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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.
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
Delicious! Just the peanuty goodness I was craving. Add sriracha to kick it up!
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!
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.
Can I make this in an instapot?
Yes, I have not yet made this in the instant pot. Let me know what you think!