This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken recipe is super simple to make and can be prepped in a matter of minutes before placing it in the crockpot to cook. The easy Thai peanut sauce is incredibly flavourful and can be served along with vegetables and a bed of rice or rice noodles for a balanced and delicious meal! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & paleo}
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Chicken
- Flavourful – If you’re a fan of peanut butter, this Thai peanut chicken recipe will be your new best friend. The sauce is packed with so much flavour, you’ll literally want to lick to the bowl.
- Easy – The peanut sauce is incredibly easy to whip together and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes. From there, you simply dump the sauce and chicken in the slow cooker, set it and forget it!
- Versatile – This recipe is pretty basic which means that there’s lots of flexibility for how you can serve it up. Feel free to get creative and mix it in with your favourite stir-fried or roasted veggies and serve it over a bed of rice or rice noodles!
- Freezer-friendly – This recipe can be frozen raw or cooked and it turns out equally delicious both ways, which makes it the perfect freezer meal for busy days. I always get excited when I know this recipe is waiting for us in the freezer!
- Make-ahead – The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it in advance and it just keeps tasting better and better since all of the flavours have a chance to come together the longer that it sits. It’s the perfect type of meal to cook once and eat twice!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken – Use cubed skinless boneless chicken breasts. You can also sub in skinless boneless chicken thighs if preferred. If you want to make this a vegetarian option, try using cubed firm tofu instead of the chicken.
Coconut milk – The coconut milk adds a richness to the sauce, while making it completely dairy-free. You can use full-fat or light coconut milk, however, I tend to prefer full-fat as it makes the sauce even more rich and creamy.
Peanut butter – The peanut butter adds a delicious nutty flavour to the sauce. We use natural peanut butter, but you could sub in regular peanut butter as well.
Red curry paste – The curry paste infuses the sauce with so much flavour. We generally use the Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste. Feel free to add more if you want to incorporate even more flavour.
Soy sauce – We used reduced sodium soy sauce, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand. You can also sub in Tamari sauce or coconut aminos. I’ve tried using all of these options and the dish turned out equally delicious each time.
Lime juice – Adds a zesty kick to the sauce. Feel free to add more if you want a more pronounced lime flavour.
Honey – Incorporates a bit of natural sweetness into the sauce. You can also sub in maple syrup or another liquid sweetener if desired.
Red pepper flakes – The flakes add a slight kick to the sauce, but it isn’t spicy. Feel free to add more if you would like the dish to have more heat.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine all ingredients for the peanut sauce in a medium-sized bowl or mini blender and blend until smooth.
Place cubed chicken in slow cooker and add peanut sauce.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours, stirring every couple of hours if possible to ensure that the chicken is immersed in the sauce.
Serve chicken and peanut sauce over sautéed veggies and brown rice or rice noodles. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and garnish with desired toppings.
Recipe Tips:
- Cut the chicken into the roughly the same size pieces (I did about 1-inch cubes) so that it cooks evenly. To save on time, you can purchase pre-diced raw chicken breast if desired.
- Use full-fat coconut milk in the can for a more rich and creamy sauce. Make sure that you shake the can really well before opening since sometimes it tends to separate.
- I like to make the sauce in a mini blender (we love the Ninja), since you can dump all of the sauce ingredients into the blender and press start. Blending it ensures that the ingredients are evenly combined and makes the sauce really smooth.
- The recipe intentionally makes quite a bit of extra peanut sauce so that you can pour it over lots of vegetables and rice or noodles. If there is a lot of peanut sauce left over, sometimes I will repurpose it for another meal later on in the week and mix it in with some cooked shrimp or tofu and veggies. Cook once, eat twice!
Recipe FAQ
How to store
You can store any leftover peanut chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yes, this is one of my favourite freezer meals since you can freeze it from a raw or cooked state.
To freeze raw: Add raw cubed chicken and peanut sauce to a large freezer-safe bag or container and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to cook, allow to thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours and then dump in the crockpot and cook according to recipe directions.
