This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Butter Chicken recipe is super simple – just take a few minutes to prep, then dump in the crockpot to cook for hours. The easy Thai-inspired creamy peanut sauce is incredibly flavorful and can be served along with vegetables and a bed of white rice or rice noodles for a completely balanced and absolutely delicious meal. The whole family will request this one again and again! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & paleo}

Table of Contents
Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken
We love Thai peanut chicken and could easily order it as takeout every single week. Fortunately, it’s easy and inexpensive to make a healthier version at home with simple ingredients, like canned coconut milk, peanut butter, and red curry paste.
And perhaps even better than all of that, this is a slow cooker recipe. After a long day, there is nothing better to come home to. Just prep the sides, pour on that rich peanut butter sauce, and serve!
Featured Comment
LOVE this recipe! We make a double batch and freeze half (uncooked) to make later. Thank you! – Lori

For more Thai-inspired recipes, try this Thai Shrimp Curry Soup and Mango Chicken Salad!
Why We Love This Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
- Incredibly flavorful (no one can resist the creamy peanut butter sauce)
- Super easy meal for those busy times of year
- Requires just 10 minutes of prep
- Perfect for busy weeknights when you need dinner fast
- Cooks all day while you’re out on the go
- Extremely flexible and easy to adapt
- Can be frozen raw for a convenient freezer meal
- The flavors taste even better the longer it sits (perfect for meal prep)
Ingredient Notes

Boneless skinless chicken breasts: For even cooking, cut the chicken pieces into 1-inch cubes. You can also sub in skinless boneless chicken thighs if preferred.
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 flavor to the sauce. We use natural peanut butter, but you could sub in regular peanut butter as well. If you like little pieces of peanut in the sauce, you can also use crunchy peanut butter.
Red curry paste: This is essential for lots of flavor! We generally use the Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste. Feel free to add more if you want to incorporate even more flavor.
Soy sauce: We used reduced sodium soy sauce, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand. You can also sub in gluten-free soy sauce (wheat free tamari) 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. Feel free to add more if you want a more pronounced lime flavor.
Honey: For a little natural sweetness into the sauce. Maple syrup works well, too.
Cornstarch: This helps thicken the easy peanut sauce to make it rich and glossy.
Seasonings: For a really deep, aromatic flavor, add freshly ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.
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.

Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert 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!
- Although 3 hours on low might seem like a short period of time to cook chicken in a slow cooker, you don’t want to overcook the chicken or it will turn out dry. Stick to this timing for best results.


How to Store
You can store any leftover peanut chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to four days.
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.
Recipe FAQ
Of course! To make it on the stove, cook the cubed chicken in a large skillet 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.
For veggies, I generally like to saute or roast sliced red peppers, snap peas, green beans, 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.
If you want to make a big batch to feed a crowd (or enjoy leftovers for days), that’s not a problem as long as you have a large enough crockpot.
Serving Suggestions
We like to serve this peanut chicken over an assortment of vegetables (see suggestions above) and either brown or jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, rice noodles, or vermicelli noodles. You could even serve the chicken in a wrap with an Asian-inspired slaw!
You don’t need a lot of garnishes, but believe me, these make it even better:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced green onions
- Chopped peanuts or a sprinkle of sesame seeds
- Squeeze of lime juice
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian: If you want to make this a vegetarian option, try using cubed firm tofu instead of the chicken.
- Adjust the spice level: Red curry paste is generally a little spicy, but you can kick it up a notch by adding more or adding red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili paste. Feel free to reduce the amount of curry paste to reduce the heat.
- Try a different nut: If you can’t tolerate peanuts, almond butter is a great swap.

More Recipes You’ll Love
- Healthy Orange Chicken
- Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken
- Chicken Teriyaki on a Stick
- Spicy Thai Chicken Wraps
- Asian Beef Meatballs
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!

Healthy 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
- 2 tablespoons 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 3 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!
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in December 2020 and the text, photos and formatting were updated in February 2025. The cornstarch was also increased to 2 tablespoons to produce a thicker sauce.
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!