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Katie Serbinski, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian and millennial mom, blogging about healthy recipes, child and mom nutrition, and motherhood.

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Home » Food & Recipes » Main Dishes » Slow Cooker » Slow Cooker Honey Orange Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Orange Chicken

Dec 15, 2015 32 Comments

Slow cooker honey orange chicken gives you the taste and flavor of Chinese takeout without all the breading and oil!

Slow cooker honey orange chicken gives you the taste and flavor of Chinese takeout without all the breading and oil!

I’m pretty sure the first time I had Chinese takeout I was in college— my family never ordered it growing up! Our weekly food tradition was Friday night pizza night and my Mom cooked most other nights. But Ted’s family had [and still has] an affinity for Chinese takeout. And since I’m no longer in college and married to man that loves good Chinese food, its can be found on our menu every now and then. Want to know what I think about this new tradition? Why the heck didn’t my parents jump on the Chinese takeout bandwagon when I was a little girl!!!

Slow cooker honey orange chicken gives you the taste and flavor of Chinese takeout without all the breading and oil!

Seriously though, what’s not to love about it? Plenty of sauce, lots of oil, and breaded and fried chicken can be found on most Chinese food menus. While I love someone doing all the cooking for me, my waistline thinks otherwise. Instead of nixing Chinese food all together, Ted and I made some compromises. And that compromise involved me making one of his favorites at home: orange chicken. But as the title of this recipe tells you, I’ve changed up the recipe and made a slow cooker honey orange chicken. Less oil. Less fat. And a lot of flavor! And it’s made in the slow cooker… cha-ching!

Slow cooker honey orange chicken gives you the taste and flavor of Chinese takeout without all the breading and oil!

While it seems strange to cook meat in the slow cooker with variable temps and times, I assure you cubed chicken cooks quickly— not matter what the slow cooker temp. This adjustment in heat from high to low also helped my sauce thicken and prevent the chicken from overcooking.  And if you opt for a higher temperature the entire cooking time OR need more than 4 hours for cooking, keep the chicken breasts whole! And one more thing: for those of you that live in the metro Detroit area, I’d love to hear your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant. We have yet to find one we like other than a chain!

Skip the takeout and make your own honey orange chicken in the slow cooker! Click To Tweet

3.7 from 3 reviews
Slow Cooker Honey Orange Chicken
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
5 hours
Total time
5 hours 10 mins
 
Author: Katie Serbinski
Recipe type: Main Dish
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 2-inch cubes
  • ½ cup orange marmalade
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup honey BBQ sauce
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • For Serving:
  • Brown rice, green onions and sesame seeds
  • Optional: Stir orange zest in at the end for extra flavor!
Instructions
  1. Spray the insert of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Add all of the ingredients and stir well to combine.
  2. Cover and cook on high for four hours, stirring halfway through. Then reduce slow cooker to warm and let rest for an additional hour, to let sauce thicken.
  3. Serve immediately with brown rice, and top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
Thickness of sauce will depend on the BBQ sauce and orange marmalade you use. Also, the longer you let the chicken rest on "warm" or in the fridge overnight once cooked, the thicker the sauce will get. You could also make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
3.4.3177

 

Slow cooker honey orange chicken gives you the taste and flavor of Chinese takeout without all the breading and oil!

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Comments

  1. Kathryn says

    December 15, 2015 at 1:43 pm

    I really love your blog! The recipes I’ve tried so far are huge hits with my toddler, and I have really appreciated when you share your own vulnerabilities – it’s very relatable (especially your picture of the difference between the 1st and 2nd pregnancy at 3 months! I’m experiencing that now. Wow.) Plus, I went to high school with Ted, so it’s fun to catch up. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 16, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      Thank you so much Kathryn!! What a small world. Ted saw your comment too and laughed! I hope I continue to share recipes you love… Your toddler too ? stay in touch!

  2. Shann Eva says

    December 16, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    Yum! This sounds fantastic, and I love that it doesn’t have all that extra stuff in it. Perfect for my whole family. Pinning!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    December 16, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    I have never been so excited for a recipe! I love Orange Chicken but hate the options at local restaurants. This gives me the ability to make it at home and enjoy whenever we’d like, without the hassle of ordering out.

    Reply
  4. Stefanie / The Monarch Mommy says

    December 16, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Oh this looks great! I’m always looking for slow cooker recipes. Pinning!

    Reply
  5. Twitchetts.com says

    December 18, 2015 at 9:51 am

    This sounds and looks amazing! I love a new crockpot meal. I can’t wait to try this out!!

    Reply
  6. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says

    December 24, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    My husband will love me more than ever if I make this for him! The only thing is I don’t have a slow cooker (I know, head bowed in shame!). I just got a free pressure cooker – not sure the difference – can I make it in that? Or if I make it in regular pan how would you adjust?

    Reply
  7. Sean Haynes says

    January 4, 2016 at 9:08 am

    Thanks what an awesome dish

    added the juice of half a stick of celery ,
    1 more garlic clove
    Fresh ginger juice about 15 ml
    quarter large onion finely chopped
    found this dish at its peak 2hours of cooking..4 hours chicken dries out dries out

    Balance of the sauce reduce and use as an awesome rib basting

    Reply
  8. Lesley says

    January 10, 2016 at 3:28 pm

    Smelt really nice cooking. Had to slightly thicken the sauce. Only problem was couldn’t taste the orange marmalade or the bbq honey sauce. Got one portion left so will have that for lunch.

