3-Ingredient Super Yummy Crockpot Orange Chicken
Make sweet and savory 3-ingredient crockpot orange chicken at home. With only 5 minutes of hands-on time, this recipe is faster than takeout!
Save yourself a trip to Panda Express with this easy orange chicken recipe. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, since you need about 5 minutes of hands-on time and your delicious meal will cook while you work. It’s a great way to put a quick dinner on the table!
I love easy dinners with minimal effort, and this one delivers with tender chicken and a tangy sauce. The whole family is gonna love it!
What’s in slow cooker orange chicken?
You only need 2 ingredients for the orange chicken sauce, plus the obvious chicken! You can find all of these simple ingredients at the grocery store.
- Orange Marmalade: This gives the whole thing a deliciously tangy orange flavor. You can sub orange juice and orange zest for the marmalade, but your sauce will be thinner.
- Barbecue Sauce: I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s original flavor for this, but you can play around with different bbq sauce.
- Frozen Popcorn Chicken: This is the secret to getting that crispy orange chicken with basically no work. You can also use a chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or even regular chicken nuggets for this.
Making 3-ingredient orange chicken
Step 1 | Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients: marmalade and barbecue sauce. Stir it until smooth, then set to the side. If you want to add a little heat, you can include some red pepper flakes in the sauce.
Step 2 | Let it Cook
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, then dump in the popcorn chicken. Pour the tangy orange sauce over the top of the chicken, put the lid on the crockpot, and let it cook. Cooking time is about 2-3 hours on high, or 3-4 hours on low.
Step 3 | Enjoy!
Once the chicken is warmed through, you can enjoy your Chinese orange chicken. I serve mine over either white rice or brown rice, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions with a side of broccoli or snap peas. It’s a family favorite!
Substitutions
If you need to make some substitutions, here are a few tried and true options:
- For the marmalade: You can sub 1/2 cup orange juice + 1 tsp orange zest, but it will create a thinner sauce. You can also sub apricot preserves, but that will change the flavor.
- For the barbecue sauce: You can sub Hoisin sauce in a 1:1 ratio for the barbecue sauce. Another option is to use ketchup+soy sauce. You’ll need about 1/2 cup ketchup an 2 tbsps of low sodium soy sauce.
- For the chicken: If you don’t want crispy chicken, you can use a couple of chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of the popcorn chicken. You can also do this with other proteins, including shrimp, tofu, and pork.
More Better Than Takeout Dinners
FAQs
No, you can add the frozen popcorn chicken directly to the crockpot. It will heat through as the sauce cooks.
Yes, you can double the ingredients to serve a larger crowd. Just make sure your crockpot is large enough to accommodate the extra volume.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
3-Ingredient Crockpot Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 24 oz frozen popcorn chicken
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the marmalade and barbecue sauce until smooth.
- Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Pour popcorn chicken into crockpot.
- Pour sauce over the top of the chicken. Place lid on crockpot.
- Cook for 2-3 hours on high, or 3-4 hours on low. Orange chicken is done when the popcorn chicken is heated through.
