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This mini slow cooker orange chicken is a flavorful single serving meal made with tender chicken thighs simmered in a sweet and tangy orange sauce. It’s easy to prepare and perfect for a simple, satisfying dinner.
Featured Comment
“I love this recipe. The chicken is so delicious and just falls apart because it is so tender.”
– AJ
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Prep: Just add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook.
- Healthier: No deep frying needed, but still full of flavor.
- Bold Flavor: Orange preserves, garlic, and ginger make a rich, tasty sauce.
- Perfectly Portioned: Made for one, with no waste.
- Easy Ingredients: Everything is easy to find at the grocery store.
What I love most about this slow cooker orange chicken is how it fills the kitchen with the smell of citrus and garlic as it simmers.
It’s one of those meals that feels comforting and special, even though it’s incredibly easy to make. If you’re looking for a no-fuss dinner that tastes like you put in a lot more effort than you did, this is it.
Looking for more single serving mini slow cooker recipes? Try slow cooker ropa vieja for one, slow cooker chicken burrito bowl, and small slow cooker meatloaf.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Chicken: Use 1 to 2 boneless, skinless thighs. They’re tender, flavorful, and ideal for slow cooking. If you have leftover chicken thighs, try them in chicken cacciatore for one or a small chicken and rice casserole.
- Orange Juice: Fresh is best, but bottled works too. Use extra orange juice in small batch morning glory muffins or a tequila sunrise.
- Soy Sauce: Adds savory depth. Use low-sodium if preferred.
- Garlic and Onions: Use 1 garlic clove and ½ of a small onion for rich, aromatic flavor.
- Ground Ginger: Adds warmth and spice. Use ¼ teaspoon or substitute with freshly minced ginger.
- Sesame Seeds (optional): Sprinkle on top for a bit of crunch and visual appeal.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Want to change things up? Try one of these simple ways to put a new spin on your orange chicken:
- Vegetarian Option: Swap the chicken for firm tofu or tempeh.
- Crispy Orange Chicken: After cooking, broil the chicken on a baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes, then return it to the sauce.
- Spicy Version: Add 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon sriracha to the sauce before cooking.
- Pineapple Twist: Stir in 1/4 cup pineapple chunks or juice for a sweet and tropical flavor.
How To Make Orange Chicken In A Slow Cooker
These step-by-step instructions help you visualize how to make this small slow cooker orange chicken recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Add sliced onions to the bottom of a small 1.5-quart slow cooker. Place chicken thighs on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange preserves, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
Don’t have a slow cooker?
No problem! Use our single serving stovetop orange chicken recipe instead.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the Spice: Add more or less garlic, ginger, or pepper to suit your taste.
- Chicken Choices: Thighs stay tender and juicy, but a boneless, skinless breast works too.
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Easily Doubles: To make more, double the ingredients and use a 3-quart or larger slow cooker.
What To Serve With Orange Chicken
Looking for the perfect side to go with your slow cooker orange chicken? These single serving sides pair well and help round out the meal:
Frequently Asked Questions
For single serving slow cooker meals, a 1.5-quart slow cooker works best.
Yes, double the ingredient amounts and use a 3-quart slow cooker.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
RELATED: Recipes For Empty Nesters – The Joy Of Cooking For Two
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this slow cooker orange chicken or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Mini Slow Cooker Orange Chicken For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ small onion -thinly sliced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thigh (about 7 ounces total)
- ¼ cup low sugar orange preserves
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- pinch ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds -optional
Instructions
- Add sliced onions to the bottom of a 1.5-quart slow cooker. Place chicken thighs on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange preserves, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
Notes
- Adjust the Spice: Add more or less garlic, ginger, or pepper to suit your taste.
- Chicken Choices: Thighs stay tender and juicy, but a boneless, skinless breast works too.
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Easily Doubles: To make more, double the ingredients and use a 3-quart or larger slow cooker.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Joanie, anorher fabulous looking recipe..
My question is.. In this..and your other recipes that call for boneless chicken thighs, can I use bone in thighs??? This is because the majority of times these are what I mainly have in my freezer..
Merry Chritmas greetings from Lorna here in Scotland🏴
Thank you for your kind words, Lorna! Yes, you can absolutely use bone-in chicken thighs in this recipe and others that call for boneless thighs. In slow cooker recipes like this one, there should be plenty of time for the chicken to cook as written, so no adjustments should be necessary. For other types of recipes, the cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly. I hope you enjoy the recipe—let me know how it turns out!
Hi!! For this orange chicken recipe, can I substitute the orange marmalade for sweet mango chutney? And the orange juice with mango juice???
Do you think this will work???
Thank you so much!!
Sounds really delicious! I’d definitely give it a try.
Hi! Can I use my small instantpot for this recipe and rotisserie chicken???? My instantpot is the smallest one.
I actually don’t use an Instant Pot for my recipes, so they aren’t specifically developed for it.
I made this and thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on making it again. Now I had this thought would a pork chop work maybe sliced in strips?
Should work just fine.
Was so very easy – not a huge amount of ingredients and quick to put together! Plus mine was ready at about 5 hours on slow. (Maybe even earlier but I had not checked.) Try to use the low sugar orange preserves if possible. I did not have and used regular marmalade, so for me it was a tad too sweet but that is my personal preference. Feel that the sauce needed thickening at the end.
Very good, simple, fast recipe! (LOL for a slow cooker!) I especially like that the ingredients are what I generally have on hand. I also like that there is no prepping with breading involved. Served over Jasmine rice which I did in my rice cooker. Talk about an easy, no stress, open lid and serve dinner.
This is my favorite slow cooker chicken dish. I serve it over rice in a bowl for a delicious meal.
This was great. I had to sub apricot for orange preserves and chicken broth for the orange juice but it was fantastic. I just retired myself and am looking for ways to stop wasting so much food and to be able to enjoy my love of cooking on a daily basis. Next up is the Italian chicken. I have high hopes for it!
Delicious! So easy. Doubled with no problem. These recipes help with portion control. Bought 3 quart slow cooker just so I could try these recipes. Ready to try Joanie’s other slow cooker recipes!
Perfect every time !
This was really, really good!!! So glad I found your website, and thank you much for the info on adapting a large slow cooker for smaller recipes. Will be making this recipe often!
Perfect every time, just as written ! For a retiree just learning how to cook, you have given me hope !!
I am cooking again after 40 years. I have made this recipe several times and it gets better each time. I substituted cut-up chicken breasts for the thighs with a double recipe (it fit great in my 2 qt. slow cooker) when I had company – my guest did not leave any leftovers.
I leave out the pepper as I do not care for it. However, I have used freshly grated ginger and it is a wonderful addition.
Tried the Orange Chicken recipe, if I make it again I will definitely use chicken breast, did not care for thighs. I kinda changed the recipe at the end of cooking by making it into a stir fry but not much orange flavor, I finally added a jar of PF Chang’s Orange Chicken sauce which did give it more flavor.
I love this recipe. The chicken is so delicious and just falls apart because it is so tender. I serve it over rice so I can enjoy the “juice” that is left over.
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any orange marmalade and was anxious to try out my new mini slow cooker. So I used apricot jam and called it Apricot Chicken! So good! Thank you!!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
fantastic recipe now my husband’s favorite
I’m so happy you both enjoyed the chicken recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Can I cut the chicken into bite sized cubes before cooking? Do I need to adjust the cooking time if I do?
Yes, you can cut up the chicken before cooking and you do not need to adjust the cooking time.
I tried this and it was delicious! I didn’t have orange preserves so I added the zest of my orange and 2 tablespoons of honey. So good!! Next time I’ll add some red pepper flakes for a little kick but this was fantastic! Thank you!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Cindy. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Hi, I am allergic to anything with soy sauce sauce, which makes eating Chinese food difficult.that is why I like orange chicken when I eat out, but your recipe uses it, why did you add it in?
Hi Florence, feel free to leave the soy sauce out of the recipe if you’d like. It will still be delicious. I add soy sauce because it is an ingredient I’ve always added to my large batch version.
Do you think I can make it with some other flavor such as raspberry preserves?
You could, but it would change the flavor of the dish.
There is a soy sauce sub you can buy, I use it quite often it is called coconut aminos sauce, you can’t taste the coconut 🙂
I use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce all the time. It is siniliar in taste.
DO YOU THINK THIS COULD BE MADE WITH EITHER MEYER OR REGULAR LEMONS(?) OR DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE TOO OVER-POWERING? THX
I think the lemons would be too tart. The sweetness comes from the oranges and orange juice. Maybe a combination of both lemons and oranges would be nice.
I love orange chicken,but I like a lot of sauce for my rice,could I double the orange juice.If so do I have to change anything else in the recipe
Hi Lynda,
Yes, you can double the ingredients for the sauce and it’ll be wonderful. No need to change anything else.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Joanie
Could I use boneless chicken breast, and double it for 2 servings? Would the cook time be longer?
Hi Mary,
Yes, you can use a boneless chicken breast and this recipe can be doubled. I’ve doubled this recipe many times and the cooking time stays the same. Hope you enjoy it!
I love this lightened up and healthier version of Orange Chicken and the fact that it can be made in the crockpot? Perfecto!
I love this! Orange chicken is one of my favorites, and I know a ton of people that would love the fact that it is single serving!