Prepare for a mind-boggling flavor frenzy with this Orange Chicken Recipe! It’s so irresistible… the mere thought of having leftovers may seem laughable! Just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep is all you’ll need, then your crockpot will take over!
Orange Chicken Recipe
Round and round the table.. the smiles never seem to stop!
Believe me, this crockpot orange chicken is your hot ticket to household fame.
Alaina writes: “My husband loved this, and said it tastes better than most Chinese take out food.”
It serves up a mouth watering flavor extravaganza with its perfectly sweet and tangy flavors… that finish off with a lively hint of heat.
With each delightful bite, you’ll be enchanted by the mesmerizing flavors dancing in your mouth!
So what’s the secret to making this taste bud thrilling chicken so darn delicious?
I know it sounds crazy, but bbq sauce is actually the secret to that savory indulgent sauce you’ll be craving on repeat!
Just try it and you’ll understand!
So this week give your chicken dinner a marvelous upgrade.
You’ll kick up the flavor using hardly any ingredients. Then leave all of the work to your slow cooker.
Sound good?
Then… simply serve with a side of rice or noodles, and dinner is done.
So skip the Chinese Orange Chicken takeout tonight and go grab your Crockpot instead.
There’s no need for restaurant takeout when you can create something even better at home!
With sweet orange marmalade, and just three more ingredients, this delicious asian slow cooker recipe is about as easy as it gets!
Then… do yourself a huge favor and try this groovy Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Chicken, too!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get dinner started, shall we?
Here’s what you’ll do to make your Crockpot Orange Chicken with barbecue sauce…
Related: How To Score Sam’s Club Deals
Can You Make Orange Chicken Without Orange Juice?
Yep, you sure can!
For this clever crockpot orange chicken breast dinner, we’ll actually use orange marmalade instead of orange juice to give the sauce that epic orange-y flavor we all love!
Marmalade also helps to keep the sauce thick, while providing a delightful flavor that will leave your taste buds singing with delight!
Ingredients
So are you wondering… what ingredients are in orange chicken? Well, as crazy as it sounds, this easy orange chicken sauce is made with just 3 simple ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need to grab at the grocery store this week..
- Orange Marmalade – to infuse that sweet pop of orange flavor
- Soy Sauce – to give that distinct Asian flavor profile. Coconut Aminos can be substituted.
- Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce – you won’t want to substitute anything here, as the flavor will change drastically with other brands.
You’ll also need a 5 – 6 quart Crock Pot to get the job done.
Oh I know, I know… you’re probably thinking why in the world would you have bbq sauce in orange chicken?
Well just trust me… when you mix these three flavors all together you’ll end up with the most delicious orange chicken sauce ever!
It just works!
If you’d like to give it a little extra kick, go ahead and add a pinch of red pepper flakes, too!
How to Make Orange Chicken
So how do you make Orange Chicken at home?
It’s actually really easy thanks to this simple slow cooker recipe.
With just 3 steps, making your own copycat orange chicken is going to be so easy!
1. Cook Chicken in Crockpot: You’ll just toss your chicken in the crock pot, let it cook, and later drain the juices.
2. Cube Cooked Chicken: Then you’ll pull the chicken out and cube it and place it back in the slow cooker, or leave it as is as chicken breasts.
3. Add Orange Chicken Sauce: Finally, you’ll mix up some perfectly sweet and tangy orange chicken sauce, pour it over the chicken in the crock pot, let it cook a little longer, and serve over rice or chow mein noodles. You can even top it off with some sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
That’s It! SO easy, and dinner is done!
Scroll down for the printable recipe card with detailed, step-by-step instructions.
What Do You Eat With Orange Chicken?
This most agreeable dish goes great with a variety of sides.
To start, I recommend serving this popular chicken dinner with a side of Rice… YUM!
Then, try also serving it along with these tasty sides…
- Brown Rice
- Fried Rice
- Chow Mein
- Udon Noodles
- Egg Rolls
- Spring Rolls
- Cream Cheese Won Tons
- Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce for Egg Rolls, Spring Rolls & Won Tons
- Egg Drop Soup
- Sweet and Sour Coleslaw
Orange Chicken Reviews
Here’s what your frugal friends are saying about this easy Crockpot Orange Chicken Recipe…
Ryan writes: “Yummy! My family asks for this one all the time.”
Kaitlyn writes: “This was so easy and tasted great!”
John writes: “Made the orange chicken recipe and it was delicious! It was so good my wife and I had it two days in a row!”
Savannah writes: “This was SO good! My entire family enjoyed it!”
Kate writes: “Delicious and super easy to make!”
Karen writes: “This has become my 6 year old granddaughter’s favorite meal!”
Candy writes: “I made this for company and we all enjoyed it very much!”
Kaley writes: “I tried it and really liked it! I’m planning on making it again soon! I made fried rice to go with it.”
Dawn writes: “Great over rice!”
Alaina writes: “My husband loved this, and said it tastes better than most Chinese take out food.”
Laura writes: “Family loved it and it was very easy.”
Kristy writes: “Quick, easy, and delicious!”
Jay writes: “My grandsons and I love this chicken recipe and it was sooo easy.”
Elaina writes: “A good meal for my 3 picky eaters!”
Trevi writes: “Terrific recipe!!!”
Valerie writes: “It was great! Easy and will make again. My hubby loved it.”
Rebeka writes: “Tastes just like orange chicken without breading!”
