I have a long standing relationship with my slow cooker. Like all relationships, it has had its ups and downs. Truth be told, I was intimidated by it and wasn’t generally thrilled by the results.

Then, I became a mom and everything changed.

While my kids were really little, I didn’t care about the results. I was really just happy to get dinner on the table and get out of my pajamas sometime around the same time. That was when I made peace with brown food, and my slow cooker, and just threw things in and hoped it all cooked. Some things came out great and some, well, not so much.  So, as my kids and my family have grown, befriending my slow cooker has become a necessity. On any given night we can have basketball games, dance lessons, jump roping, band practice, and homework to be done…all at the same time. That’s not to say I want sympathy (well, not often), I love my crazy job. But somehow, these little jet-setters expect to be fed – EVERY SINGLE DAY! Shocking, right? Here is where my slow cooker comes into play.

This is one of these recipes that was serendipitous, and by serendipitous, meaning, I threw a bunch of ingredients into the slow cooker and a few hours later…ta da! Deliciousness.  It works really well served over the coconut rice.

It got five thumbs up in my house.  I hope it does in yours too.

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Prep time 5 min.
Cook time 4 hrs.
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1.5-2 lbs Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

1/2 cup Orange Marmelade

1/4 cup Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce (I used San-J brand)

1/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1 Tbs. Gluten Free Corn Starch

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker
2. Add the marmalade, teriyaki, and water in the slow cooker and stir to combine
3. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours
4. When the time is up, remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks
5. Strain the cooking liquid into a pot and place on the stove and reduce at medium to medium high heat (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over) and reduce by 1/3
6. In a small cup, combine the orange juice and corn starch and whisk to combine
7. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and boil until it thickens.
8. Add salt and pepper to desired taste
9. Serve the shredded chicken over rice and pour some of the sauce over it and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Notes

I served this over coconut rice with dried fruit.