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…
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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!
I make this at least once very two weeks. This is our FAVORITE meal on this site! I make it over white rice and it stays in the fridge well for days! Sooooo yummy. My child’s favorite also! Thanks for the awesome recipes!
Aww ~ you’re very welcome, Heather! I’m so glad to hear how much you all love the orange chicken! I agree… it makes amazing leftovers! 😉
This is delicious, it satisfied my craving and is healthier and cheaper than a restaurant! I used sugar-free marmalade and a different brand of bbq sauce and added onions and peppers. I served it with brown rice mixed with cauliflower rice..
Those sound like the perfect sides!
Has anyone tried this in an instant pot? If so, did you change anything?
When making Instant Pot Orange Chicken, I like to cube my chicken first, like in this recipe…
https://thefrugalgirls.com/2019/05/instant-pot-orange-chicken-recipe.html
Can I cook this in a smaller crock pot?
Hi Labelle ~ I’ve found that a 5 quart – 7 quart works best for this recipe. Hope that helps!
I love looking at these meals. I needed fresh ideas and you got them. Thanks
Aww ~ you’re very welcome, Sandy! Thanks so much for the sweet comment… and enjoy your Crockpot meals! 😉
When cooking the chicken i do you add anything else to the crockpot with it before adding the sauce at the end
Hi Jennifer ~ no… as the chicken will end up cooking in its own juices for the first part. Hope that helps!
Being my first time and not being home for 4 hours, didn’t want to take any chances so I put about a quarter cup of Sprite in for liquid then drained after cooking. Chicken fell apart and was a hit. this recipe is in my family favorites box….
Sprite? Interesting I’ve never heard of that? What exactly does the Sprite do as opposed to water or other liquid?
That’s so interesting – thanks for sharing your tip!
Can’t wait to try this recipe – need to check out your crockpot recipes so I’m better prepared for dinners once the kids are back in school and we have afternoon practices/evening games.
I agree, Anne… Crockpot meals are the perfect solution for busy school nights!
Delicious! I substituted sugar free marmalade just because it’s what I had in the pantry. The only “problem was when I removed the chicken to dice it, it all fell apart. Shredded chicken still tastes delicious, just doesn’t look as pretty.
I cut my chicken into chunks before putting in the crockpot. Cook on high for an hour. Blend my sauce in a bowl and add to the chicken, Cook an additional 2 hours (on high). Because I don’t drain the chicken, I stir up a little cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce. So delicious and nice Chunky Chicken. Made it last week for the 1st time…and now have another batch in the crockpot for dinner tonight! Fast becoming a Family Favorite!
Thanks for this post, I dont drain my chicken either and was wondering if I could use corn starch.
The benefit of draining the chicken isn’t just for the thickness of the sauce, but you’ll end up with SO much more flavor without it being watered down. 🙂
This sauce was so very delicious! I already had some cooked turkey on hand, so instead of using the crock pot, I just make the sauce in a saucepan, added the turkey, and served with rice. My son said it was a keeper (which means I have to add it to the family favorites recipes). Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome, Arin… and that sounds delicious! Isn’t the sauce SO yummy? It’s definitely a family favorite here, too. 🙂
Omgeee! Tried this today, and it is SO delish! I couldn’t wait for dinner, so I splurged and had a small piece already. :o) Thanks for such a great dish!
Aww ~ you’re very welcome, JaQuette! Isn’t it crazy delicious? By far one of my favorite dishes. So glad you loved it! 🙂