Slow Cooker Orange Chicken and Broccoli

Make this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken for easy weeknight eating.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese American

Keyword slow cooker orange chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 305kcal

Cut chicken into bite sized cubes and place in a slow cooker.
Whisk together orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Pour into the slow cooker along with the garlic and ginger. Toss to coat the chicken evenly.
Close the lid and cook on low for 2 hours.
After 2 hours increase slow cooker heat to high. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour into the slow cooker and mix evenly into the chicken and sauce, then stir in the broccoli.
Close the lid and allow to cook on high for about 30 minutes. At this point the sauce should have thickened and broccoli should be tender
Serve over rice with green onion and more orange zest.

Save time with pre-grated ginger and garlic - I like to use frozen ginger and garlic cubes in my sauce to save prep time. Each frozen cube is equivalent to either 1 tsp grated ginger or 1 clove of garlic so it is very easy to measure.
Skip the cornstarch slurry if you don't have it - I love a thick sauce like sticky takeout, but it doesn't change the flavor at all. If you don't have cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot starch on hand, just skip the slurry step!
Add extra veggies with the chicken - vegetables like onions and bell peppers can cook longer without getting too mushy. If you want to add more veggies like those to this slow cooker dinner, mix them in with the chicken and sauce mixture at the beginning of cooking.
Add a little spice to the orange sauce - if you like a sweet and spicy sauce, add crushed red pepper or sriracha to the sauce to make it spicy.