I’ve always been a fan of my slow cooker. Probably because I’m basically a lazy cook and don’t want to spend any more time in the kitchen than I have to. This chicken with creamy orange sauce lets me basically dump and run. But it’s so good!
We’ve been working the last couple of years to eat a diet that’s lower in carbohydrates. We find that we feel better when we do and it’s helping us manage some weight and health issues.
Now this dish isn’t one that is strict Keto. We do use a little bit of orange juice and some cornstarch. However, those carbs divided over the entire dish isn’t so high that we worry about it much. The dish is definitely lower in carbs than something that uses flour as a thickener.
Creamy Chicken in Orange Sauce
Slow Cooker recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken meat (breast, thighs, or drumsticks)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup brandy or 3 Tablespoons red wine plus 1 Tablespoon vodka
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup 1:1 Stevia powder you want the Stevia that is a 1:1 substitute for regular sugar
- 8 regular green onions finely sliced
- 6 ounces cream cheese cubed
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
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Sear chicken in hot oil in skillet then place in slow cooker.
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In a mixing bowl, stir together the brandy (or substitute), wine vinegar, lemon juice, orange extract, orange zest, Stevia powder.
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Cook on low for 6 hours.
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At the end of the cooking time, stir in the cream cheese until it is melted and evenly combine.d
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Remove 1/2 cup of sauce and let it cool briefly, whisk in 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to form a slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce to thicken it when it boils.
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Add salt and pepper to taste and serve the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with the green onions.
This dish would be great served with rice or cauli-rice (or preference these days). It would also be great with mashed or a baked potato on the side if you prefer.
The sauce is what makes this dish so good. Let’s be honest, any sauce that’s got a little alcohol added to it for zip isn’t going to be blah.
However, if you don’t use alcohol in any cooking, you could leave it out or substitute with something else. But for us…get out the bottle. We love experimenting with different wines in sauces. Our motto is that a little wine makes every sauce better!
One thing you will want to be aware of if you use chicken pieces with the bones still in them is that cooking with a slow cooker will make those bones more fragile. Personally, I prefer to cook boneless chicken whenever I use the slow cooker for just that reason. I don’t want to find broken bones in the dish I’m serving and I sure don’t want someone to choke.
A service to make slow cooking easier:
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