Slow-Cooker Spicy Orange Marmalade Chicken

We eat a lot of frozen Chinese Dinners in our house. Beef and Broccoli, Orange Chicken, General Tso (a Chinese American dish), the list goes on and on. Why frozen Chinese dinners? For one thing, I can cook up several different types of food all on one sheet pan. I line the pan with foil, building dividers into the foil liners to separate the different sauces. Another reason for the frozen dinner is convenience. We love Chinese food, but there’s a great deal of work involved when cooking from scratch. Still, the frozen route was getting old, and processed foods aren’t exactly on my heart-friendly radar. It was time to do a little Chinese cooking from Scratch cooking.

While this chicken is cooked up in a slow-cooker; it’s not one of those start it in the morning and forget about it dishes. For one thing, it will cook on low in about 4 or 5 hours; and it does require a little finishing work at the end. This is more along the lines of start it at about noon, then putter about before returning to finish everything at the end. It does give you some free time (always welcome) without complete freedom. If you have teenagers in the house; this is a great dish for them to take on the responsibility of cooking the family meal.

Slow-Cooker Spicy Orange Marmalade Chicken
4 lbs Skinless Chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
Flour for dredging
1 can orange juice concentrate, thawed, divided
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 Tablespoon Red Chili Pepper Flakes, divided
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Green onion for garnish

Remove visible fat from chicken thighs and roll each in flour until well coated. Set chicken thighs in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Combine 1/2 orange juice concentrate, marmalade, soy sauce, garlic and ketchup in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add 1/8 teaspoon (about a pinch) of Red Chili Pepper Flakes.

Pour sauce over chicken thighs. Cover slow-cooker and cook on LOW setting for 4-5 hours.

Remove thighs from slow cooker and place in a rimmed serving platter. Cover chicken with foil and hold in a warm oven. Ladle sauce into a sauce pan. Add remaining orange concentrate and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let cook until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste sauce, add additional Red Pepper Flake if desired.

Remove chicken from oven. Spoon some of the orange sauce over chicken, garnish with green onions. Serve with additional sauce on the side.

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen