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Crockpot Orange Chicken

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4.96 from 23 votes
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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!

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 This Crockpot Orange Chicken is one of our most popular recipes (originally posted November 20, 2015), so I’ve updated it to include a how-to video! Enjoy!

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.

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

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.

Watch the Video

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

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

How do you make healthy homemade orange chicken?

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

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 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

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 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

Crockpot Orange Chicken

4.96 from 23 votes
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!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Yield: 4 people
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Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  • 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 30 mins on HIGH (if you cooked on HIGH before) or 1 hour on HIGH (if you cooked on low before).
  • Remove chicken, cut into chunks, then stir back into sauce.
  • Serve with your choice of rice and additional toppings and enjoy!
Rate This Recipe

Notes

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

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Crockpot Orange Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 451 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 145mg48%
Sodium 2112mg92%
Potassium 1048mg30%
Carbohydrates 44g15%
Sugar 33g37%
Protein 51g102%
Vitamin A 280IU6%
Vitamin C 24.8mg30%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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

Keywords: chinese orange chicken, crockpot orange chicken with orange juice
Enjoy this recipe?
Tag @showmetheyummy on Instagram and hashtag it #showmetheyummy
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese

 

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  2. Cristina

    5 stars
    This came out great. It tastes like a healthy version of Chinese takeout. It smelled amazing in my house!

    I didn’t have ginger or rice vinegar. It came out fine without the ginger and I substituted balsamic vinegar plus a little sugar to balance instead.

    I changed some ratios because I only had 1lb of chicken too, but the premise was the same, little less soy for less salt. This is immediately going into my recipe book, thanks!!!

    Reply

  3. Anna

    Oh.My.Yummy!
    This is amazingly easy and so delicious. I served over coconut rice and it was devoured by everyone. Bowls licked clean. I’m glad I found your website. I’ll be back!

    Reply

      • Ashlee

        Thank you so much!! I’m excited about this recipe, because orange chicken is my husband’s favorite! Thanks!

      • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

        You’re so welcome! You’ll have to let me know if the flour thickens it up ok 🙂 Hope your husband loves it!

  8. Liz robison

    5 stars
    I’m in the middle of cooking this now. Love all the ingredients so I’m excited to see how it turns out. I do have a question about the nutritional info. Are the totals inclusive of both the chicken and all the sauce?

    Reply

  9. Molly

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and very easy. 1 tsp of crushed red pepper was plenty. Next time I may add some veggies like onion, peppers, brocolli or water chestnuts. Has anyone done this and if so at what point in the cooking process? Thinking I could just toss them in a saute pan and add at the end.

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Thanks Molly! I haven’t added veggies to this, but I have on another one of my crockpot asian chicken recipes and it works great! I buy frozen stir fry veggies, cook them according to package directions, season with salt and stir in! Works great 🙂

      Reply

  10. J Brech

    Jennifer,

    So I was looking to make Orange Chicken TONIGHT and searched for recipes (hoping I had everything). I stumbled on your site and though, hmm I can make this work.

    I only had Halo oranges and had no honey sooo I zested the Halo’s (3 tbsp instead of 2, anticipating a less zesty outcome), but added a tbsp of fresh lemon juice.

    In place of Honey, but I substituted Molasses and added an extra tbsp of dark brown sugar. I was short on time and cooked on high for 2 hours covered and 1 uncovered.

    I took the liberty of adding peas at the end (wanted a veggie that didn’t conflict with the taste).

    Let me tell you… delish!!!

    I usually like to make recipes verbatim the first time. I was in a pickle and so, luckily it was fantastic. Thank you!!! 🤗

    Reply

  13. Julie Cicero

    5 stars
    Made this tonight. I used boneless skinless thighs, and used sambal instead of red pepper flakes. I also seasoned the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. It was great, definitely a keeper. I served it with stir fried veg (zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms and asparagus. Great meal, thanks for the inspiration

    Reply

  14. Faith Ray

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe! I paired it with Jasmine rice. I had a couple of people over for dinner and they were impressed. This one is going in my recipe box to make on a regular basis.

