Slow Cooker Orange Chicken — 🍊😋🧡 The easiest orange chicken ever because your slow cooker does all the work! Super juicy, tender, and coated with a sweet-yet-tangy orange glaze that’s irresistible! A family FAVORITE chicken dinner recipe to put into your rotation!
Table of Contents
- Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe
- What’s in Slow Cooker Orange Chicken?
- How to Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- What Size Slow Cooker Should Is Best?
- Can I Make Orange Chicken Without a Slow Cooker?
- Can I Add Veggies to the Orange Chicken?
- Tips for Making Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe
- More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes:
Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe
When I asked on Facebook what kind of recipes you want to see, I was overwhelmed with slow cooker responses. So slow cooker orange chicken it is today with more slow cooker recipes in the upcoming weeks. Make sure you’re following me on Facebook and chime in.
This is the easiest orange chicken recipe ever and there’s no breading, browning, or frying involved. Your slow cooker does all the work for you. The chicken is so tender, juicy, and layered with complementary flavors from the orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and green onions.
It reminds me of Panda Express Chinese Orange Chicken except with this copycat recipe, there’s no frying.
Along with rice and steamed broccoli and peapods, my family loved this meal and it couldn’t be any easier for me. I used a slow cooker liner and cleanup was as easy as tossing the liner.
There’s plenty of cooking sauce leftover in the bottom of the slow cooker, which I spoon generously over the chicken, rice, and veggies. I love the sweet-and-tangy, savory flavor and don’t let a drop go to waste.
What’s in Slow Cooker Orange Chicken?
To make this orange chicken recipe with orange marmalade, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Orange marmelade
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Ground ginger
- Garlic powder
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
- Orange slices (optional)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Drizzle the bottom of your slow cooker with olive oil. Then, place the diced chicken, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a zip-top bag and shake to coat. Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Next, add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and gently stir the chicken to coat it evenly in the sauce.
- Cook covered on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours. If cooking on high, start checking at 90 minutes and if cooking on low, start checking at 3 hours. All slow cookers vary, so just cook until chicken is done (reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer).
- I like serving my CrockPot orange chicken over rice garnished with chopped green onion and sesame seeds.
Can I Make Orange Chicken Without a Slow Cooker?
I haven’t made this recipe without a slow cooker, so I can’t give specifics about how to tweak it if you don’t own one. I have other chicken recipes listed in the Related Recipes below that you can try until you can make this with a slow cooker.
Can I Add Veggies to the Orange Chicken?
I’ve only made this recipe as written, but a few readers have reported success with adding chopped vegetables to the slow cooker in the last 30 or so minutes of cooking. Play around with it and see what works for you!
Tips for Making Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Some readers have asked if they can use sugar-free orange marmalade in this easy orange chicken recipe. I’ve only made this recipe using regular orange marmalade (i.e. full sugar), so I can’t speak to how the sugar-free kind will cook down in the sauce and if it will affect the overall flavor of the dish.
I’ve only made this orange marmalade chicken recipe using chicken breasts, but I’m sure you could get away with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. Just be sure to dice them into even-sized pieces so the chicken cooks through evenly.
If you have a sesame allergy, you’re welcome to use additional olive oil in the orange chicken sauce instead of sesame oil. And skip the sesame seed garnish.
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Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Equipment
- 1 6-quart slow cooker OR
- 1 slow cooker liners optional
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted if desired (add to a dry skillet and cook over medium heat for about 30 seconds or until fragrant)
- 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced thin for garnishing
- orange slices, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Optionally, line a 6-quart to 7-quart slow cooker with a liner if using one. I prefer to use liners for easy cleanup but it's optional.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over bottom of the liner or slow cooker.
- To a large, gallon-sized ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, cornstarch, salt, pepper, seal bag, and toss to coat chicken evenly. Add chicken to slow cooker, evenly distributed; set aside.
- To a 2-cup measuring cup or medium bowl, add the orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger (I prefer 1 teaspoon but some people are sensitive to ginger), garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir to combine.
- Pour mixture over the chicken, using a spoon to distribute the sauce as necessary, making sure all pieces are coated.
- Cook covered on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours. If cooking on high, start checking at 90 minutes and if cooking on low, start checking at 3 hours. All slow cookers vary so cook until chicken is done (reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer).
- Add chicken to a plate with as much extra cooking sauce spooned over the top as desired, garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, optional orange wedges, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes:
Healthier Orange Chicken – Stop calling for takeout or going to the mall food court and make this HEALTHIER orange chicken at home in less than 10 minutes!! EASY, authentic, and so INCREDIBLE that you’ll never miss the fat and calories!!
One-Skillet Orange Chicken with Vegetables — Easy, ready in 15 minutes, healthy (no breading, no frying), and the orange flavor just pops! Perfect for busy weeknights, a family favorite, and you’ll make this over and over!
Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad – Big juicy chicken chunks and texture galore from the rainbow of crispy veggies! Fast, easy, fresh and healthy! Great for picnics, potlucks, and easy dinners!
Chicken Teriyaki and Vegetable Bowtie Pasta – Juicy chicken coated in teriyaki sauce with crisp, crunchy veggies! Healthy, easy, 20 minute meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights!
15-Minute Orange Chili Chicken and Broccoli – The orange chili sauce is spicy, tangy, and sweet all in one!! The PERFECT sauce to jazz up chicken and broccoli! A FAST and EASY dinner with great Asian FLAVOR!!
Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken — This sweet and sour chicken recipe takes just 15 minutes to make and tastes way better than takeout. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Sheet Pan Ginger Orange Chicken and Vegetables – Fast, EASY, HEALTHY, and loaded with great orange ginger flavor!! A DELISH one-pan meal with zero cleanup that’s perfect for busy weeknights!!
Mandarin Chicken Stir Fry — An EASY Asian stir fry with tender chicken, juicy oranges, and veggies!! Skip takeout and make this ONE skillet recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights!!
Originally posted February 15, 2016 and reposted January 10, 2020 with updated text.
Absolutely DEE-licious !!
I cut it back to about 1/3 of the recipe, using half a pound of chicken tenders in a 1.5 quart slow cooker. Poured it over bean thread (cellophane) noodles. I overcooked it some, but even though the chicken was a bit dry, I ate every bite and licked the bowl clean. 😋 Will be making again tomorrow, and at least once a month from now on.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a winner that you’re making tomorrow and monthly!
Hi! Wondering if you can help me figure out where I went wrong. I made this exactly how you instructed by my sauce didn’t thicken up at all, it’s quite watery. I used low sodium soy sauce, could that be why?
Hi! Wondering if you can help me figure out where I went wrong. I made this exactly how you instructed by my sauce didn’t thicken up at all, it’s quite watery. I used low sodium soy sauce, could that be why?
Wouldn’t be the soy sauce IMO. It could be the brand of orange marmalade you used. Could be not enough corn starch. Could be that the heat was high enough to cook the chicken but not really tighten the sauce.
However, this isn’t a ‘thick’ really tight sauce. If you want that type of sauce, make this https://www.averiecooks.com/healthier-orange-chicken/
I don’t have orange marmalade, can I use orange juice? Thank u
You could but won’t have the same amount of sugar nor viscosity/thickness that a marmalade will have. Nor probably the intensity of flavor.
But if you know going in that your results will differ, and that’s all you have, then I would try it.
I love this recipe! The flavor is great. How did yours turn out more dark brown? I think the juices in the chicken diluted the color/flavor of the sauce to a more orangey.
I love this recipe! The flavor is great. How did yours turn out more dark brown? I think the juices in the chicken diluted the color/flavor of the sauce to a more orangey.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love it!
Not sure regarding the coloring, maybe just the lighting.
Love your recipes….. This one calls for vegetable oil. Is there a more healthy substitute? Avocado or Olive Oil? How much will it change to taste or cooking?
Love your recipes….. This one calls for vegetable oil. Is there a more healthy substitute? Avocado or Olive Oil? How much will it change to taste or cooking?
Love your recipes….. This one calls for vegetable oil. Is there a more healthy substitute? Avocado or Olive Oil? How much will it change to taste or cooking?
You may want to reread the recipe because it calls for olive and sesame oil.
Thank you :)
Followed this recipe exactly, and it had no flavor. Very disappointed.
Just made this last night – my kids loved it!! thanks!!
Just made this last night – my kids loved it!! thanks!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad your kids loved it!
I like your attention to recipe details as always !
I like your attention to recipe details as always !
My husband is on a low Na diet. Why is this recipe over 1000 mg of sodium per serving? My low Na soy sauce is 450 mg for 1 T (equivalent to 1/4 of this recipe), the orange marmalade would add another 40 mg. I would eliminate the salt (only 1/8 t per serving). The other ingredients should not add sodium, so I am mystified.
I added a disclaimer about the nutrition info underneath it which you can read over, my thoughts only but you’re not going to consume every drop of sauce which is where the higher values are coming into play. And all ingredients vary. You can always calculate by hand for a more accurate representation given your exact ingredients’ values.
Hello I made this last night followed recipe exactly. cooked on high and checked in 90 min.
liquid cook out and thick. How can I savage this dish to have more sauce. rated this is three due to the end results.
had a good taste but the sauce on the chicken was like paste.
It sounds like your slow cooker runs pretty hot. In that case you may want to try omitting or reducing the cornstarch, add more marmalade, add a splash of water or chicken stock, you will need to play around with things based on your slow cooker.