by Alyssa RiversThis website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my privacy policy.
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Dang this was so good! My little 8 year old said this was one of the best chicken dishes that I have made. Do you wanna hear the best part? It has 1 cup of zucchini in it and red pepper in it and he couldn’t even tell! I love being able to trick kids into eating veggies and having them actually love it. This dinner was a success. Well for most of us. The pickiest 4 year old wouldn’t even try a bite. What am I going to do with that boy? And when will he learn that my cooking isn’t horrible!
How Do You Make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken?
- Add garlic, peanut butter, broth, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. A half hour before you are going to serve, add in lime juice and ½ cup of cilantro.
- Serve over noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts.
Can you make Thai Peanut Chicken ahead?
Yes! You can make the sauce one week ahead to start prepping for it the next day. Add the chicken and follow the instructions according to the recipe card. It can be stored in an air tight container for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and up to 1 month in the freezer.
What type of noodles are best for Thai Peanut Chicken?
I prefer a thicker noodle that soaks up the creamy sauce and usually serve it with fettuccine noodles. The sauce is thicker than most and the fettuccine noodles are able to accurate this meal. Linguine is also a great choice with a lighter touch to the sauce since the noodles are a bit slimmer. Either noodle is a great option for the Thai Peanut Chicken.
What type of Peanut Butter is used?
I like to use a creamy peanut butter for this meal. If you prefer a crunchier/chunky, texture sauce chunky peanut butter would be a great option too.
How do you minced garlic?
- Cut off the tip of the clove
- Crush a clove gently
- Skin should fall off the garlic
- Rough chop the garlic
- Chop the garlic by going back and forth until minced
Note: Garlic Powder is not the same as minced garlic even though they come from the same bulb. This can alter the taste and texture of this dish.
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 red pepper cut into thin, long strips
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup chopped cilantro divided
- chopped peanuts for garnish
- 12 ounce linguine noodles cooked and drained
Instructions
- Add garlic, peanut butter, broth, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. A half hour before you are going to serve, add in lime juice and ½ cup of cilantro.
- Serve over noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Serves: 4
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
My family really liked it and the wonderful smell in the house as it was cooking.
We did add red pepper flakes at the end, because we like a little spice.
Thank you for a delicious recipe.
I have been making this dish for 3 years now. It is a family favorite. Thank you, Alyssa! I am sad to read the comments from people who have attempted to make this dish, but the end result was no bueno. I wonder what happened 🙁
I would like to note that we use shredded carrots instead of zucchini, because shredded carrots are readily available at the store whereas the zucchini I would have to shred myself, but I don’t own a vegetable shredder. We add mushrooms, too. We also add red chili flakes for a little kick. Finally, we have served this dish over basmati rice as well as linguine noodles, and we like the noodle version more (I think rice is supposed to be healthier? Which is why we tried it that way a few times). Any way… love, love, love this dish!
Didn’t work at all. The dish had a weird texture and it was just gross. I threw it away and we ordered sushi.
Oh no! I am so sorry!
This was really delicious but I added fresh ginger, a jalapeño, about a tablespoon of sriracha, and topped with sesame seeds and green scallions. I put over rice with extra cilantro. Yummy!
This didn’t work for me at all. I think the zucchini cooked down too much and it has a lumpy consistency. Going to try to salvage the chicken to put in a wrap or salad.
What about a pad thai noodle or glass noodle?
Those would work great!
Love! I don’t like red peppers so I subbed a shredded carrot and a dollop of siracha. This will be added to my rotation. Also good over rice.
I added a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger, a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and subbed half the chicken stock for coconut milk but this was extremely bland. I think I’d increase the ginger and soy sounds next time.
Just made it tonight. Winner, winner, Thai peanut chicken dinner. After reading comments I added a teaspoon of ginger, red pepper flakes and shredded carrots and substituted half the chicken broth with coconut milk. Served over brown rice. Family loved it.
This was insanely delicious. I omitted the sugar and per the other comments, added fresh minced ginger. It turned out flavorful and the sauce was creamy. My husband and two year old son loved it too.
Going to try this soon, but wanted to comment that my favorite peanut sauce has plenty of fresh grated ginger, lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha and coconut milk, in addition to the peanut butter and garlic and (brown) sugar. It’s so good you could eat it on ice cream. Adding those should really take it to a next level.
How many ounces of the coconut milk did you add? Did you reduce the amount of chicken stock as well since you added the coconut milk? I love your ideas to make this taste more authentic.
Wondering if almond or Cashew butter could be used instead? My hubby became allergic to peanuts at 30 y.o., and it’s awful!
That should work well with this chicken dish. Let me know how it turns out for your husband!
This turned out really good. But I added ginger and red pepper flakes and I think those are necessary additions. I also served it over rice rather than linguine.
The recipe was kind of bland. I recommend adding some more spices like cayenne to it.
/ Can I use tahini sauce instead of peanut butter?
That sounds delicious! It may alter your recipe but it sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out.
Has anyone tried using the PB2 powder instead of peanut butter to make this? Just wondering if that’s a possibility to reduce fat for those trying to do WW. Thanks
Could this be made with chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Yes, you will want to reduce the time and check the chicken thighs when they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Very easy to do and tasty. I also added some cayenne and ginger and doubled the garlic (we like garlic). This is on my keeper list