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 one of our most popular recipes (originally posted November 20, 2015), so I’ve updated it to include a how-to video! Enjoy!
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.
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.
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.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Grease your crockpot. <– as usual, I’m obsessed.
2. Whip together the yummiest orange sauce. Ever. Broth, orange juice, sugar, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, zest, and some spices. Simple. Perfection.
3. Throw sauce and chicken into crockpot and cook on LOW for 4 hours. During that 4 hours, you could do something productive like clean up your kitchen, OR, do something even better and watch four episodes of the latest Fixer Upper and leave the dirty kitchen for later (it’s not going anywhere).
4. After the 4 hours, you’ll pretty much just want to dive into that crockpot orange chicken, but we gotta stir in some cornstarch first, and let it cook for another hour on HIGH.
5. Serve with rice and stuff.your.face.
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
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:
- 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 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
- 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 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!
*Gluten free? Be sure to use a GF soy sauce or a GF alternative!
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.
Thanks Shirley!! I’m so glad you’re excited to cook again. 🙂 I’d love to hear how the soy turns out!
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!
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! 🙂
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!
Hi there! Yay!! I’m so glad it was a hit 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
How many chicken breasts do you use? I bought frozen ones so I don’t know how many 2 lbs is haha.
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!!
Get a digital kitchen scale. They are inexpensive and come in handy.
Great idea, Kevin! I listed my favorite kitchen scale in the comment above 🙂
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?
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!
Thanks! I can’t wait to make it 🙂
You’re so welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
This recipe was so easy and delicious!!!
Yay!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for making it 🙂
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.
Hi there! So glad you liked this! 🙂 Thanks!
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. 🙂
Yay!! I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
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!
Hi Lola! Oh I bet the chicken thighs were wonderful!! Thank you 🙂
I’m going to make this with chicken legs. Do you think the bones will change the cooking time at all?
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! 🙂
i take it you can keep the chicken breasts whole for the last hour
I’m sure that would be fine!
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 🙂
Glad to hear it, Brian! I’m happy the meal was a hit!! 🙂
Absolutely brilliant everyone loves it from Jill
Thank you so much, Jill!!
Would regular orange juice work? If so should I reduce the amount of sweetener? Has anyone tried it?
Hi Chie! Yep! Regular orange juice would work 🙂 I’d start by halving the brown sugar (2 tablespoons) and adding more to taste 🙂
Thank you!! I can’t wait to try it!
You’re so welcome! Enjoy!
i bet this tastes lovely. Thanks for sharing this, gonna give this a go later. Simon
Aww thank you so much! I hope you love it 🙂
DO you know the nutritional information? I am making this tomorrow. Thank you!
Hi Kayla! For 4 large servings, it’ll be around 600 calories with 70 grams of protein! 🙂
What’s the serving size?
Hi Nick! I’m not sure, as I never measured it, but it should feed 4 people 🙂
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!
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed this Jen!!! Thanks for making it 🙂
Will this freeze well?
Hi Adrianna! I can’t speak from experience, but I imagine this would freeze just fine. You’ll have to let me know! 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
It froze perfectly! Sauce was delicious!!!
Thank you for the terrific recipe 🙂
That’s awesome! Thanks Adrianna! 🙂
Does this freeze well to serve at a later time?
Hi Adrianna! I can’t speak from experience, but I imagine this would freeze just fine. You’ll have to let me know! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
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!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Darcy! Thank you 🙂
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!
Ha! Thanks so much Jessi!! So happy you loved this 🙂
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)?
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. 🙂
The sauce didn’t turn out very thick. Is that normal? If not, how can I remedy it?
Thanks
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! 🙂
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?
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! 🙂
What exactly is orange zest ?
Hi Bridgett! Orange zest is the orange outer skin that you use a microplane (like this one) to zest. I hope that helps! 🙂
What size of crock pot do you use?
Hi Elaine! It’s a 6 quart. I use this one: http://amzn.to/2jby8rG
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.
Awesome! Thanks so much!
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.
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.
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)
That’s awesome! Thanks so much!!
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.
Yay!! Thanks so much! 🙂
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.
Absolutely! 🙂 Just follow the directions on the package of the quinoa!
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
You could definitely give that a try… I’ve never tried it, so I can’t guarantee the results!
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!
Awesome!!! Thanks so much!
If I cut the chicken in chunks before cooked would it shred when done?
It should! You’ll probably want to reduce the cook time, so the chicken doesn’t overcook and get tough! 🙂
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!
Aww yay!!! Thank you so much Jennifer! I’m slowly put surely making recipes using my Instant Pot (currently working on a chicken noodle soup!!). I’m going to keep my crockpot recipes as is and re-post Instant Pot versions of the most popular ones (or any that people request 🙂 so lmk!). Stay tuned!!! 🙂 In the meantime, be sure to check out our instant pot category: https://showmetheyummy.com/recipe-search/?_sft_preparation=instant-pot Here’s our crockpot category as well if you’re interested: https://showmetheyummy.com/recipe-search/?_sft_preparation=crockpot I’m obsessed with my crockpot and Instant Pot too! 🙂
Tastes better, healthier and easier to make than take out orange chicken? I’m sold!
Thanks Matt! 🙂
It looks SO GOOD!
Thank you Jennifer! 🙂
It looks amazing! That sauce! I can see why it’s one of your favorite recipes on the blog!
Thanks Mary Ann! 🙂
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
Aww thank you so much! 🙂
anything in a crock pot is my friend. LOL! winner of a chicken dinner.
Lol me too! 🙂
Calories per serving??
Hi! Due to time restrictions, I don’t currently post nutritional information (YET! Working on it 🙂 ), but here’s a great recipe calculator: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator