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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.
Can this also be made in an instant pot?
More than likely! I will have to work on an instant pot recipe for this chicken soon!
The only thing I would change would be to add the peppers closer to the serve time as the peppers disintegrated. Otherwise, it was delicious!
I am making this today and realized I forgot to take out my chicken. Can you use frozen? Excited to make it. Looks great!
It is best to thaw the chicken if possible. If not, frozen chicken will work but it will need to cook longer.
Saving this as a favorite. Even my pickiest 2 year old ate the chicken and that is a miracle. I threw the linguini into the crockpot and mixed it all up just before serving. We think we’re going to add some steamed broccoli next time, but it was really delicious!
Missing heat, ginger and salt. It’s a good base peanut sauce but really needs some additional ingredients to kick it up and make it a bit more authentic
Ian, just made this and you’re right. Added ginger and a tbs of cayenne pepper and it was perfect.
What did you up in it to give it a kick? Interested in your modification suggestions!
Did you use fresh ginger?
I’m just making and all in the low cooker . Finer close xxx thank yiu for inspiration. I do recover from brain tumour and my slow cooker is my life safer another surgery in few weeks so I’m Trang new things for my small boy.
Loved this, made it a few nights ago and was surprised how easy this was. I love slow cooker cooking… Anything to make life easie.i did read the comments first and after following the recipe, I did add a few extras, such as chilli flakes. I think it needed more salt and something else, not sure what. But was a delicious creamy texture and I will make this again, thank you!
Can I make this in an instapot?
Yes, I have not yet made this in the instant pot. Let me know what you think!
Really good! I didn’t read the other comments until just now, but great minds think alike…it needed some heat. I added some sliced jalepeno half way thru cooking and then added snap peas when I added the cilantro and lime. Served it over rice noodles and it’s a one pot meal~love that!
Next time i will add more zucchini and the red peppers half way thru.
Tried this yesterday and was very pleased with the outcome. As others have stated, adding a little heat helps. I added some ginger and cayenne. Otherwise, great dish and easy to do. Give it a try!
Delicious! Just the peanuty goodness I was craving. Add sriracha to kick it up!
What could you substitute if you did not have zucchini at home?
Asparagus would work or any other vegetable that you love.
Made this last night and I wished I saw these comments first! I totally agree with Ian, It’s a good peanut sauce base but definitely is missing something. I tried adding some honey and brown sugar, but it didn’t quite do much if anything to make the flavor more authentic. I’m hoping adding ginger and cayenne will do the trick! Thank you all!
I agree with you… I wonder if adding some coconut milk or cream could provide a smoother creamier texture and more flavour, as well as throwing in more ginger, maybe lemongrass, and fresh chilli…? Might try that next time.
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
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.
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
/ 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.
The recipe was kind of bland. I recommend adding some more spices like cayenne to it.
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.
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!
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.