Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

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Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken will be an instant family favorite with its creamy peanut butter and coconut sauce. Easy to make and so tasty.

340 CAL 16g CARBS 12g FAT 40g PROTEIN
3 Comments

This easy Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken is one of those meals that is so simple to prep but tastes so good, like lick your bowl good. Serve it with some rice noodles and Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts for a meal that everyone will love.

There are so many things to love about this easy Thai Peanut Chicken. With the creamy peanut butter and coconut sauce, this really is a meal that the whole family will love. My kids gobble this up, and that includes my ridiculously picky two year old. Plus other than making the sauce, which takes about two minutes, this recipe takes minimal work. Dump and go. 

Then there is the fact that it a great way to switch up your meal routine. This isn't something most of us are making all the time, but it is still familiar enough that it works for everyone. Normally I serve it with some steamed rice, raw carrots and cucumbers for crunch, some shelled edamame, and a good helping of cilantro and fresh lime. Mine also comes with a heaping pile of sliced fresh jalapenos. Eveyrone builds their own bowls or lettuce wraps.

Thai peanut chicken made in the slow cooker in a bowl with rice, red peppers, peanuts, cilantro, and limes.

What to Serve with Thai Peanut Chicken

There are so many different options for serving this yummy chicken from traditional options with rice or noodles to lightened up low carb options with lettuce wraps or zucchini noodles. Here are some you should try: 

  • Grab some butter lettuce and serve this peanut chicken with shredded carrots, crushed peanuts, and some sliced jalapenos for spice.
  • Build on the flavors of the dish by serving it with cilantro lime quinoa instead of plain steamed rice. Make it with traditional white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice.
  • You'll want something green on the side like these Sesame Sugar Snap Peas, Crispy Roasted Cabbage, or Honey Garlic Carrots
  • This chicken is also great over a big green salad. Include lots of crunchy vegetables that will stand up to the saucy chicken, things like carrots, edamame, cucumbers, bean sprouts, bell peppers, and cabbage. 

Recipe Tips and Ideas

  • If you like things a little spicy, then there are two really great options. First, you could simply add some red pepper flakes or sambal olek to the peanut sauce. Delicious. For even more flavor, you could add some red curry paste to the peanut sauce. This is so good since the flavor of the curry paste pairs really well with the peanut butter and coconut. 
  • This recipe works with lots of different vegetables. For most vegetables, add them in the last 30 minutes of cooking so they don't overcook and get mushy. Consider using zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sugar snap peas, spinach, or regular peas. 
  • This recipe works for chicken breasts, chicken thighs, pork, and the sauce can also be used in a skillet for a quick-cooking meal for chicken, shrimp, or tofu. For skillet meals, you may need to add a touch of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
  • To make this Paleo friendly, make sure to use full fat peanut butter, coconut aminos, and regular coconut milk. 
  • If you are looking for a recipe that can cook all day while you are out of the house, just swap in boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Chicken thighs won't dry out in the slow cooker like chicken breasts do when they are cooked too long. 
  • For those who don't love shredded chicken, just cut the chicken into chunks before adding it to the slow cooker. 

Crockpot peanut chicken with red peppers in a creamy peanut sauce with cilantro and cucumbers.

Meal Prep and Freezer Options

There are two options if you want to prep this ahead of time for quicker and easier cooking. 

  • Prep the night before: If you want to prep this the night before, just add everything to a ziploc bag or Tupperware. Then you can just dump it into the slow cooker. 
  • Freeze up to 3 months in advance: You can also add all the ingredients to a freezer friendly bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Then defrost overnight in the fridge and add to the slow cooker. 
  • Lunch meal prep: This meal also keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days, so leftovers are a great option for lunch with rice, in salads, or in a wrap. 

More Peanut Recipes

The Recipe
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken in a bowl with rice, cucumbers, chopped peanuts, and lime.

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

340 CAL 16g CARBS 12g FAT 40g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 4 Hours
TOTAL TIME: 4 Hours, 10 Min
3 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 red peppers, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup canned light coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 lime (for serving)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (for serving)

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Instructions

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1

In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and garlic. If the sauce is difficult to stir, pop it in the microwave to slightly melt the peanut butter.

A small glass bowl with a sauce made of peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, garlic, and other ingredients.
2

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Raw chicken in a slow cooker covered with peanut sauce.
3

Cook on low for about 4 hours. During the last thirty minutes of cooking, open up the slow cooker and add the red peppers. When finished, shred the chicken and add back to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir so it can soak up the sauce. Let it hang out in the sauce for 10-15 minutes. Serve with fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Shredded Thai Peanut chicken and red peppers in a crockpot.p
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 3/4 cup (218g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 340
Calories from Fat 98
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g
16%
Saturated Fat 2g
12%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 74mg
24%
Sodium 554mg
24%
Total Carbohydrate 16g
6%
Dietary Fiber 3g
10%
Sugars 7g
Protein 40g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

Notes

Consider topping with chopped peanuts, green onions, or sliced cucumbers in additional to the cilantro.
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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
3 Comments
On Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
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Cyndy
June 22, 2020 - 14:41
I got excited because the picture shows chopped peanuts on top of the chicken. But I see peanuts are not included in the ingredients list. Are they optional, then?
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Abby Kindervater
April 21, 2016 - 19:18
Add a Rating:
4
I love Thai food, so I was excited to see this recipe. The taste was great, but after four hours in the slow cooker, there was very little liquid. I don't know if I should adjust the heat setting, add more liquid, or cook for less time. I will try it again this week, because we really enjoyed the taste, but maybe make a few adjustments.
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Kirsty Morris
March 22, 2016 - 11:40
Add a Rating:
5
This was delicious!!! The smell as it was cooking was devine. The only issue I had was it didn't take to "peanutty" by the time it was cooked, so had to add another 60g which whacked the points up a bit. Definitely will make again.
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