Saturday, March 16, 2013

Freezer to Crockpot Orange Chicken


My family cheers every time they learn we are having this for dinner! It pleases everyone which is a difficult task with seven of us. They would probably not mind if we ate it every week. I've adapted the recipe over the years to make it very easy which allows me to cheer too!

Our remodel continues - this recipe was easy to cook on the bathroom counter. I did the chicken in the crockpot and the egg rolls (pre-made and in the freezer a few months ago) and stir-fry veggies in an electric frying pan. I had pre-cooked rice also waiting in the freezer that we warmed in the microwave.

Freezer to Crockpot Orange Chicken


3 chicken breasts
1 cup orange juice
1 cup brown sugar, packed ½ cup apple cider vinegar
1–2  Tbsp soy sauce 5-6 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup orange juice


Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, orange juice and vinegar in a gallon size ziplock freezer bag. Add 3 fresh or frozen chicken breasts.  Label bag and freeze. Thaw before cooking. Dump everything into the crockpot and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. Fish the chicken out of the crockpot and set aside. Use a slotted spoon to remove any unwanted material that may be floating in the sauce. Discard. To thicken the sauce, mix cornstarch with a little bit of cold water. Add to crockpot and mix. Dice chicken and return to crockpot. Allow to simmer 30 minutes on high to complete the thickening process. (I always use Ultra Sperse to thicken my sauce.  It is an instant thickener. This means that I can just sprinkle a little in and stir then decide if I need a bit more. I can get it to "just the right" thickness without guessing and I don't have to wait 30 minutes.) Once the sauce is thick, serve over rice.

3 comments:

  1. Your Recipe lists "1 cup of orange juice" twice. Do you use 1 cup or 2 cups of orange juice for this recipe? Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Oops - that is a typo. It is only 1 cup of orange juice.

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