Pressure Cooker Orange Chicken Legs

Serves 4 in about 40 minutes. A pressure cooker recipe built around soy sauce and long grain rice.

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 lbs chicken legs (drumsticks)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 7 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (or 1 tsp powdered ginger)
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1 ½ cups orange juice
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Green onions (for garnish), sliced
• 2 cups white long grain rice, rinsed well
• 2 cups water
• 6 qt or 8 qt electric pressure cooker
• Tall legged trivet/rack (if making rice)
• 7"x3" stainless pan (if making rice)

Method

1. Stir in the chicken legs, salt, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, half of the orange zest, and the orange juice.
2. Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
3. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 10 minutes. It will take several minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
4. When the cook cycle is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes (5 instant Natural Release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to do a Quick Release of the remaining steam/pressure.
5. When the pin in the lid drops down, open it up and remove the chicken legs to a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Turn on the broiler to 375° to start heating it up (only if you want to caramelize the coating).
7. Stir together the corn starch and water (slurry). Turn on the pot's Sauté setting and when it simmers, stir in the slurry.
8. When it thickens, turn off the pot and stir in the brown sugar and sesame oil. Taste and add salt if needed.
9. Tip in the sauce over the chicken legs and put them under the broiler if you want to caramelize the coating. Just for a few minutes.
10. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice.
11. In a 7"x3" pan, add 2 cups of rinsed white rice and 2 cups of water.
12. Put the tall trivet over the chicken legs and set the pan of rice on it. Then proceed with the pressure cooking.
13. When you open the lid after cooking, use a pan gripper or silicone mitts to get the hot pan of rice out of the pressure cooker. Fluff with a fork.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.