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.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
I have even more delicious and Easy Crockpot Recipes and these super easy Asian inspired recipes to share with you.
When it comes to easy dinner inspiration and Crock Pot recipes, you simply can always use a few more!!
So have some fun being tempted by these yummy ideas…
Easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken
Enjoy your favorite orange chicken right from home when you make this easy Instant Pot Orange Chicken Recipe!
Easy Orange Glazed Meatballs
This sweet and sticky barbecue Orange Glazed Meatballs Recipe creates a slow cooked masterpiece that is absolutely divine!
Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
This delicious Slow Cooker Chicken dinner is loaded with flavor, and perfect served with a side of rice!
Crockpot General Tso Chicken Recipe
You need to add this one to your menu – SO good! I just keep making it every week. This is one Chicken dinner I cannot get tired of!!
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
This easy Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe will have you dreaming of sticky rice and chopsticks!
Teriyaki Ramen Noodles Recipe
Give your mid-week dinner a fabulous flavor upgrade with this tantalizing Teriyaki Noodles Recipe.
Easy Honey Sesame Chicken
With just 5 easy ingredients, this Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe packs some serious nom nom good flavor!
Easy Crockpot Kung Pao Chicken
Give your chicken dinner an upgrade with this over-the-top delicious Crockpot Kung Pao Chicken Recipe!
Slow Cooker Mandarin Chicken
This easy Crockpot Mandarin Chicken Recipe will have your tastebuds squealing with delight!
Easy Sweet Fire Chicken
Things are about to get tasty with this Crockpot Sweet Fire Chicken Recipe!
Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
This Easy Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe will give you some sweet dreams!
Sweet and Sour Pork
This wildly delicious Sweet and Sour Pork is the big flavored, no fail dinner you’ve been looking for. Just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, and you’re good to go!
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Make these meatballs as an appetizer, or serve as a main course with rice for dinner. Have a little party no matter the day!
Easy Crockpot Broccoli Beef
Make your broccoli famous tonight with this yummy Crock Pot Broccoli Beef Recipe!
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
This Crock Pot Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe will have you dreaming Teriyaki dreams all week long!
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
This Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken made with pineapple and sweet chili sauce will be devoured right before your eyes!
Easy Ginger Soy Sauce for Dipping Egg Rolls & Potstickers!
This 5 Minute Quick Egg Roll Dipping Sauce recipe is perfect for when you’re craving a delicious Homemade Asian Sauce and you don’t have a lot of time.
More Easy Dinners With Few Ingredients
3 Ingredient Crock Pot Recipes (55 Easy Recipes)
With so many 3 ingredient recipes to choose from, those busy schedules won’t keep you from having a delicious family dinner.
201 Easy Crock Pot Recipes
On the hunt for some Easy Crockpot Recipes your family will love? These cozy dinners and slow cooker desserts are perfect for busy nights!
101 Easy Meal Planning Ideas
Mealtime is about to get ridiculously simple with this HUGE list of Easy Meal Prep Ideas! You won’t believe how much time and money you’ll save each week!
Walmart Grocery Deals (HUGE List of Secret Tips)
Make your next trip to Walmart extra thrifty when you use my favorite shopping hacks and tricks!
Sam’s Club Deals and Steals
Start scoring yourself some fabulous Sam’s Club Deals and Steals when you are prepped with these little-known shopping hacks!
So have you tried this Crockpot Orange Chicken yet?
Leave a comment & share!
We love this recipe, it’s delicious and simple. We made it tonight with center cut pork loin chops and it was just as good!!
So glad you loved it, Julie.. and that the sauce was delicious with pork chops, too!
I made this last night, it was good! I thought I had regular Sweet baby ray’s, but it was sweet and spicy instead. Still good, my 1 1/2 year old liked it so that’s a win for me! I’m doing the creamy ranch chicken right now, but i only have regular cream of chicken… none with herbs. Was considering throwing in some for flavor’s sake but I’m sure it’ll be fine without. If i DID want to throw in some , any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Also, I’m sure it’s hard to pick but happen to have an absolute favorite 5 ingredient recipe? Or a MUST TRY? I’m new at this crock pot thing and I’d love to hear your input 🙂
It really is hard to pick just one, but here’s a HUGE list of 5-Ingredient Crockpot Recipes you can check out…
https://thefrugalgirls.com/5-ingredient-or-less-slow-cooker-suppers
I just wanted to let you know, I made this last night and it was amazing. I love orange chicken, and this was by far the easiest recipe, and tastes just like the take-out version, minus the breading. I used chicken thighs, because they are less expensive than breasts, are small enough I didn’t need to cut them, and tend to take flavor a lot better! I also made white rice on the side, and ladled extra sauce on both my chicken and my rice, mmm…, best idea ever!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
If you add some hot sauce to this, it brings the flavors to a whole new level!!!! Super delicious… add as much as your taste bud think its mind-blowingly yummy! Enjoy!!!
That’s a great tip – thanks for sharing!
Hello Heidi,
I would like to make the chicken crispy before I put all the goodness on it. I don’t know how to make it crispy w
Without a deepfryer. Can you give suggestions?
Sometimes what I do is bake my chicken in the oven with crushed bbq chips on top. You can rub mayonnaise or egg yolk on the chicken tenders or thin slices breast when raw. Then coat them crushed bbq flavored chips (I like Kettle Baked Hickory BBQ). Cook at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Then try pouring the BBQ sauce marmalade on top and see how that goes.
I cut my chicken into chunks then to bread it dip each piece into flour, then egg mixed w/ a little water, then plain bread crumbs. Then fill a deep skillet with about an inch of oil and heat on medium. Once the oil is heated drop as many pieces of the chicken as you’d like and cook for a few minutes on each side until brown and cooked through. I then heat the sauce indredients in a separate pan. Once everything is done toss the chicken with the sauce and serve
Hello,
I have a quick question. I want to make this recipe for six people. What would you recommend that I do?
I used chicken thighs when I made this, and it worked really well. I would get a couple of 1-2 pound packages and that should work! They are small enough, they are almost bite sized (with a little extra) and I don’t feel it needs to be cut at all when I use them.
I cooked my chicken with a can of condensed cream of chicken soup.. I came out juicy & very flavorful!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is my first time ever that i will be using a crockpot. This recipe looks very delish! And I want to try to make it. I only have one question.
When cooking the chicken, do i add water in the crockpot? Or do i just put the chicken in?
I’m also making it for 2 people.
Hi Viviana ~ no water is required, as the chicken will end up cooking in its own juices. Hope that helps! 🙂
how many bone-in breasts or thighs can you use to substitute the boneless breasts? Seems like boneless is realllly expensive compared to bone-in :/
I haven’t tried this with bone-in chicken, but if you do… let us know how it turns out!
Do you cut up the chicken breasts, or stick them in whole?
Hi Shana ~ you’ll initially cook the chicken breasts whole. At the point where you’re draining the juices, you can either place them back in the Crockpot whole, or cut them up and place the pieces back in the Crockpot. Then you’ll add the sauce for the remaining time. ENJOY! 🙂