Liza writes: “I used Coconut Aminos instead of the soy sauce because I have to watch my sodium intake. My husband is diabetic so I also used sugar free marmalade and barbecue sauce. It was very good!”
Darcy writes: “Very easy to make. I added broccoli and carrots during last 30 minutes.”
Ashleigh writes: “Made it on the stove instead. Cut chicken into large chunks and cooked. In a saucepan I heated the marmalade and bbq sauce and let it simmer for about 10min. Added about a cup to the chicken and let that simmer for another 10min. Nice tangy orange taste. Definitely keeping this one around.”
Crockpot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
- 3/4 cup Smuckers Sweet Orange Marmalade
- 3/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce (it’s SO good!)
- 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Cook chicken in Crockpot on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours (covered)
- After 3 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW, drain juices from crockpot
- At this point… you can either leave the chicken breasts whole, or remove, cut into cubes, and transfer back to crockpot.
- Mix together bbq sauce, orange marmalade, and soy sauce.
- Pour mixture over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes, or until done. (covered)
- Serve with rice and Enjoy!!
Notes
- For answers to Frequently Asked Questions or tips for common substitutions and variations, please refer to the detailed information above this recipe card.
- Follow The Frugal Girls on Pinterest for more Easy Recipes and Fun Tips!
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!That’s it ~ now wasn’t that easy??
Seriously, this Crockpot Orange Chicken is so simple to make! Give it a try, and let me know you think.
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So have you tried this Crockpot Orange Chicken yet?
Leave a comment & share!
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
It really is SO delicious!
I hope you know that this recipe is going to make me really happy. I LOVE easy crockpot recipes, and I stumbled on your blog through Pinterest (the Walmart coupon post). I’ll probably throw in some random veggies from my fridge, and some garlic, and maybe sesame seeds…and any other random asian sauces I have.
What I love about this recipe is that it sets a super easy foundation for orange chicken, and I know where to find the ingredients at my grocery store.
I’m really hungry now, and it’s well past midnight. Crap.
Thanks for the post!
Haha… enjoy, Amanda ~ I hope you love it!! 😉
So glad to have you here!
~ Heidi
The ingredients say Orange Marmalade, but the picture shows Sweet Orange Marmalade, which one is it?
Hi Michelle ~ some brands call it Orange Marmalade, but the Smuckers brand is called Sweet Orange Marmalade. If you can’t find the Smuckers brand, just try substituting another brand of orange marmalade. Hope that helps! 😉
Once you have this all put together, can you freeze it well? I need to make some meals to put away for family while I recover from surgery. I am looking to get as much prepped for them as possible so they just have to heat’n eat.
Hi Kim ~ I haven’t tried freezing this before, but I know several of the other completed crockpot chicken meals freeze really well. I don’t see why this would be any different… I say go for it! 😉
~ Heidi
Will this recipe work with chicken wings?
Absolutely! You can check out this recipe for quantity and cook time for crockpot chicken wings…
https://thefrugalgirls.com/2015/01/crockpot-sweet-chili-chicken-wings-recipe.html
Ah-HA!! Thanks for this recipe! I tried making orange chicken slowly cooked in a dutch oven with real oranges and orange zest. The flavor was not so pleasing to my kids. Maybe not sweet enough? But this sounds reeaaally good!
You’re very welcome… hope the kids like it! My boys love this recipe! 😉
Won’t the chicken burn in the crockpot if there is no liquid in it during the begining of the cooking process?
Hi Martha ~ the chicken won’t burn… it will end up cooking in the juices from the chicken. Hope that helps! 😉
I made this and it was great! I added a half a cup of water when I cooked the chicken, it didn’t dry it out. I didn’t want to chance cooking without it, but maybe I will try that next time! I actually have this in the crock pot right now!
I ran out of Baby Ray can I use Heinz bbq sauce because I am ready to make it for supper, I have the rest of the ingredients
yeah, I’ve done this in other versions with different BBQ sauces and such… (it’s too sweet for my husband), and I’ve also boiled the chicken slowly, diced it, then baked it for awhile instead with the rice and broth… turned out great!
Cook it with what? Just boil?
Hi Itzel ~ when you initially cook the chicken, you’ll place just the chicken in the crockpot to cook, and nothing else. You could cook it all together, but I like to cook the chicken separately first, then drain the juices and fat. That way the sauce will be a lot thicker and less watered down. Hope that helps! 😉
Awesome! Thanks, I was a bit confused
Sure ~ not a problem at all. Enjoy!!
Thanks for asking…I was wondering that myself!
OMGoodness! I have been looking for a good Orange Chicken recipe that was easy to make–and this is slow cooker, too! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Mary Beth! I hope you like it… it’s SO easy, and tastes delicious over rice!
Sounds so simple and delicious! Will have to try it!
Oh you’ll LOVE it, Lisa!! {I promise!} 😉
I don’t have Sweet Baby Rays B B Q sauce on hand but another sauce., can I still substitue this?
You can, but it will definitely alter the flavor.
Just had to try it. It was SOO amazing. The whole family loved it. Didnt have soy sauce, so i used a dash of wocsteshire sauce(sorry i cant spell). And a pinch of red pepper flakes for a kick. Put it on top of rice and had a delisious dinner! Will use this recepie from now on!
So glad you liked it, Jewell! 🙂
Do you have nutrients on this dish listed somewhere?
Thanks