This crockpot orange chicken is a takeout copycat that’s easy to make at home. It’s irresistible, tender chicken covered in a sweet, tangy glaze that’s made from orange marmalade.
Pair this with Better than Takeout Fried Rice or 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.
More Asian inspired meals
Thai Noodles | Lo Mein | Mongolian Beef
Crockpot Orange Chicken Ingredients
You will need:
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger or ½ tsp dried
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
For garnish (optional):
- Chopped green onion
- White sesame seeds
For serving (optional):
- 4 cups white, brown, or fried rice
Ingredient substitutions & additions:
CHICKEN: Instead of chicken breasts you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this 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. ½ tsp of red pepper gives the chicken a little 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 Crockpot Orange Chicken:
STEP 1: Add the bite-sized pieces of chicken to the crockpot.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, stir together the orange marmalade, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper until combined.
PRO TIP: If you like some extra spice add ½ tsp red pepper flakes plus a couple pinches more. This will give the chicken some spicy heat but not overpower the other flavors of the sauce.
STEP 3: Pour the sauce over the chicken in the crockpot, coating it evenly.
STEP 4: Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. The chicken should be cooked through.
STEP 5: Meanwhile, mix together the water and cornstarch. Pour the 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 6: Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion (optional). Flavors taste best when served immediately. If needed, you can keep the chicken in your crockpot on the ‘warm’ setting for up to 1 – 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!
What to Serve with Crockpot Orange Chicken
Crockpot Orange Chicken is tasty served over rice like jasmine rice or basmati rice. And an easy side dish that goes well with this meal is steamed veggies: broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower.
As you serve your chicken, you can drizzle the orange glaze over your rice and veggies for a tasty topping.
This crockpot orange chicken is the best because it’s simple: there’s no frying or breading and the ingredients list is short! Skip the takeout on a busy night and enjoy this flavorful, homemade alternative instead.
MORE RECIPE IDEAS
Chicken Casserole | Coca Cola Chicken Drumsticks
Chinese Chicken Salad | Thai Chicken Foil Packets
Crockpot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs 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
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flake
- 2 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- Chopped green onion for garnish optional
- White sesame seeds for garnish optional
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.
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