Crockpot Orange Chicken is an easy dinner you can make at home. Pieces of juicy chicken breast are slowly cooked to perfection with zesty flavors and seasonings, making a delicious meal just in time for dinner.
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Why this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe is a Keeper
There’s nothing like this orange chicken recipe for a special dinner at home. With its tangy flavor and crispy texture, it’s a family-friendly recipe sure to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients for Mandarin chicken can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Family Favorite: This easy orange chicken recipe is a great family dinner that everyone will enjoy.
- Great for Beginner Cooks: You don’t need to be an experienced chef to make orange chicken in a crockpot, as this great recipe is friendly to all skill levels. It’s one of our favorite slow cooker recipes ever, and tastes similar to the orange chicken from Panda Express.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Chicken Breast for this Crockpot Orange Chicken Recipe?
Orange chicken, like Kung Pao chicken, is a Chinese American dish you can find at many restaurants. You can make this recipe for yourself with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead, which are more tender than chicken breasts.
Ingredient Notes for Simple Crockpot Orange Chicken
- Chicken Breast: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs to make homemade orange chicken. If you’re doubling the recipe, use 4-5 chicken breasts. Place the chicken in a single layer in the crock pot to cook.
- Orange: This recipe uses both orange juice and orange zest. Add orange juice with the sauce ingredients or marmalade. However, it may take longer to whisk together the orange marmalade with everything else.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Orange Crockpot Chicken
- Cut the Chicken: Cut your chicken into bite size pieces. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Make the Sauce: Prepare the sauce and have ready to assemble the dish. It can be stored in the fridge for several days.
Special Equipment Needed for Easy Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker: No need to watch the chicken as it cooks in the slow cooker; just leave it there for a cooking time of about four hours and come back when the time is up.
Pro Tip to Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Marinating the chicken in orange juice, soy sauce, and your favorite seasonings for at least 30 minutes before cooking will add extra flavor.
How to Make Orange Chicken
This sweet orange chicken is easy to put together, thanks to the slow cooker. With chicken chunks coated in a savory and sweet orange glaze, this version of orange chicken is a great copycat recipe for Panda Express at home.
You’ll love this recipe, especially served with steamed rice. Follow the steps below to learn how to make slow cooker orange chicken.
These are the basic steps for making easy slow cooker orange chicken. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Make the Orange Sauce
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, spices, sesame oil, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then add cornstarch, whisk, and set aside.
2. Cook the Chicken and Sauce
Add the chicken to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the chicken. Coat the chicken completely and cook the chicken on high for 4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked at an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
3. Cut Chicken into Cubes and Serve with Steamed Rice
When the chicken is done cooking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then return the chunks of chicken to the sauce and toss to coat the chicken then marinate for 15-30 minutes. Serve the chicken pieces over white rice or your favorite fried rice recipe. Garnish with chopped green onions.
How to Store, Reheat and Use Leftover Slow Cooker Orange Chicken in Slow Cooker
- Storing: Store leftover orange chicken in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheating: Reheat chicken in the microwave or on the stovetop or on low in the slow cooker.
- Using Leftovers: Leftover orange chicken stays good for up to 5 days.
Variations and Substitutions for Crockpot Orange Chicken at Home
- Chicken and Broccoli: Serve with different vegetables, such as steamed broccoli or red bell peppers.
- Gluten Free: Make this recipe gluten free with tamari or coconut aminos.
Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken FAQs to Make this Recipe
Orange chicken goes great with brown rice, Asian corn on the cob, and sesame noodles.
No; just slow cook the raw chicken. It will be fully cooked by the time it’s done.
Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Expert Tips for Making Crock Pot Easy Orange Chicken
- Toppings: Top this crockpot orange chicken recipe with sesame seeds, scallions, or red pepper flakes.
- BBQ Sauce: Coat the chicken in BBQ sauce in addition to the orange sauce.
- Double the Recipe: If you want more of this sweet and sour chicken, double the recipe by increasing the sauce ingredients and amount of chicken proportionally.
- Rice Vinegar: Use rice vinegar instead of white vinegar.
- Marmalade: Use orange marmalade instead of orange juice. You can use Smucker’s sweet orange marmalade or another variety if you’d prefer.
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Crockpot Orange Chicken
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- ¾ cup Orange Juice, Fresh
- 3 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons White Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1-2 Oranges, for zest
- Chili Flakes, optional
- 1 tablespoon Corn Starch
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 Chicken Breasts, Large skinless and boneless
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the soy sauce, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, spices, oil, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, mix the corn starch and water then whisk into the sauce to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat, and set aside.
- Place the chicken breast into the slow cooker, then add the sauce over top the chicken.
- Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165ºF.
- Once chicken has cooked, remove and slice into bite size pieces.
- Return the chicken to the sauce and let marinade in the sauce for 15 to 30 more minutes.
- Serve the orange chicken over rice and garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Christina’s Notes
- Toppings: Top this crockpot orange chicken recipe with sesame seeds, scallions, or red pepper flakes.
- BBQ Sauce: Coat the chicken in BBQ sauce in addition to the orange sauce.
- Double the Recipe: If you want more of this sweet and sour chicken, double the recipe by increasing the sauce ingredients and amount of chicken proportionally.
- Rice Vinegar: Use rice vinegar instead of white vinegar.
- Marmalade: Use orange marmalade instead of orange juice. You can use Smucker’s sweet orange marmalade or another variety if you’d prefer.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.