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This delicious and tangy orange chicken is made right in your slow cooker and is better than takeout. It’s coated in an irresistible sauce that will keep your family asking for this at least once a week!
If you love delicious homemade food that actually tastes better than takeout. You should make this into a meal and add in some sides like this Easy Fried Rice, these delicious Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and these Air Fryer Cream Cheese Wontons!
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe
Orange chicken is one of my family’s all-time favorite foods. It has just the right blend of flavors that combine tangy and sweet. And if you want to really make this the best, then you cook it in the slow cooker! This gives the chicken a change to really absorb the flavors making it taste so delicious when you are ready to eat it at dinner time! It tastes like its from a restaurant!
This crockpot orange chicken recipe is so easy and delicious, and it only takes about 15 minutes of prep time. Then you can pop it in your slow cooker and let it cook all day, and you will have an insanely delicious meal to eat at the end of the day! We love eating it with some delicious fried rice or some chow mein! It’s a recipe that will become a staple, and you will definitely want it on your regular dinner rotation!
Ingredients in Orange Chicken
This slow cooker orange chicken is simple to make. You will love the flavor combination and the orange marmalade really brings out that citrusy flavor that we all know and love! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: Cut these into cubes that are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- Cornstarch: This helps to coat the chicken so that you end up with that deliciously crispy outside.
- Vegetable Oil: The oil is what you will cook the chicken in before placing it in the crockpot.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: This adds a tangy flavor to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: This adds a delicious salty flavor that goes well with the other ingredients.
- Sesame Oil: Sesame oile brings in that traditional Asian flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use olive oil instead. It will just have less flavor in the dish!
- Sweet Orange Marmalade: In order to get that classic orange chicken flavor, this marmalade is a must!
- Brown Sugar: This adds a sweetness to the dish and brings all of the flavors together.
- Salt and Pepper: These will enhance all of the ingredients in the orange chicken!
How to Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
This recipe is a breeze to make, only uses a few simple ingredients, and is insanely delicious! I love how tender the chicken is on the inside. It’s cooked to perfection with a crispy outside edge that is drenched in the sauce!
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl, mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Coat and Brown the Chicken: In a ziplock bag, add the cornstarch and chicken. Shake to coat. Pour vegetable oil into the skillet and brown the sides of the covered chicken. The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked. It will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
- Add Chicken and Sauce to Crockpot: After the chicken is done cooking, add it to the crock pot. Then cover the chicken with the sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.
- Cook: Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
Pro Tips for Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Extra Sauce: If you have extra sauce in your slow cooker, then you can dish that out and add it to any veggies or rice and really soak in that deliciously tangy flavor!
- Easy Clean Up: To make clean-up a cinch, go ahead and use a slow cooker liner for cooking this in. Then, you can just remove it, and your cleanup is all done!
- Garnish: Garnish your finished dish by adding some sesame seeds and chopped green onions. It gives it a professional look!
How to Store Leftovers
This slow cooker orange chicken tastes great the next day for lunch or dinner! Heat it up and make yourself a rice bowl, add it to a stir fry or eat it plain!
- In the Refrigerator: Once your chicken has cooled, then you can store any leftovers in an airtight container. Place it in your fridge, and it will last for 4-5 days.
- To Reheat: You can reheat any leftover orange chicken on your stove or in the microwave!
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In a bowl, mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
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In a ziplock bag, add the cornstarch and chicken. Shake to coat. Pour vegetable oil into the skillet and brown the sides of the covered chicken. The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked since it is going in the crockpot.
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After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crockpot. Then cover the chicken with the sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.
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Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
Updated on September 14, 2022
Serves: 4
Calories360kcal (18%)Carbohydrates55g (18%)Protein19g (38%)Fat8g (12%)Saturated Fat2g (10%)Polyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat3gTrans Fat0.1gCholesterol54mg (18%)Sodium884mg (37%)Potassium240mg (7%)Fiber1g (4%)Sugar45g (50%)Vitamin A108IU (2%)Vitamin C3mg (4%)Calcium42mg (4%)Iron1mg (6%)
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