    Reply

  15. Lorri

    Just realized I forgot to add the seasoned rice vinegar. It still tastes wonderful. Can I add it now that it’s finished cooking?

    Reply

  16. Denise Theisman Brooks

    Can chicken breasts be replaced with skinless, boneless chicken thighs? Looking forward to trying this recipe. Sounds delicious!

    Reply

  17. Angela R

    5 stars
    Hi!

    This is a great recipe, however I did make some alterations just to use up some of the ingredients. I cut up the orange that I grated into pieces and added it into the pot, just to really bring out the orange-y flavours. I also put garlic powder, sesame oil, and a bit of extra garlic. Was also thinking of putting apricot/orange perseveres but ended up forgetting lol. This recipe goes really nicely with white basmati rice.

    Reply

  18. Alex

    The sauce didn’t turn out as I was expecting despite following the recipe. It was much lighter in color and in viscosity than the color of yours at the end. Do you have any idea why this was?

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Was yours too thick or too thin? If it was too thick, then not enough liquid or too much cornstarch… the opposite if it was too thin. Maybe not enough soy sauce if the color was lighter?

      Reply

  19. Jill

    Hi I am planning my 80th birthday party and guess what I think I might have 28 people who might like orange chicken ! I have the opportunity to have 3 slow cookers on the go. If you have any ideas to help me have a fairly stress free day .I would be grateful

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Jill! You could definitely prep the sauce ingredients the day before if you like 🙂 Then all you have to do the day of is throw the sauce into the crockpot with the chicken and be good to go! I hope that helps!! Happy 80th Birthday!!!!!!!! <3

      Reply

  20. Jami

    5 stars
    I use my crockpot almost daily! I work mostly swing shift and my teenagers don’t want to wait till 10:00 every night to eat! My husband works 2 jobs and does a lot of community plays – so let’s just say I’m serious when I say we use it almost daily!!!! One of my daughters loves fast food orange chicken! We have tried the crockpot version that was all over Pinterest with Orange Marmalade and we did not like it at all!!! Yours looks sooo yummy and I love that it has Orange Juice in it. I put it in the crockpot this morning and the teens can finish it up when thy are ready to eat ! Thanks ! And I WILL be checking out all your other crockpot meals !!!!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Yay!!! I hope you all love this Jami! 🙂 You’ve come to the right place, because I LOVE my crockpot!!

      Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Do you have another kind of vinegar (like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar)? Or lime juice? Just something acidic 🙂

      Reply

  26. Christine Hoffmann

    5 stars
    I need to tell you that I really, really love your recipies!!! And people around me start to love me because I ‘use’ these recipies to pamper them. Thank you both for the beautiful and tasty work! All the best from Germany, Chris

    Reply

  30. Jennifer Hall

    5 stars
    Hi Jennifer,

    First of all I need to say I’ve used so many of your recipes with fantastic results! Thank you and keep ’em coming!

    I used to be a huge fan of the Crock-Pot until I discovered the instant pot… Any chance you’ll be making recipes with both the crock pot cooking times AND the instant pot instructions?

    I’m going to try to make this in my instant pot tonight because I. Just. Have. To. Yum!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      It should! You’ll probably want to reduce the cook time, so the chicken doesn’t overcook and get tough! 🙂

      Reply

  32. Reggie

    Would it work to use cooked chicken and then just mix in the sauce and the rice? Or to cook the rice in with the chicken at the same time?
    I have pre-cooked chicken and I would like to keep it in one dish.
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      You could definitely give that a try… I’ve never tried it, so I can’t guarantee the results!

      Reply

      • Reggie

        I made it with cooked chicken and it turned out great!
        I made the rice and the sauce separately and then just mixed it all together and let it thicken in the crock pot for about 15 minutes. It was so good and easy! Definitely going to make it again!

