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Easy Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe

This easy Crock Pot slow cooker orange chicken recipe (with orange marmalade!) is sweet without refined sugar. Just 5 minutes prep for paleo orange chicken that makes a healthy meal.

by Maya Last Updated on March 31, 2020 23 Comments

Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Recipe
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My easy slow cooker orange chicken recipe (made with orange marmalade!) is sweet without tons of added sugars. Typically, orange chicken is super sugary and sickly sweet – NO THANKS! This paleo orange chicken is exactly the opposite! Fresh, light, and full of bright and bold orange flavor. It’s just how I like my dinners. There’s so much to love about this Crock Pot orange chicken!

Easy orange chicken is healthy, it’s delicious, and it’s super easy to make. Because we’re going to let the slow cooker do all of the work.

Now you may be wondering about the orange marmalade… typically it’s full of sugar, right? Well, I’ve found a version without any added sugars, it’s called St Dalfour Orange Marmalade 100% Fruit Conserve. No honey, no agave, no coconut sugar, just pure fruit. It gives this orange marmalade chicken SO much flavor, without the cloying sweetness that comes from the take-out versions.

What Is Orange Chicken?

Orange chicken is an American Chinese dish of deep fried chicken pieces, coated in an orange and soy-based sauce.

Typically, it’s made with a lot of added sugars, but my healthy orange chicken isn’t that takeout version. The good news is that this paleo orange chicken is easy to make at home and then you know what’s going into it. Making crock pot orange chicken at home is a healthy way to get your takeout fix!

How To Make Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

When you serve this easy orange chicken recipe to friends and family, they aren’t going to believe it isn’t takeout! Seriously. Crock Pot orange chicken is that good. The steps to make it are super simple, too.

Step 1: Add chicken thighs to the slow cooker.

Step 2: Mix up the sauce by whisking together marmalade, orange juice, sesame oil, coconut aminos, minced garlic, ginger, and the red pepper flakes. Pour this over the chicken and cook over low heat.

Step 3: Make the cauliflower rice. While the chicken is cooking, prep your rice and bake it about 20 minutes before you want to eat.

Step 4: Thicken the sauce with tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.

PRO TIP: Whisk the sauce ingredients frequently. Otherwise, it will burn pretty quickly.

Step 5: Serve chicken over cauliflower rice and add the sauce. Top with some sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Easy Paleo Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken - Ready to serve orange chicken

Is Orange Chicken Gluten-Free?

This slow cooker orange chicken is gluten-free; however, most of the time it isn’t gluten free.

Whether you buy in the frozen section at your grocery store or hit up a restaurant, odds are it’s been breaded and fried. If you are gluten free, I would stick to making orange marmalade chicken yourself to be safe.

Is Orange Chicken Spicy?

Paleo orange chicken isn’t spicy at all. It has a sweet and citrus flavor.

If you are looking to have some heat in this easy orange chicken recipe, you can add in some red pepper flakes and a sprinkle cayenne pepper. The spice with sweetness is a delicious combination.

How Do You Store Orange Marmalade Chicken?

Store leftover orange marmalade chicken in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep the homemade orange chicken in a glass storage container with a lid that’s airtight.

On average, the orange glazed chicken will last around 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Can You Freeze This Easy Orange Chicken Recipe?

Yes, you can freeze this easy orange chicken recipe, and it’s just as delicious as when you first made it. This is ideal for meal planning because you can store the skinny orange chicken in freezer safe meal prep containers. It will last around 2-3 months in the freezer.

The best way to thaw it is to place it in the fridge overnight, but you can also defrost easy orange chicken in the microwave.

The best way to reheat slow cooker orange chicken is in a skillet on medium-high heat. It doesn’t take long to warm up, and it won’t dry out.

Easy Paleo Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken - 2 plates with orange chicken

More Asian Paleo Recipes

If you like this slow cooker orange chicken recipe, here are some others you might like:

  • Easy Paleo Honey Sesame Chicken
  • Easy Paleo Healthy Shrimp Chow Mein
  • Paleo Teriyaki Chicken Bake With Pineapple

Easy Paleo Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken:
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RECIPE CARD

2 crock pot orange chicken thighs
4.95 from 17 votes

Easy Paleo Crock Pot Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

This easy Crock Pot slow cooker orange chicken recipe (with orange marmalade!) is sweet without refined sugar. Just 5 minutes prep for paleo orange chicken that makes a healthy meal.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Crock Pot Orange Chicken, easy orange chicken recipe, orange marmalade chicken, paleo orange chicken, Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Calories 560 kcal
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Author Maya Krampf from WickedSpatula.com
Servings 4 servings
★ Review Print

Ingredients

Please ensure Safari reader mode is OFF to view ingredients.

Easy Orange Chicken

  • 8 medium Boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 3/4 cup Orange marmalade (no sugar added)
  • 3/4 cup Orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons Coconut aminos
  • 3 cloves Garlic (minced)
  • 1 1/2 1-inch piece Fresh ginger (grated)
  • 3/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Tapioca flour
  • Sesame seeds (for topping)
  • Green onions (for topping)

Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 1/2 large head Cauliflower
Click to convert between US & metric measurements:
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

More TIPS about this paleo recipe in the post above!

