin 🙂