From cooked state: Allow the recipe to fully cool. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or gallon-size freezer bag.
To reheat: Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Place in a saucepan and cook over medium low heat until heated through. You can also place it in the slow cooker and reheat it on the warm setting.
Can this recipe be made on stovetop?
Of course! To make it on the stove, cook the cubed chicken in a large frying pan over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink. Dump the sauce into the pan along with the chicken and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Serve over your preferred veggies and sides.
Which vegetables pair well with this recipe?
For veggies, I generally like to saute or roast sliced red peppers, snap peas, diced broccoli and thinly sliced carrots in a bit of sesame oil and pour the extra peanut sauce over the veggies, but you could use whatever vegetables you prefer. Cooked shredded cabbage or water chestnuts would also work well.
If you’re in a pinch, you could always use a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables if you don’t have time to cut up the fresh veggies.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this peanut chicken over an assortment of vegetables (see suggestions above) and either brown or jasmine rice or rice or angel hair noodles.
I highly recommend that you top it up with the following:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced green onion
- Chopped peanuts
- Squeeze of lime juice
More similar recipes
- Healthy Orange Chicken
- Spicy Chicken Wraps
- Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken
- Mango Chicken Salad
- Shrimp Noodle Stir Fry
- Asian Beef Meatballs with Thai Coconut Sauce
- Healthy Stir Fry Sauce
- Thai Shrimp Curry Soup
- Healthy Korean Beef
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless raw chicken breasts diced into 1-inch cubes
For the peanut sauce:
- 1 (14oz) can full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (or sub in tamari sauce)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients other than the chicken in a medium sized bowl or mini blender and blend until smooth.
- Place cubed chicken in slow cooker and add peanut sauce. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, stirring every couple of hours, if possible to ensure that the chicken is immersed in the sauce.
- Serve chicken and peanut sauce over sautéed veggies and brown rice or rice noodles. For veggies, I like to use sliced red peppers, snap peas, diced broccoli and thinly sliced carrots. You can also use a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables for quick meal prep. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chopped peanuts, cilantro and diced green onion.
Notes
- Cut the chicken into the roughly the same size pieces (I did about 1-inch cubes) so that it cooks evenly. To save on time, you can purchase pre-diced raw chicken breast if desired.
- Use full-fat coconut milk in the can for a more rich and creamy sauce. Make sure that you shake the can really well before opening since sometimes it tends to separate.
- I like to make the sauce in a mini blender (we love the Ninja), since you can dump all of the sauce ingredients into the blender and press start. Blending it ensures that the ingredients are evenly combined and makes the sauce really smooth.
- The recipe intentionally makes quite a bit of extra peanut sauce so that you can pour it over lots of vegetables and rice or noodles. If there is a lot of peanut sauce left over, sometimes I will repurpose it for another meal later on in the week and mix it in with some cooked shrimp or tofu and veggies. Cook once, eat twice!
I doubled this for a gathering of several families and the Lord blessed it. Many people commented on it making the whole house smell good and being tasty!
So happy it was a hit! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a rating and review :)
LOVE this recipe! We make a double batch and freeze half (uncooked) to make later. Thank you!
That’s amazing! Love the idea of making a double batch and freezing half. Such a great time saver!
Flavor was pretty good but the sauce stayed pretty runny and it is very easy to overcook chicken breasts in the crockpot. Any tips on thickening the sauce? We will make this again!
You could try adding some cornstarch or tapioca starch to the sauce to help it thicken as it cooks. I might try this next time too! Let me know how it goes if you try it out :)
Looks Great!
I’m wondering if the chicken and peanut sauce can be cooked in an instant pot.
I haven’t personally tried this recipe out in the instant pot, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work! I would add the diced chicken and sauce to the instant pot and then set it to high pressure and cook for about 12 minutes, and then let the steam release naturally. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!