Lazy.
This is me…being lazy.
I’ve been wanting to make some orange chicken for a while…recently had a conversation with a friend about it…and couldn’t put it off any longer. She shared a recipe with me and we decided that it would work with frozen vegetables too.
And the result was lovely fake-out take-out meal.
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Inspired by Orange Chicken in a Crock Pot
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 8 hours in slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) ($2.82)
- 8 oz. OJ concentrate ($1.34)
- 1 12 oz. package stir-fry vegetable mix ($.80)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ($.05)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger ($.10)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($.05)
- 1-2 teaspoons corn starch ($.05)
- Noodles or brown rice ($.40 – $.50)
- Crushed red pepper, optional
Directions
- Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces.
- In the base of the slow cooker, whisk together the OJ concentrate and the brown sugar, ginger, and garlic powder. Stir in the chicken pieces and vegetables into the sauce.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.
- Just before serving, whisk in the cornstarch into the sauce. Let sit for 10 minutes with the slow cooker on warm.
- Prepare noodles and brown rice.
- Serve Slow Cooker Orange Chicken over the rice or noodles with crushed red pepper.
Cost $5.61
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! Nothing wrong with slow-cooking a fake-out take-out meal! I’ll have to try this one soon since simple preparation and good food is all I ever wish for.
Question: The instructions say to whisk the cornstarch into the SAUCE. Do you remove the chicken and veggies from the crockpot before you wisk in the cornstarch?
My kids love the fried take out at Panda Express. Does this resemble the taste except for the fried part? It looks delicious to me:)
This looks great! Never have enough slow cooker recipes!
I’m looking forward to making this recipe! I have a frozen package of stir-fry mix. Could you please tell me if I should defrost it before adding to the crockpot? Or do I add it frozen?
Thanks so much for an easy and inexpensive dinner idea!
I tried this one tonight and it was an EPIC fail. I hate to be a downer and complain, but did anyone try this and like it? The orange concentrate was just too strong. We threw almost all away and just ate rice. I have been married 27 years and that is a first for us
I too tried this recipe this week and it was awful. The orange concentrate was way too strong. I ended up throwing it away. Maybe reducing the orange concentrate may work..am not sure.
I just made this last night. I didn’t think the orange concentrate was too strong. There are a few things I’d tweek. My sauce didn’t thicken in the crockpot, so I would pour it into a pan and thicken it there. Also the veggies were very mushy. If I were home, I’d wait till later to add the veggies in. All in all, I’d use the recipe again. It might lack a little in presentation, but it was easy, inexpensive and hearty.
I have not tried this recipe, but I would use orange marmalade with some soy sauce and about 1/2 of water. I would also leave the veggies out till the last 1-2 hours…at this time I would wisk the cornstarch with about a 1/4 -1/2 of oj and mix with the chicken sauce. I might try this myself this week.
Wish I would have read the comments first – just tried this recipe and it was awful. It tastes like medicine and vomit. Threw it all out.
I wish I would’ve read the comments too….I agree with the vomit smell and look. Tasted WAY too much like orange mush. My whole apartment stinks….tossed it all…
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