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Crockpot Orange Chicken
This crockpot orange chicken is slow cooked in your crockpot smothered in a flavorful orange sauce.
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This crockpot orange chicken is a takeout copycat that’s easy to make at home. It features an irresistible, tender chicken covered in a sweet, tangy glaze that’s made from sweet orange marmalade.
Our sesame chicken and firecracker chicken are two more Asian-inspired dishes that you will be craving once you try them.
Crockpot Orange Chicken Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 1½ pounds boneless skinkless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon dried
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For garnish (optional)
- White sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
For serving (optional)
- 4 cups white, brown, or fried rice
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
CHICKEN: Instead of chicken breasts you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this delicious orange chicken recipe. These turn out super tender and are a great alternative! Just be sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces before adding them to your slow cooker.
RED PEPPER: Add more or less red pepper depending on how spicy you’d like your meal to be. Adding ½ teaspoon of red pepper gives the chicken a little bit of a spicy kick (which we love).
VINEGAR: If you don’t have rice wine vinegar on hand, any white vinegar is tasty in this recipe.
How to Make This Crockpot Orange Chicken Recipe
STEP ONE: Place chicken into the crockpot.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, stir together the orange marmalade, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper until sauce ingredients are combined.
PRO TIP:
If you like some extra spice add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus a couple of pinches more. This will give the chicken some spicy heat but not overpower the other flavors of the sauce.
STEP THREE: Pour the orange sauce over the chicken pieces in the crockpot, coating it evenly.
STEP FOUR: Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. The chicken should be cooked through.
STEP FIVE: Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the water and cornstarch. Pour mixture into the crockpot during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Replace the lid so that the sauce comes up to a slight boil and starts to thicken. If your crockpot is set to low, turn it to high for these 10 minutes.
STEP SIX: Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion (optional). The flavors taste best when served immediately. If needed, you can keep the chicken in your crockpot on the ‘warm’ setting for up to 1 to 2 hours until ready to serve.
PRO TIP:
As you’re serving your chicken there will be some sauce left at the bottom of your slow cooker. Don’t forget to spoon this out and drizzle it over your chicken and rice!
How to Serve
Pair this with better than takeout fried rice, Instant Pot brown rice, or cauliflower fried rice and you’ll have a homemade meal that you’d find on the menu at Panda Express.
Crockpot orange chicken is also tasty served over rice like jasmine rice or basmati rice. An easy side dish that goes well with this meal is steamed veggies: broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower to make this a complete meal. As you serve your chicken, you can drizzle the tangy orange glaze over your rice and veggies for a tasty topping.
MORE CROCKPOT RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: This crispy orange chicken can be kept for up to three days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze cooked chicken safely for up to three months. Defrost before reheating by using the defrost setting on the microwave or leave overnight in the refrigerator.
This easy crockpot orange chicken recipe is the best because it’s simple: there’s no frying or breading and the ingredients list is short. Skip the takeout next time you have a busy night and enjoy this flavorful, homemade alternative instead for a new family favorite.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in this recipe?
Chicken thighs would also be delicious in this tangy orange chicken recipe.
Is this recipe spicy?
The level of spice in this slow cooker orange chicken recipe will depend on the quantity of red pepper flakes that you add. You can opt to leave the red pepper flakes out and it will still be delicious and flavorful.
Can I freeze leftover orange chicken?
Crockpot orange chicken can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
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- Chicken Casserole
- Coca Cola Chicken Drumsticks
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Thai Chicken Foil Packets
- Bang Bang Chicken
Crockpot Orange Chicken
This crockpot orange chicken is slow cooked in your crockpot smothered in a flavorful orange sauce.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon dried
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- white sesame seeds for optional garnish
- chopped green onion for optional garnish
Instructions
- Add chicken pieces to crockpot.
- In a bowl, stir the orange marmalade, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, soy, ginger, and red pepper flakes together until combined. Pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
- Mix the water and cornstarch together. Pour mixture into the crockpot during the last 10 minutes of cooking, replace the lid so it comes up to a slight boil and thickens. (If you are cooking on low, switch over to high for the last 10 minutes).
- Serve over rice and garnish with white sesame seeds and green onion.
Notes
TIP: If you like some extra spice add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus a couple of pinches more. This will give the chicken some spicy heat but not overpower the other flavors of the sauce.
TIP: As you’re serving your chicken there will be some sauce left at the bottom of your slow cooker. Don’t forget to spoon this out and drizzle it over your chicken and rice!
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Christine in Los Angeles says
A favourite recipe; thank you for posting.
One note – the heading on your (printable) recipe, says cooking time is one hour … should be four hours?
Judi H says
Has anyone tried add ins while cooking? Green or other colored peppers, cashews, etc?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Judi – we haven’t tried those additions yet but I bet they would be yummy, enjoy!
Rosemary Campos says
My crockpot is 5 qtr…can I double recipe in this size…also would time increase…and last is your recipe 4 servings? This is gonna be a surprise for my granddaughter who loves panda express orange chicken….thank you for this recipe!!!
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Rosemary – one batch is four servings. If you’re doubling the recipe, it may need a little more time, depending on how crowded your crockpot is. Enjoy!
Ken Putnam says
Rather than ketchup and brown sugar, could you use sweet barbecue sauce ?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Ken – we haven’t tried that substitution, but it sounds good! Please let me know how it turns out, enjoy!
Jeannette Shields says
This is very good! I am eating it right now. I used sugar free orange marmalade and only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, but that is personal preference. Thank you again. Can I freeze it??
Carol says
Crockpot chicken marmalade was excellent, I mightโve put a little too much red pepper flakes in, but that was my fault. It will be less red pepper flakes, but it was very very good. I would definitely make it again and I recommend this recipe and very easy to make.
Jayne K says
Can you use something other than orange marmalade?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Jayne – we have only tested this with the orange marmalade. I think peach or apricot could also work well, but will definitely change the flavor profile. It may work with some orange juice but would definitely impact the consistency as well. Let me know what you try!