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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 1/2 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.
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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 1/2 cup of cilantro.
- Serve over noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was great. I added sweet potato to mine and i didnt think beforehand and cut them thin. They melded into the sauce and it was unreallll!!
Making it again tonight with half thin and half thick sweet potatoes 🙂
Alyssa, would this recipe work if I prepared it on my stove rather than a crockpot? Maybe sautéed the chicken and veggies, then add the sauce?
Yes, this will work great on stovetop.
The reason why I like the crock pot is that you throw everything in with minimal prep and the cooking does the work for you. I prepped everything like you said but left the chicken breasts whole and hope I can shred them once it’s done. Have you tried that before?
our family loved this recipe—thank you for sharing it with us! in fact, we loved it so much that we’d like to serve it at my daughter’s 1st birthday party! can this recipe be doubled or tripled? if so, any tips on adjusting the cook time for that?
thanks again !
I’m so glad to hear you love it! Doubling it shouldn’t increase the cook time, but if you triple it, plan to give it an extra hour and check it periodically to see if it is done.
Could I make this in an instant pot?
Andree!
Yes, that sounds great! I haven’t tried it with an instant pot so please let me know how it turns out! Thanks for the question and for following along with me!
Could I do this in an instant pot?
I have not tried it in an instant pot. Let me know how it turns out!
So yummy, if you aren’t a big veggie fan or you are serving this to kids, the veggies really blend into the sauce and you can’t really tell they’re there. I also added red pepper flakes and garnished with green onions and well as adding some chopped red onion to the sauce when cooking. Great recipe for something different and very delicious!
I do not understand what I did wrong exactly but my sauce turned out very watery, not paste like 🙁 only thing I differed is not using cilantro as it makes me ill.
Oh no! I am so sorry! I am not sure why it did not turn out okay.
Maybe a bit of cornstarch mixed with cold water would have helped to thicken it?
What’s a good side dish, to go with this?
Rice is always a great side, a green or asian style salad, green beans or noodles are great sides for this dish.
Looking forward to trying this recipe today. Can I substitute the chicken for shrimp? Does this change the cooking time?
Yes! That will be delicious! My son loves shrimp. It will be a little cooker of cooking. Watch the shrimp cook and take out when it is pink. Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!
We wanted to try and make a low carb version of this recipe. Any substitution ideas to use instead of noodles?
You are welcome to leave the noodles out of the recipe or you can substitute with any vegetable or low carb side that you prefer.
You could try “zoodles” — noodles made from zucchini using a spiralizer.
Very tasty meal. Based upon another review, I cut the peanut butter to a 1/2 cup but in hindsight wished I kept it at the listed 2/3 cup. We could only taste a slight hint of peanut butter when using a 1/2 cup. I also added 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes for a slight kick. I waited to add the zucchini and red pepper until 30 minutes before serving. Veggies turned out perfect. I used creamy peanut butter this time but I think I might try chunky next time. Husband and kiddos loved the meal. Thank you!
We loved this! I used only 1/2 cup peanut butter and it was perfect for us. Also, I used rice because I didn’t have linguine noodles. One question I have, are the red peppers supposed to cook way down, because mine did? There were little flecks of red in the delicious sauce, but not discrete pepper pieces. Thanks so much for a terrific dish!
Does this go well with steamed white rice?
Robert!!
This is awesome with white rice. I hope you love it!!
Does this go well with steamed white rice instead of noodles?
Robert!!
Yes, this works great with white rice. It is a great option! Thanks for following along!
Made this recipe last night. Very easy to do. Unfortunately, I used a jar of peanut butter that was natural and had no sugar or salt added. Hence the sauce turned out bland. I added a bit of salt & sugar and it helped. Next time, I would add many more veggies and a touch of chili oil to liven it up a bit.
Jeannine,
Oh no, sorry about the first time. The salt and sugar for sure make a huge difference in the taste. Thanks for the idea about the chili and more veggies. I will have to give that a try also!! Thanks for following along with me and sharing your thoughts.
I have this in the crockpot now, but its looking pretty watery with an hour and a half left to cook. Should i add some more peanut butter?
Is cilantro necessary? To me cilantro smells like a dirty wash cloth. Can I substitute something in its place?
It does make this dish the original. If you are wanting to adjust the ingredients it will alter the taste of this chicken from its original making.