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Life Made Sweeter

Healthy & Delicious Recipes to sweeten up your life

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken {+ Instant Pot}

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken makes the perfect easy weeknight meal. Best of all, it’s so simple to whip up in your crock-pot or Instant Pot pressure cooker. Great for Sunday meal prep for work lunch bowls & better than the local Chinese restaurant takeout!

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken covered in sesame seeds and green onions on a bed of white rice in a small white bowl.
 

 PIN HERE for later and follow my {Slow Cooker}  AND {Asian Inspired} Pinterest boards,

Orange Chicken is a popular Chinese takeout recipe that is well loved around here. It’s a family favorite along with this Kung Pao Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken and Sweet and Sour Chicken, It’s another copy-cat recipe that is so much healthier than PF Changs – and the best part of all? You can make it in your slow cooker or your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

This Slow Cooker Orange Chicken is super simple and easy to whip up.

It’s full of bright citrus flavors with a sweet and savory flavor-packed sauce. Making it at home means you can skip the stop at that local greasy takeout restaurant! Plus, it’s healthier and you get to customize the flavors.

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN

  1. You’re going to start off with some cubed chicken that you coat in a little bit of cornstarch. For a crispier texture, pan-fry it on the stove for a couple minutes before adding it to the slow cooker. It’s an extra step but makes a HUGE difference!

Cooking cubed chicken in a silver skillet.

CAN I SKIP BROWNING THE CHICKEN?

Yes, absolutely. If you want to keep things simple, you can certainly just add the chicken directly to the crock-pot without browning it. I’ve made this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken recipe both ways and they are still lip smacking-ly delicious!

Pouring orange chicken sauce into slow cooker with cooked chicken.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU MAKE FOR THE ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE?

The authentic tasting sauce! Oh my goodness! Totally my favorite part of this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken! It’s wonderfully sweet and tangy with bright citrus flavors!

Made with orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, some cider vinegar and fresh garlic and ginger. It will make your house smell AMAZING while it simmers away in the slow cooker.

Serve your Slow Cooker Orange Chicken along with some veggies or over a bed of your favorite rice or noodles and you’ve got a complete meal without having to order takeout ❤

Instant pot Orange Chicken on a bed of white rice in a small white bowl surrounded by sliced oranges.

Make ahead tips for this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe

  • cube the chicken beforehand and store in a ziptop freezer bag in the fridge
  • mix the sauce together the night before and store in a mason jar or an airtight container

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken in meal prepping containers with broccoli, white rice, orange slices and red bell peppers.

Weekly meal prep-tips for your school or work lunch bowls

    • Delicious for leftovers or make a batch on Sunday meal prep and pack for your weekly school or work lunch bowls. I love these meal prep containers.
    • Serve with your favorite side – Jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice or spiralized vegetables or zoodles
    • Add your favorite roasted or stir-fried vegetables to your lunch bowls – I used broccoli and red bell peppers
    • For easier weekly meal prep – chop all the vegetables ahead of time and store in an airtight container the night before – I use this lunch container

More lunch bowls:

General Tso’s Chicken Lunch Bowls

Chicken Chow Mein Lunch Bowls

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Lunch Bowls

Chicken Lo Mein Lunch Bowls

Cashew Chicken Lunch Bowls

Kung Pao Chicken Lunch Bowls

Asian Lemon Chicken Lunch Bowls

Honey Lime Chicken with Asparagus Lunch Bowls

Shrimp Teriyaki Zoodles

Meal prepping container with simple Orange Chicken with red bell peppers, sliced oranges, sesame seeds and white rice.

For a meatless version, the sauce is awesome with extra firm tofu (roasted or raw) and cauliflower. Just toss them into the slow cooker with the sauce and cook everything for an hour less than the directed time.

 

5 from 1 vote
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken makes the perfect easy weeknight meal. Best of all, it's so simple to whip up and so much better than your local restaurant takeout!
Print
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
5 hrs 10 mins
Total Time
5 hrs 25 mins
 

