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Enjoy delicious Crockpot orange chicken from the comfort of your home and save time and money.  The savory and sweet orange sauce is thick and delicious making the chicken oh so yummy. Your family will go crazy over this easy recipe.

Orange chicken in a slow cooker with a serving on a wooden spoon
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What could be better than delicious Orange Chicken? Crockpot Orange Chicken of course. Make this today and come home to dinner ready to enjoy thanks to the slow cooker.

The chicken slow cooks all day and gets so tender. The flavor is so amazing that I could literally just eat this orange sauce by the spoon. Wait till you try it. You might also like our 3 Ingredient Orange Chicken Recipe, Instant Pot Orange Chicken, or any of our Asian Slow Cooker Recipes.

Orange Chicken over white rice on a plate

What is Orange Chicken?

Orange chicken a popular dish to at your local fast food Asian restaurant. Diced up boneless skinless chicken breasts is covered in corn starch and then placed in a slow cooker.

The orange sauce mixture is poured over the chicken and cooked. Orange chicken can also be prepared with fried chicken or with boneless skinless chicken thighs.

It is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes.

Chicken breasts, cornstarch, pepper, marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, green onions

Crockpot Orange Chicken Ingredients:

  • Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
  • Cornstarch
  • Black Pepper
  • Orange Marmalade
  • Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Sesame Oil
  • Minced Garlic
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Green Onions

How to Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken:

  • Step 1 – Toss Chicken – Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken in cornstarch mixture. You can add olive oil to the slow cooker if you prefer.
Placing the diced chicken in a zip lock bag and covering with cornstarch
  • Step 2 – Place Chicken – Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
  • Step 3 – Combine Orange Mixture – Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together the orange marmalade and soy sauce. Add in rice vinegar, sesame oil, and minced garlic.
Combining the orange sauce in a bowl
  • Step 4 – Pour Sauce – Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat in the crock pot.
  • Step 5 – Cover and Cook – Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Step 6 – Serve and Enjoy – Serve topped with the remaining sesame seeds and the green onions. We like to season with salt and pepper before serving.

What is the Orange Sauce Made Of?

We we made this slow cooker orange chicken, we used simple ingredients to make the orange sauce. The key ingredient is the orange marmalade.

Then we added in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. It provides flavor to the sauce and really gives it that Asian taste. We combined all the ingredients in a bowl and poured over the chicken.

There is no need to heat the orange sauce before adding. Slow cooking the sauce over the chicken allows it to caramelize it for amazing flavor.

Orange Chicken over white rice on a plate

Do I Need to Brown the Chicken?

In this recipe, we did not brown the chicken before adding to the slow cooker. But you can as some say it adds amazing flavor when cooked in the sauce.

What to Serve with Slow Cooker Orange Chicken?

When we make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken we usually serve over cooked white rice. The top with the rest of the sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

But you can also serve with one of these delicious sides or just on its own. Here are some recommendations.

  • Stir Fry Vegetables Roasted zucchini and squash recipe is one of our favorite and easiest go to side dish recipes. It is the perfect sheet pan recipe for a delicious veggie side dish full of flavor.
  • Cauliflower RiceCauliflower rice a great alternative to regular rice. It is a low carb option and you easily season it with simple spices. Topping the Orange Chicken over the Cauliflower Rice is one of my favorite ways to serve it.
  • Easy Fried RiceEnjoy this Easy Fried Rice Recipe in less than 10 minutes making it perfect for busy weeknights.  Make this in less time than it takes to get take out and you will save money too.
Ornge Chicken in the slow cooker

Can I Make Orange Chicken Without a Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can actually make Orange Chicken in the skillet. This Easy Skillet Orange Chicken Recipe is perfect busy weeknight. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare which takes less time to go through the drive thru.

The ingredients are simple and it is one of my family’s favorite recipes.

Orange Chicken in a Crockpot Recipe Tips:

  • Prepare Chicken – Prepare your chicken beforehand by dicing in bite size pieces. It is nice to already have this done so it is easy to serve. We did not brown the chicken before adding to the slow cooker, but you can if you prefer.
  • Coat Chicken – Before adding the chicken to the slow cooker, coat with corn starch. This helps the orange sauce stick to the chicken to give it flavor.
  • Frozen Chicken – Cooking time may vary if you are using frozen chicken. Make sure your chicken is cooked through before serving.
Orange Chicken over white rice on a plate

Crock Pot Orange Chicken Variation Ideas:

  • Change the Chicken – If you prefer you can use different types of chicken to make this recipe. You can use chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks or chicken tenders.
  • Add Vegetables – For a complete meal idea, you can easily add in vegetables to cook with the chicken. Depending on the vegetables you add, you may need to wait to add the vegetables. We like to wait until there is about 20 minutes remaining then add the vegetables.
  • Seasoning – Feel free to change the seasoning in if you prefer. We have added in red pepper flakes for an extra kick to the sauce. It gives it the right amount of heat that my kids will still eat it.
  • BBQ Sauce – Feel free to add in sweet baby rays barbecue sauce to balance out the flavors. The sweet and savory combination really is delicious.
  • Brown Sugar – To enhance the sweetness flavor, you can add in a tablespoon of brown sugar. We love the flavor it adds to the sauce.

Can you Freeze Orange Chicken?

Yes, you can freeze orange chicken. It is a great recipe to double to enjoy again. Place your leftovers in a freezer bag or freezer container. Make sure it has cooled before storing.

When ready to enjoy, thaw the orange chicken in the fridge overnight. Then you can reheat in a skillet or the microwave to enjoy. We think it taste even better the next day.

Orange Chicken in the slow cooker

How to Store Leftovers:

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This is a perfect recipe to meal prep with. The chicken reheats easily in the microwave and is easy to store in individual containers.

Crock pot Orange Chicken Recipe

5 from 9 votes
Enjoy delicious Crockpot orange chicken from the comfort of your home and save time and money.  The savory and sweet orange sauce is thick and delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings 6
Cuisine Chinese
Course Main Course
Calories 390

Ingredients

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Instructions

  • Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken in cornstarch mixture.
  • Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
  • Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together the orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and minced garlic.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat in the crock pot.
  • Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve topped with the remaining sesame seeds and the green onions.

Recipe Notes

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.  

Nutrition Facts

Calories 390kcal, Carbohydrates 60g, Protein 27g, Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat 2g, Monounsaturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0.01g, Cholesterol 72mg, Sodium 942mg, Potassium 546mg, Fiber 1g, Sugar 48g, Vitamin A 125IU, Vitamin C 6mg, Calcium 61mg, Iron 1mg

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More Asian Recipes to try

Enjoy delicious Crockpot orange chicken and its thick sweet and savory sauce. Save time and money and enjoy this chicken recipe at home. Skip Panda Express takeout and make this delicious recipe at home. The chicken cooks tender and the perfect dish to serve over rice for a complete meal. #eatingonadime #crockpotorangechicken #orangechicken

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

5 from 9 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Carrie Barnard says:

    I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Brandy M Poulson says:

    5 stars
    This was my husband so time favorite, I told him you would like the one that has the most ingredients and the one thing I absolutely will not eat! I don’t like sweet sauces on anything but ice cream. Which does make it hard when your family asks for meals containing these ingredients I also have to watch to make sure that it has no gluten in it which so far none of your recipes have. They are this all up and there were no leftovers which is amazing in my house. Thanks Carrie

  3. Carrie says:

    You can try white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead and I think it would still be delicious!

  4. Sheryl says:

    I have everything to make this except rice vinegar- is there anything i could use to replace it?