Sunday, November 1, 2009

Slow Cooker Ginger Orange Chicken

I like citrus and chicken together; they have a natural affinity for each other, each providing a venue to compliment the other.

Ole Sweetie-Pi and I are battling the doggone cold that seems to be going around and the last thing I wanted to do was stand around and fuss with cooking. So out comes my slow cooker to rescue me.

I saw this recipe on the Kraft's Food website and decided to try it. I'll reprint the recipe as they have it and put my minor changes in parenthesis. We liked this; it has a pretty assertive orange flavor because of the marmalade, and it's a bit spicy from the generous use of ginger and the pinch of red pepper flakes.

Slow Cooker Ginger Orange Chicken

1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce (I used a Thai sesame ginger teriyaki sauce)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup orange marmalade
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (omitted because of the teriyaki sauce)
8 bone-in chicken thighs (3-1/2 lb.), skin removed (I used boneless, skinless thighs, removing as much visible remaining fat as possible)

Stir barbecue sauce and flour in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken; mix well.

Pour sauce mixture evenly over chicken in slow cooker. (Do not stir.) Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW for 3 to 5 hours. Serve chicken topped with the sauce.

Though it's not obvious in the photograph, my chicken was falling apart at the end of five hours, so I think even on low my slow cooker may run a little hot. (Once I saw how falling apart the chicken was, I used a scoop to serve up a couple of whole thighs for you.) I probably should have checked this at four hours, but I read that every time you open the lid on the slow cooker you need to add 30 minutes to the cook time. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I'm willing to pass along yet another urban legend, grins.

This makes a lot of sauce which goes great on broccoli and would be equally good on plain rice.

28 comments:

  1. This sounds really good...and maybe sorta healthy! I've gotta quit eating so much crap. We'll have to give it a try.

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  2. Julie, I'm in the same boat, grins.

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  3. the orange marmalade on the thighs is a great touch. love this recipe

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  4. WOW! This sounds delicious.I'm sure everyone in the family enjoy this.

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  5. YUM YUM Katy !....this not only LOOKS amazing...the name of it sounds heavenly ! ...I have tried Ginger chicken, and Orange chicken...but never both combined this way..thank you for sharing such a great recipe with us... it really is sooo family friendly...something my little girl will surely LOVE too.

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  6. This WILL be a huge hit in our house. I use my crockpot a LOT this time of year and this is perfect for us. We love thicken cooked this way, especially the "falling apart" part. Chicken in that state is not so good for photos, but oh yummmm!!!!!!!!!

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  7. Incredible flavors in here Katy! When I have a cold I make a broth with ginger, garlic and red pepper, some of the same flavors you used. It always makes me feel better. I hope this brought you some comfort and you and Sweetie-Pi feel better soon!

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  8. Hi Katy,jus wanted to comment on ur clarification on http://kaipunyam.blogspot.com/2008/12/vattayappam.html ... u r absolutely right... we r indeed talking about similar timeframes of abt 6-8 hrs... and two other ways to understand the fermentation time will be by seeing that the paste has increased in volume and filled with bubbles and by tasting it which would have a slightly more sour taste than before...

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  9. This meal look a million times tastier than all of the birthday junk food we had today!

    I would love to try it. I think my slow cooker runs hot as well. I keep overcooking things!

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  10. Hey, I've given you an award! Please come check it out!

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  11. I couldn't agree more...citrus and chicken are made for each other! Wow...great shot of your supper...and I love that you served it with broccoli....not JUST for the colour...grin! But it does certainly set it off...the dark green. Love broccoli just steamed like that too! I'll be over in a jiffy! Got any leftovers? Get better soon kiddo!

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  12. Ooh yum this looks so amazing. I sure hope you both get to feeling better soon!

    I love broccoli..espically with a little mayo on it! LOL

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  13. Hi Katy!

    I am definitely going to give this a try. My seventeen year old son loves orange chicken and I love that I can put it in the Crockpot! Thanks for sharing and as always GREAT POST! Have a happy week.

    Gin

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  14. This is a grand recipe for me right now - I leave the house at 2 p.m. and get home at 10 p.m. - but when the family comes home - they still expect dinner! The nerve of them! They would love this.

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  15. Love crockpot recipes especially on those days when there is no way dinner's gonna get made.

    I definitely think your changes really made this.
    ~ingrid

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  16. What a gorgeous looking dish! I love orange chicken but have never done it in a crock pot. I'll have to remedy that.

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  17. oh this sounds so good! i love the flavors! i hope you're feeling better soon!

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  18. Katy that looks delicious and I love slow cooker recipes. I have a pot roast in right now but I am going to try this soon. I want to also try your chicken recipe with the packet of Italian dressing. That sounds good too!

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  19. That looks really tasty! I love a lot of sauce on my food too. I hope that you are feeling better soon!

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  20. Those slow cookers are so handy when you don't feel like spending too much time in the kitchen..and those slow cooked meals are so good..Katy your recipe for this citrusy chicken looks delicious!
    Get well..

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  21. I love the thought of putting the sauce on broccoli...orange and broccoli are surprisingly delicious together! Sounds yummy :D

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  22. This sounds delicious, Katy. Isn't orange marmalade yummy? I'll bet it's great in this.

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  23. Yummy post, Katy! I love to use my slow cooker too and this would be a fantastic meal to serve my hungry clan after a busy day!

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  24. I have no slow cooker...this sounds and looks fantastic!

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  25. This sounds delish, Katy....I would love the orange sauce over rice as well! Thanks!

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  26. This one is mine. I love the look and I know I would love the taste. Orange and soy sauce is one of my favorites.

    I have to keep this one. If I make it soon, I will share the results with you. So far, all your recipes have been successes.

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  27. You certainly chose a great combination. I love the sauce, chicken and broccoli.

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