Slow cooker pineapple orange chicken is incredibly delicious. Tasty chicken is covered in a sweet and tangy sauce made from mandarin oranges and pineapples. This recipe couldn’t be easier to make – prep in less than 10 minutes and let the slow cooker do the rest of the work.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner
If you have my Simple Meals Starter Guide then you already know that I highly recommend using your slow cooker at least two nights a week to help save time.
And this pineapple orange chicken is the perfect recipe to try out in your slow cooker. For faster prep, you can marinate the chicken in the fridge the night before. This will give it loads of flavor.
Then, just toss it all in the slow cooker the next day and cook for 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Orange Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – I used six pieces. Marinading the chicken is going to give it so much flavor!
- Pineapple chunks – These are such a delicious part of this meal
- Mandarin Oranges – These will break down into a sauce consistency as they cook.
- Soy sauce – preferably one that’s low in salt, you can also use tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- Brown sugar – you can also use coconut sugar (which is what I used)
- Corn starch – this will help thicken the sauce
- Green bell pepper – add this 1 hour before the finish in the slow cooker for a softer texture, or right at the end if you like them crispier as I do.
How To Make The Chicken Marinade
I love to make chicken marinades. They add incredible flavor to what can sometimes be a boring chicken breast. There are so many varieties of chicken marinades you can make depending on your preference.
For this pineapple orange chicken recipe, add the cornstarch, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), soy sauce (or tamari sauce), lemon juice, ground ginger salt and pepper to a bowl and whisk everything together to a smooth consistency.
Stir in the drained mandarin oranges and drained pineapple chunks.
Pour the sauce mixture into a large freezer bag and add the chicken breasts. Seal tightly and store in the fridge for at least one hour. For extra flavor I recommend letting them marinade overnight.
Freezer Meal Tip
This is a great recipe to create as a freezer meal! Just add all the ingredients to a ziploc freezer bag (I prefer ziploc to avoid any leakage or spills), seal tightly and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to use, let thaw overnight in the fridge, then add to the slow cooker the next day.
Once you add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, you can cook for 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
Add some chopped bell pepper in the last hour for a softer texture, or right at the end for a crispy texture.
This recipe pairs perfectly with a side of cooked rice.
More Slow Cooker Dinner Ideas
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes – the perfect comfort meal for cozy days
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup – Tastes delicious with crushed nachos on top
- Kale Lentil Crockpot Soup – healthy and yummy
- Six Healthy Crockpot Freezer Meals For Easy Dinners – save time during weeknights with these easy dinner ideas
Slow Cooker Pineapple Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 2 cans pineapple slices, drained - (16 oz)
- 2 cans mandarin oranges, drained - (16 oz)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the pineapple, mandarin oranges cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, ginger, and ground pepper. Pour into a freezer bag along with raw chicken breasts. Seal tightly and let marinade for at least 1 hour in the fridge (can also marinade overnight).
- Pour ingredients into slow cooker, placing chicken in a single layer not stacked on each other. Cover with lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Add green pepper to the crockpot 1 hour before serving (more cooked) or sprinkle on at the end (raw and crispy). Serve over cooked rice.
