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You asked, I listened! This slow cooker Thai peanut chicken got a serious glow-up! The sauce is creamy, savory, a little sweet, and packed with peanut coconut flavor. I’d drink it with a straw if that were socially acceptable, but spooning it over rice, noodles or adding it to lettuce wraps is probably the better dinner move.
What Makes This So Good!
- Better Texture: The sauce cooks up creamy and smooth, not watery or too thick.
- Family-Friendly: It has tons of flavor without being too spicy, so everyone can add their own heat at the end.
- Great Leftovers: The flavor gets even better the next day, making lunch easy and delicious.
A Reader’s Review
Made this recipe last night for 6 of us, clean plates all round. Absolutely delicious.
Thank you
– Lozzie
Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken: Chicken thighs work too, but they may release extra fat. Skim it off before adding the lime juice and cilantro.
- Want More Veggies? Add diced red onion, mushrooms, matchstick carrots, or water chestnuts.
- Coconut Milk: Use canned, full-fat coconut milk. Shake it well before measuring.
- Spice: Add sriracha, chili crisp, or red pepper flakes for heat.
- Peanut Butter: Natural peanut butter lets you control the sweetness. If yours has sugar, taste the sauce before adding all the honey.
- More Flavor: Add fish sauce or sliced Thai basil for extra flavor.
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Recipe
This slow cooker Thai peanut chicken is so easy, and the slow cooker does most of the work. Serve it with coconut rice, air fryer broccoli, or a fresh cucumber salad.
- Add: Add the chicken and peppers to the bowl of a larger crock pot.
- Thai Peanut Sauce: Whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Add Sauce: Pour the sauce over the chicken and peppers.
- Cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. About an hour before serving, stir in the fresh cilantro and lime juice, then cover and continue cooking for the remaining time. Garnish with chopped peanuts before serving.
Must Have Tools For This Recipe
- Slow Cooker: Cooks everything together low and slow for the perfect creamy bite.
Stove Top Cooking Instructions
- Heat the Pan: Heat a large, deep skillet or pot over medium heat.
- Cook the Chicken: Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, until no pink remains on the outside.
- Make the Sauce: In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.
- Add Sauce and Peppers: Add the sauce and bell peppers to the pan with the chicken.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
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Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Tender, slow cooked chicken in a creamy Thai peanut coconut sauce with bell peppers, lime, and cilantro.
Equipment
- 1 4-8 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts 1-inch pieces
- 1 sliced red pepper about 1 ½ cups
- 1 cup high-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup natural peanut butter smooth or crunchy
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper more or less to taste
- ½ cup chopped cilantro more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- chopped dry-roasted peanuts for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 pound cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts and 1 sliced red pepper to the bowl of a larger slow cooker.
- Whisk together 1 cup high-fat coconut milk, ½ cup natural peanut butter, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper in a bowl to make the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and peppers. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. About an hour before serving, stir in ½ cup chopped cilantro and 3 tablespoons lime juice, then cover and continue cooking for the remaining time. Garnish with chopped dry-roasted peanuts before serving.
Video
Notes
Leftover and Make Ahead Instructions
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals or on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring often, until warmed through.
- Freeze: Add the diced chicken, bell pepper, and sauce to a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cook in the slow cooker as directed.
- Make Ahead: Add everything to the slow cooker insert, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 34gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1193mgPotassium: 860mgFiber: 3gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1107IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
What to Serve With Thai Peanut Chicken
You can serve this over jasmine rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even rice noodles. Here are a few more options.
Followed the recommendations I read here and did half a cup of peanut butter- I also thought it needed as smidge more so I added a spoonful at the end before I served and stirred it up- much better! I served over brown rice and thought it was great! Added red pepper flakes as well. Awesome recipe.
I just found this recipe and I am going to make it today! I can’t wait! I will let you know what I think 🙂 It’s been years since I had Thai peanut chicken. This is a simple and easy to follow recipe, I can surely do this! 🙂
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!
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!!
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.