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Slow Cooker Orange Chicken is sweet, spicy, and absolutely delicious! This easy recipe skips the messy frying, making it healthier than the takeout version, and everything comes together right in your crockpot.
If you love takeout-inspired recipes, try my Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef and crispy Honey Chicken next!
Why You’ll Love Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Healthier Than Takeout – No breading or frying makes this easy Orange Chicken much healthier! Serve it with rice and veggies for a homecooked meal you can feel good about.
- So Easy – I love how easy it is to make right this right in the slow cooker! Just toss everything in and let it do all the work.
- Flavorful – With spicy BBQ sauce, sweet orange marmalade, and umami-rich soy sauce, this recipe is loaded with flavor.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless and skinless, cut into 1″ chunks.
- Veggies – Bell peppers, onion, and garlic.
- Spicy BBQ Sauce – You can use any brand you like. It doesn’t have to be spicy, but I like the heat it adds.
- Orange Marmalade
- Soy Sauce – Opt for the low-sodium variety.
- Fresh Ginger – I like to keep a piece of ginger in the freezer so it’s always ready (plus it’s easy to grate it frozen). You can also purchase squeezable ginger so it’s ready to go.
- Red Pepper Flakes – For heat. You can opt to leave it out.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the sauce.
How To Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Dice the chicken into 1-inch chunks and season with salt and pepper. Add to the crockpot.
Add onions and bell peppers to the crockpot, and cook on low for 2 ½ hours or high for 1 ½ hours. Drain any extra liquid after cooking (before adding the sauce).
Combine BBQ sauce, orange marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch. Whisk the sauce together until it’s nice and smooth.
Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir to coat the chicken and veggies, then cover and cook on low for about an hour.
Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve Orange Chicken over white rice, Egg Fried Rice, or alongside Pan Fried Noodles. It goes really well with veggies like Asian Cucumber Salad or Sauteed Broccoli.
To make a full takeout-inspired dinner spread, serve Egg Drop Soup, Crab Rangoon, or Copycat PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps for appetizers!
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe Tips
- Make Spicy Orange Chicken – For a spicier sauce, add some extra red pepper flakes or sriracha to the sauce or on top of your completed dish.
- Make It Mild – If you have sensitive tastebuds in your home, you can easily make this recipe milder. Just swap the spicy BBQ sauce for a regular version and skip the red pepper flakes.
- Thicken The Sauce – If the sauce isn’t thick enough, you can add more cornstarch. Spoon out a little of the sauce into a dish and whisk with a teaspoon or more of cornstarch. Stir into the sauce.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Honey Lemon Chicken & Green Beans
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl
- Sushi Bowl
- Kung Pao Shrimp
- Sesame Chicken
Crockpot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Green bell pepper
- 1 small Onion
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Spicy barbecue sauce
- 1 cup Orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger minced or grated
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place into the slow cooker.
- Removes seeds and membranes from bell peppers and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut onion into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the chicken, vegetables and ½ teaspoon of salt to the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 ½ hours or on high for 1 ½ hours. Drain juices.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, orange marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic and cornstarch until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir to coat well. Cover and cook on low for 1 more hour.
- Sauce will seem thin, but will thicken as it stands.
- Serve hot over a bed of rice with veggies on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Question, have you ever cooked it all together from the start in the crockpot? I need to leave for a few hours.
I have not – the juices from the chicken and vegetables would add liquid to the sauce and make it runny.
Anyone use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
For the ginger is that fresh or ground?
Fresh ginger.
How much ginger powder would you use?
I’m assuming you mean in place of the fresh ginger? It’s not exactly the same thing, but you can use 1/4 teaspoon or so.
Hi there! Recipe looks delicious. Do you happen to have instructions on how to make this in an Instant Pot? TIA!
Hi! This is a great recipe for the slow cooker, but it wouldn’t translate perfectly to the instant pot. I’d recommend searching for one specific to the IP (sorry, I don’t have one).
Hi, in the text of the recipe you list Worchestire sauce but I don’t see it in the recipe ingredients. Is it included in the sauce? If so, how much? Thanks
Hi Jessica, no, there is no Worcestershire sauce in the recipe. Looks like it was mistakenly added to the post.
What’s the serving size?
Approx 1 cup.
Can you clarify what “spicy barbeque sauce” is? I’m not sure what to look for!
It will say on the label “spicy bbq sauce.” I usually buy Sweet Baby Rays. If you can’t find spice, use regular sauce and add some red pepper flakes.
Made the Orange Chicken for my family tonight. It was a hit! They loved it…and the best thing, it was pretty hands off. YEAH! Thanks so much for the recipe!
You are so welcome Aubrey! Thanks for stopping by.
Could you use orange juice thickened with corn starch in this recipe? I don’t have orange marmalade and don’t want to run out and grab some, but I have an excess of orange juice. 😀
I’m not sure that would work, but you could try it! I’m all for making the recipe work for you!