  33. Marilee

    Could quinoa be used in place of the rice. I have quinoa but have never cooked it before. . Sounds really good. I like the addition of colored peppers and onion as one person suggested.

    Reply

  34. LizK

    This was delicious! The only change I made due to time was cooking for two hours on high before I added the cornstarch and the chicken was still tender and juicy!

    Oh, I used a tsp of red pepper instead of flakes because I didn’t have time to run back to the store. So two small changes, oops.

    This is definitely going in the crock pot rotation – thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  35. Benedict Rasmussen

    For those wondering, a rough calorie count is 2,245 calories for the entire dish. A serving size is roughly 1.5 cups (which will divvy the meal up for 4 people.) Don’t forget to add the calories for what you are serving over, such as brown rice (216 calories for 1 cup.)
    Below are my numbers.

    Orange chicken = (chicken), (chicken broth), (OJ, fresh squeezed), (brown sugar), (honey), (apple cider vinegar [substituted for rice viengar]), (soy sauce), (corn starch)

    *2245 Calories* = (748*2) + (12*1) + (112*0.5) + (836 * 0.25) + (1030 * 0.25) + (51 * 0.5) + (135 * 0.5) + (488 * 0.25)

    Reply

  36. Kathy

    Do you think the sauce thickening step at the end could be eliminated by starting out with flour coated chicken chunks at the beginning? Trying to make this super easy for my husband.

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      I bet that would work, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t guarantee the results. 🙂 I would also recommend making the recipe as is for best results.

      Reply

  37. Laurie-Anne

    This recipe is good, however I sautéed some coloured peppers, onions and mushrooms to add to the finished product just to give it some extra oomph. Would make again with my additions.

    Reply

  40. Chris

    If I wanted to double or triple the recipe, can I throw it all in one big crock and just increase the cook time? Or should I use multiple pots?

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Chris! If you double the recipe, you could still fit it in 1 (6 quart) crockpot, but would use multiple crockpots if tripling. Let me know how it works out! 🙂

      Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Amanda! That’s totally normal, it wasn’t meant to be a very thick sauce 🙂 Next time, in the last 30 minutes of cooking on high, you could remove the top of the crockpot and it should thicken more. I hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

  42. Cedar

    This is my first time trying this recipe..it looks super delicious. Does the chicken need to be thawed out or can I put the chicken in frozen (I assume it would just take longer to cook)?

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi there! Thank you so much! It needs to be thawed out 🙂 Technically you’re not supposed to cook frozen meats in the slow cooker for food safety reasons. Although, I’ve totally done it and have been fine, but that’s up to you whether you want to take the “risk” or not. 🙂

      Reply

  43. Jessi

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! I might take down the red pepper flakes to even less than a teaspoon just because I’m a wuss, but the chicken and sauce were wonderful!

    Reply

  44. Darcy

    5 stars
    My husband was craving orange chicken and after seeing all of the sodium and preservatives in the frozen brands I decided I would make a homemade version. This was the first recipe that popped up so I figured I would give it a try. Based on some of the other reviews I cut down on the soy sauce by 1/8 of a cup and used 1 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flake and it was amazing! I’m not a huge fan of orange chicken but this was sooo tasty! I served this with sautéed veggies and rice and it was absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  45. Jennifer

    Can I also do this in the 8 hour version? I leave in the morning at 7 am and get home at 7 pm and would love for dinner to be ready!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Jennifer! That should be just fine… the chicken will be more of a shredded texture than the original recipe, but if you’re ok with that, then you should be good to go! 🙂

      Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Adrianna! I can’t speak from experience, but I imagine this would freeze just fine. You’ll have to let me know! 🙂

      Reply

  48. Jen

    I made this for supper tonite. It was really good. I served it with brown rice. Was a lite saltier than we are used to so next time I may cut back on the soy sauce. I love how the cornstarch thickens it up- so sticky and yummy!

    Reply

      • Brian

        4 stars
        Hi Jennifer…the whole breasts worked out fine 🙂
        the meal was a hit but i felt that the soy sauce flavour came through a little more than i would have liked but a small tweak next time will sort that 🙂

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Lori! You may need to add an additional hour, but I’d check them after the instructed time and go from there 🙂 Let me know how it turns out with chicken legs! 🙂

      Reply

  55. Lola

    This looks sooo good. Here it is, 12 am on a Friday night, and I’m making this. Can you say hungry? I cannot wait to try this. I didn’t have chicken breasts, so I used thighs instead. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  56. GramCracker

    5 stars
    I was looking for a good, easy orange chicken recipe … this was it! I only had 1 pound of chicken which I cut in large chunks prior to cooking (saves a step later on) but I made the full amount of sauce (yummy on white rice); I also held out about 1/2 cup of sauce to blend with the cornstarch (mixes better). I used 2 tsp of red pepper flakes … we like spicy but this was a bit too much so I will drop it back to the 1 tsp and adjust from there.

    Reply

    • Rain

      GramCracker–love the tip about holding out a small portion of the sauce to mix with the cornstarch later on. I’m a disaster with getting it to blend. Thanks! Making this today.

      Jennifer, thank you for making this crockpot friendly. I LOATHE cooking. I do not mind, however, dumping stuff in a crockpot and letting it do all the work. I was looking at a similar recipe that would require me standing over the stove and keeping an eye on things…while I could be outside! *gasp* I’ll be using boneless, skinless chicken thighs because that’s what I have in the freezer. I’ve been indulging a bit too often in Panda Express for my waistline’s liking, so I hope this is the perfect alternative. 🙂

      Reply

  58. Barb

    I’m not a great cook so I read directions all of the time! I just want to make sure- I put the sauce mixed with the cornstarch back into the crock pot with the cut up pieces of chicken, right?
    And, I’m not big on white rice. Is there any other kind you could recommend that might pair nicely with this recipe?

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Barb! Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken and set aside. Whisk the cornstarch directly into the sauce (that is still in the crockpot). Cut up the chicken and stir that back into the sauce/crockpot. I hope that helps! Brown rice would be wonderful with this!

      Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi there! Chicken breasts can vary greatly in size, but the average chicken breast is around 5-8 oz. I’d say go with 4-5 chicken breasts. 🙂 Also, for accuracy I always weigh my chicken with this kitchen scale. I hope that helps!!

      Reply

      • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

        Great idea, Kevin! I listed my favorite kitchen scale in the comment above 🙂

  60. Niels Roetert

    5 stars
    I’ll be making this tomorrow for our friends and it will be the first recipe ever in our first slow cooker ever.
    Really looking forward to using the slow cooker and hope the result will be as good as expected.
    Your description is great and it looks super easy, were excited!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Niels! You’re going to LOVE your slow cooker…it’s my all time favorite kitchen tool. 🙂 I hope you and your friends enjoy the recipe!! Thanks for making it! 🙂

      Reply

  61. MomandNana

    5 stars
    With 2 members of the family who have celiac disease, our days of eating at Panda Express are over. I made your version in the crockpot today – making sure each ingredient is gluten-free (even the spices) which was actually easy to do. It was a huge hit!! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  62. Briana

    I made this tonight on the stovetop because I ran out of time to prep it this morning, but either way it gets rave reviews from my husband and I! I know we will be coming back to make it again soon!

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Hi Briana! Yes!! Love to hear that it turned out for you! So glad it works on the stove, too 🙂 Thanks for making and loving the orange chicken! 🙂

      Reply

  63. shirley phillips

    5 stars
    This looks so good! I wanted a dish to take to pot-luck at church, and vegetarian.I am going to try to make this using some re-hydrated soy pieces, it’s made me a little excited to cook again! The water is already in the kettle heating up to use on the soy.

    Reply

    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      Thanks Shirley!! I’m so glad you’re excited to cook again. 🙂 I’d love to hear how the soy turns out!

      Reply