This Slow Cooker Orange Chicken is simple to whip up with a sweet and tangy citrus sauce and is way easier than take-out! You can even make it in an Instant Pot pressure cooker!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keyword: Instant Pot, orange chicken, slow cooker, slow cooker recipes meat
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 493 kcal
Author: Kelly
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3-4 tablespoons cooking oil
Sauce:
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth can substitute with vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce can substitute with gluten free tamari or coconut aminos for paleo-friendly version
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar can substitute with coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice fresh squeezed from 1 large orange
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest from 1 large orange
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated or minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or red pepper chili flakes optional or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • salt and black pepper to taste
Cornstarch Slurry:
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
Toppings
For Lunch Bowls:
  • cooked rice, quinoa, or noodles
  • roasted or stir-fried vegetables
  • lunch containers
Instructions
  1. In a large zip-top bag, toss in the chicken, cornstarch salt, and black pepper. Shake until well-coated. Set aside.
  2. Make the sauce In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce, set aside.
For Slow Cooker Method:
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (You can skip this stove-top step if you prefer or are in a pinch. Just add chicken directly to slow cooker. Chicken will not have that crispy coating) Cook chicken (in batches) about 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. (You may have to cook in batches) Transfer chicken into the slow cooker and pour sauce over chicken.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 2.5 - 4 hours or HIGH for 1.5 - 3 hours. (SEE NOTES)
  3. About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up. (if your slow cooker is not hot enough to thicken the sauce - pour sauce into a pot and heat on the stovetop on high to thicken the sauce or you can just skip the cornstarch slurry instead)
  4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and serve over rice, quinoa or zoodles, if desired.
For Instant Pot Method:
  1. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE (skip this step and just cook on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK (high) for 5 minutes if you are in a pinch or prefer. The chicken won't have that crispy coating.) Allow pan to heat up for a few minutes then add oil. Cook chicken in batches (placing the browned chicken on a paper-towel lined plate) about 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Once all the chicken is browned, add back to the Instant Pot and pour sauce over top.
  2. Close and seal Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing.
  3. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK (high) and set for 3 minutes. Once the 3 minutes is up and the Instant Pot beeps, allow to naturally release for 15-20 minutes. Open the lid and press the SAUTE button. Combine the cornstarch with water and stir into the Instant Pot. Cook and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken up.
  4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and serve over rice, quinoa or zoodles, if desired
For Meal Prep:
  1. Prepare your favorite carb (rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, roasted potatoes, rice noodles) and add to containers. Divide chicken among containers and add your favorite roasted or stir-fried vegetables.
Recipe Notes

The sauce doubles easily if you need to make a larger batch. ***If your slow cooker runs hot, be sure to check on chicken earlier as it may cook faster than the suggested cooking times. ***This dish can easily be made with cubed extra firm tofu (roasted or unroasted) and cauliflower florets. Just cook for an hour less than you would the chicken. Mine were done cooked on HIGH at an hour and 2 hours on low.

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 serving (1/4 recipe; chicken only))
Calories 493 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 108mg 36%
Sodium 1226mg 51%
Potassium 840mg 24%
Total Carbohydrates 47g 16%
Sugars 38g
Protein 38g 76%
Vitamin A 2.5%
Vitamin C 26.8%
Calcium 5.3%
Iron 8.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More slow cooker favorites:

Healthier Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken

Healthier Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken in a slow cooker with a wooden spoon.

Skinny Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Lo Mein Noodles {Crock-pot} + NEW VIDEO

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Comments

  15. Oh my goodness, I can’t let my family see this or they will not let the weekend pass without this being made lol! We love love love orange chicken. You rock the slow cooker Kelly! And the photography in this post, gorgeous photos!

    Reply

  16. The sauce is irresistible! I love the sweet and tart combo of orange chicken. And since this is way healthier without having to deep fry the chicken, I can eat double! : )

    Reply

  19. Kelly – this is phenomenal! You are right, I, too, just want to drink that sauce! Thanks so much for sharing! Hope yall have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  21. I seriously love your slow cooker recipes! You always inspire me to get one, even though I’m going off to college soon and it would be soooo impractical (maybe I should just go for it anyways). All your recipes are making me want to put together a massive “not-takeout” party 🙂

    Reply

  25. Kelly, hope you’re keeping warm and healthy. Have an amazing happy Lunar New Year! May you and your family be filled wiht great health, bliss and fortune! I’m so happy we connected! The sweet tangy citrus sauce looks amazing – and yes, I would drink this! I would love to give the sauce a try!

    Reply

  35. I cannot get enough of orange right now!! Especially in savory dishes like this! Gimme all the orange! haha

    Seriously, Kelly this looks fantastic! And you know I love that it’s in the slow cooker!

    Reply

  37. Hope you had a lovely Chinese New Year!!
    We enjoy orange chicken and eat it a lot, only thing I get it from our nearest and best local chinese restaurant. I am pinnin this and making it this week. Looks absolutely delicious my dear. Your recipe is super clear and amazing.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much Ceara! Hope you get to try it out. It works with both roasted or unroasted but the roasted definitely has more depth 🙂 Have a great week!

      Reply

  43. I really want to try this with cauliflower! I never would have thought of using it.

    What’s a good tip when zesting fruit? Should the amount of the zest be equal to a “pinch of” something? I have no idea if I’m doing right. I’m excited for another yummy creation from you to try,

    Reply

    • I use a microplane zester and just scrape the cleaned orange downwards and then turn the orange and start again. I got about 1 1/2 tablespoons of zest but if you get less or even a bit more that is fine too 🙂 Yay, hope you like it, I’ve had two readers already tell me they tried it and love the flavor 🙂

      Reply

  45. This sounds phenomenal Kelly! I’m always on the look out for rock star slow cooker recipes! And I totally love the idea of using cauli and tofu for a meatless option! I’m totally gonna rock my crock later this week with this recipe!

    Reply

  48. I made this in the instant pot tonight. It was a hit all around!! It was delicious and perfect. I added steamed broccoli to top it off. Yum!! Definite keeper!!

    Reply

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