Orange Chicken Slow Cooker Orange Marmalade

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This Crockpot Orange Chicken is better than take out! It tastes better, is so much healthier, and is ridiculously easy to make. Orange chicken for the win!

Crockpot asian inspired recipes like this crockpot orange chicken are the best! You can also check out: slow cooker lo mein, slow cooker teriyaki chicken, slow cooker kung pao chicken, slow cooker ramen noodles.

Crockpot Orange Chicken for.the.win.

As with most of my recipes, this one started out with craving.

A craving, for orange chicken. Orange-y, spicy chicken with a steaming side of perfectly cooked white rice? Swoon.

Orange chicken and rice in a bowl above

As much as I wanted to just order take-out, with Thanksgiving coming up, I figured I should probably skip the take-out, and try to recreate something healthier at home.

Thank you, Crockpot Orange Chicken, for curbing my craving without the guilt.

Bowl of orange chicken with rice side view

Funnily enough, I typically don't like orange chicken. Trevor, with his very refined palate, gets these cravings for orange chicken from Panda Express. 😉

But for whatever reason, I was the one craving orange chicken the other day, and I knew Trevor would totally be on board.

When I get a craving for something, I get kiiiind of o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d, so if I'm going to make it at home, it's gotta be easy. Luckily, this chicken only needs 5 hours to cook (vs 8 hours in some crockpot chicken recipes) and it literally look me less than 5 minutes to whip up.

What does crockpot orange chicken have in it?

Chicken breasts
Chicken broth
FRESH orange juice and zest
Brown sugar
Honey
Seasoned rice vinegar
Soy sauce
Garlic
Red pepper flakes
Ginger
Pepper
Cornstarch

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How do you make healthy homemade orange chicken?

Grease your crockpot. <– as usual, I'm obsessed.
Whip together the yummiest orange sauce: see above for ingredients (minus chicken and cornstarch)
Throw sauce and chicken into crockpot and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Stir in cornstarch and let it cook for another hour on HIGH.
Serve with rice and stuff.your.face.

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Closeup of orange chicken This crockpot orange chicken is c.r.a.z.y. good, you guys. The sauce is perfectly orange-y and you can make it as spicy as you like!

Now. Here's the deal. When I first had Trevor taste-test, his immediate reaction was YUM. Buuuuut, he wanted the sauce to be thicker.

Trevor was expecting that really thick, sticky, sauce that coats breaded chicken.

Well. This isn't the recipe for that.

THIS crockpot orange chicken has those same amazing orange chicken flavors you love, but without all the guilt! Plus, it's super saucy and when you serve it over rice, the rice soaks up all those crazy flavors. And basically, it's just amazing.

Later that night, I served this crockpot orange chicken up with some steamed rice and Trevor did a complete 180.

All I heard for the rest of the night was "Seriously, babe. This is goooood."

Craving curbed. Happy husband.

#success

Bowl of rice and orange chicken with a fork Now let's just see if we can keep him away from Panda Express. 😉

– Jennifer

What are some of your favorite take-out/delivery foods? I'd love to recreate them! Show me the yummy!

Some of my other take-out/delivery creations:

Easy Mongolian Beef

Thai Peanut Noodles

One Pot Asian Noodle Soup

Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry

This Crockpot Orange Chicken is better than take out! It tastes better, is so much healthier, and is ridiculously easy to make. Orange chicken for the win! showmetheyummy.com #crockpot #orangechicken

(equipment shown are affiliate links)

▢ 2 pounds uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
▢ 1 cup chicken broth
▢ 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
▢ 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
▢ 1/4 cup honey
▢ 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
▢ 1/2 cup soy sauce
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
▢ 1-2 tablespoons grated orange zest
▢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste (we used 3 teaspoons)
▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1/4 cup cornstarch

Optional Toppings

▢ Green onion thinly sliced
▢ Cilantro chopped
▢ Sesame seeds

Grease your crockpot with cooking spray.
Whisk together sauce ingredients: broth, orange juice, brown sugar, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, and black pepper.
Pour half the sauce into crockpot.
Place chicken into crockpot.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken.
Place the lid on and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
Remove chicken from crockpot and set aside.
Whisk the cornstarch into the sauce until well combined.
Place chicken back into crockpot and cover.
Cook for an additional 1 hour on HIGH (if you cooked on low before) or 30 mins on HIGH (if you cooked on HIGH before).
Remove chicken, cut into chunks, then stir back into sauce.
Serve with your choice of rice and additional toppings and enjoy!
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Reheat:Microwave or stovetop until warm.

*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions

*Gluten free? Be sure to use a GF soy sauce or a GF alternative!

Nutrition Facts

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 451 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 1g 6%

Cholesterol 145mg 48%

Sodium 2112mg 92%

Potassium 1048mg 30%

Carbohydrates 44g 15%

Sugar 33g 37%

Protein 51g 102%

Vitamin A 280IU 6%

Vitamin C 24.8mg 30%

Calcium 38mg 4%

Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Keywords: chicken breast, crockpot, slow cooker

This Crockpot Orange Chicken was originally published November 20, 2015 and has been updated to include a video and more detailed content.

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