Easy Orange Chicken

  1. Place chicken thighs in slow cooker and turn to low.
  2. Whisk together the marmalade, orange juice, sesame oil, coconut aminos, minced garlic, ginger, and the red pepper flakes.
  3. Pour sauce over chicken, cover and let cook for 5 hours on low.
  4. Remove chicken from slow cooker and transfer liquid to a small pot over medium high heat.
  5. Whisk in the tablespoon of tapioca flour or arrowroot powder until the sauce becomes thick, about 1 minute.

  6. Place chicken on bed of cauliflower rice and spoon sauce over chicken.
  7. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

Cauliflower Rice

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

  2. Cut cauliflower into smaller chunks and place in food processor. Blend in pulses until riced. It will be finely minced.
  3. Spread cauliflower onto a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes flipping once halfway through.

Recipe Notes

Serving Size: 2 chicken thighs + sauce

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories 560
Fat 15g
Protein 50g
Total Carbs 56g
Net Carbs 50g
Fiber 6g
Sugar 39g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols (though the latter are rarely seen on this site), because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.

© Copyright Wicked Spatula. We'd LOVE for you to share a link to this recipe, but please DO NOT COPY/PASTE the recipe instructions to social media or websites. You may share a photo with a link back instead.

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Slow Cooker Sesame Orange Chicken | https://www.wickedspatula.com

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Filed Under: Chicken

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    4.95 from 17 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




    23 Comments

  1. Denise

    ReplyJune 10, 2019

    5 stars
    This is incredible! I love the flavors.

  2. Jessica Formicola

    ReplyJune 10, 2019

    5 stars
    I made this for dinner over the weekend and it was so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  3. Tisha

    ReplyJune 10, 2019

    5 stars
    Orange chicken is one of my favorites!

  4. Jenni LeBaron

    ReplyJune 10, 2019

    5 stars
    I love orange chicken, but I’ve always made it with chicken breasts for some reason. The fella would be so thrilled if I made it with thighs like your recipe. I love that this goes right into the slow cooker too – easy meals are the best!

  5. Raia Todd

    ReplyJune 10, 2019

    5 stars
    Mmmmm! The orange a spice was a delicious flavor combo for chicken!

  6. Ashley Littlefield

    ReplyMay 16, 2015

    Did you use skin-on bone-in thighs?

    • Lauren

      ReplyMay 16, 2015

      Nope, boneless skinless.

  7. Michelle

    ReplyMarch 17, 2015

    5 stars
    My kind of meal…I love using thighs when I’m cooking! This was so good!

    • Lauren

      ReplyMarch 17, 2015

      Thank you! I love thighs so much more than white meat!

  8. Laura

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    I am very excited to get my hands on some orange marmalade so I can try this! I am kind of tempted to try it with pork. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    • Lauren

      ReplyFebruary 3, 2015

      I think it would be fantastic with pork! Let me know if you try it!

  9. Theresa

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    I just made a sesame chicken myself, I love cooking it up in the crockpot.

  10. Alisa

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    How in the world did you make a slow cooker dish look so amazing? I’ve got orange marmalade in the fridge in need of a purpose (I now know both my husband and I hate orange marmalade) – I think I’ve found it! Did you use the traditional, bitter orange marmalade? I’m afraid it will overpower the dish.

    • Lauren

      ReplyFebruary 3, 2015

      Hey Alisa! I used a traditional orange marmalade that’s just sweetened with fruit juice. I find that it’s still bitter alone and like you wouldn’t really eat it unless it was in a dish. The brand I buy is St. Dalfour, hope this helps!

  11. Linda

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    I like that it doesn’t have added sugar to it! What is coconut aminos? I’ve never used them!

    • Lauren

      ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

      It’s basically coconut sap that tastes almost identical to soy sauce. It’s gluten free and paleo! If you want you can easily substitute it for soy sauce or tamari.

  12. Valerie

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    This was great, I have been looking for some new flavors for my slow cooker. I love the flavor of the oranges!

  13. Kristen

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    This looks terrific. I was planning on making a stir fry tomorrow for dinner, but I may switch it up and do this instead! YUM!

  14. Christie

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    I don’t know what I would do if my oven quit! But, every week I need at least one slow cooker recipe. My family is going to love this one. Putting it on next weeks menu.

    • Lauren

      ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

      We’re lucky we have our toaster oven that can fit a few pieces of meat and some veggies. We are only cooking for two so that helps as well! Thanks for stopping by!

  15. Jameson Fink

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    So much prefer chicken thighs to breasts, especially in a slow cooker. A lot more flavor, for sure.

    • Lauren

      ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

      5 stars
      I used to hate thighs, but I prefer them now too! I thought they were greasy but now I know it’s just the way they’re prepared!

  16. Rachel Cooks

    ReplyFebruary 2, 2015

    5 stars
    Made this dinner tonight! It was great!!

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