    Reply
  9. Stacy says

    January 10, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    Has anyone tried to make this with gluten free flour?

    Reply
  10. Tammy says

    January 19, 2016 at 1:02 am

    Not sure what happened? I stirred all the ingredients together then added chicken. The sauce was so thick I added about 1/4 cup of water to thin it. I was worried adding more would affect the flavour. It didn’t help at all. It was edible but not attractive. I wouldn’t make it again. Was the flour maybe to coat the chicken prior to placing in crock pot and not to just throw in with the sauce??

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 19, 2016 at 1:27 pm

      Hi Tammy– thanks so much for your message! I added my flour to the sauce vs. coating the chicken. Did it taste ok? Did the sauce stick to the pan? Slow cookers are so finicky… Hence why mine was cooked on low. Sorry it didn’t turn out like mine!!

    • Katie says

      January 20, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      Me again 🙂 So I tried the recipe again and ended up doing something different— I cooked it on high for a few hours, then put it on warm for AT LEAST one hour. That really helped to speed up the thickening process!

  11. plasterer bristol says

    August 1, 2016 at 6:18 am

    i bet this tastes lovely. Thanks for sharing this, gonna give this a go later. Simon

    Reply
    • Katie says

      August 31, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      Thank you!

  12. Coko says

    February 4, 2017 at 1:24 pm

    How can i make a whole chicken in the crockpot for this recipe pls.

    Reply
  13. Katie says

    February 21, 2017 at 7:40 am

    Made this last night! It was absolutely delicious. I placed it in my cook book. I used sweet baby rays honey BBQ and orange marmalade with the peels. I also added some honey for extra sweetness! Thanks much

    Reply
  14. Kara says

    March 3, 2017 at 6:42 am

    I want to make this weekend! Could you use almond flour instead of all purpose flour?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      April 4, 2017 at 7:37 pm

      Sorry for the delay. I think you definitely could! Did you try the swap?

  15. Del Vill says

    September 26, 2017 at 12:11 am

    I found that it was ready at the half time stir point.

    Reply
  16. Donna Duncan says

    March 1, 2018 at 7:04 pm

    I followed the recipe but at the half time stir, it was burning so I turned it down to low. Hopefully it’s good. It’s still an hour until dinner time.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 1, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      Hope it turned out well too Donna!!!

  17. Leilani says

    June 24, 2018 at 11:09 pm

    I’m from the Detroit area! My absolute favorite Chinese restaurant is Chinese Kitchen, it’s in the Clinton Township area, my grandparents, and parents have been going there since long before I was born (I’m 20) and I’ve been going my whole life. By far the best I’ve had!

    Reply
  18. Ericka says

    August 5, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    What brand of honey bbq and orange marmalade do you normally use? In the crockpot now & smells great but the sauce looks a bit different than yours.

    Reply
  19. Teri says

    February 18, 2019 at 7:54 am

    Can you cook this on low and just increase the time?

    Reply
  20. ms.lady says

    February 18, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    What is orange zest?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Inside The Perimeter » Double Crockpot Weekend says:
    January 18, 2016 at 7:01 am

    […] Sunday afternoon/evening I made Honey Orange Chicken. The recipe, to which I linked, was a little less successful because the sauce never thickened the […]

    Reply
  2. Orange Chicken Stir-Fry - Mom to Mom Nutrition says:
    July 14, 2016 at 1:40 am

    […] be Chinese food. I guess it’s fitting that one of the most popular recipes on my blog is Slow Cooker Honey Orange Chicken— a recipe I made often for the hubby! And while I’m all for using the slow cooker […]

    Reply
  3. Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken Thighs - Mom to Mom Nutrition says:
    November 28, 2016 at 9:31 am

    […] minutes. Serve immediately. 3.4.3177 Sesame chicken thighs reminded me a lot of my recipe for honey orange chicken— and I think next time I make my honey orange version I’ll be adding chicken thighs! Oh and […]

    Reply
  4. meal planning: week 2 says:
    January 18, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    […] Crockpot Honey Orange Chicken […]

    Reply
  5. 20 BEST ALL DAY SLOW COOKER RECIPES - My Recipes 21 says:
    February 9, 2019 at 8:59 pm

    […] Get the recipes>>momtomomnutrition.com […]

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  6. 30 Easy & Healthy Crockpot Dinner recipes for days when you are too tired to cook - Recipe Magik says:
    August 3, 2019 at 2:20 am

    […] Slow Cooker Honey Orange Chicken via Mom to Mom […]

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Katie Serbinski at Mom to Mom Nutrition

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Hi, I’m Katie! Registered Dietitian, Mom, and Mealtime Negotiator. I’m on a mission to make mealtime happier, healthier, and easier with small children, despite what my 4 picky eaters have me believing. From family-friendly recipes to confessions about my unfiltered motherhood moments, I hope you grab a seat at my kitchen table!
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