Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken is an easy weeknight meal made with coconut milk, lime juice, peanut butter, ginger and garlic. Skip the delivery!
This recipe is the slow cooker equivalent of the Sheet Pan Peanut Chicken and Vegetables I posted last week. In the less than ten days since it was posted I got more than a dozen emails asking for a slow cooker version of the recipe. I love this about you guys, you know exactly where I am headed with recipes! I replied saying it was already scheduled for today and you guys were so excited. This brings me to one of my favorite things about how engaged you all are.
If you ever want to see a recipe on the site or have a favorite you’re looking for, please email me! I am totally open to hearing what you guys want to see more of (and yes I know the following: Bacon, Oreo everything and slow cooker). You can email me at contact @ dev.dinnerthendessert.com. By the way, I just want to say how much I love you all and your love for all things bacon, 6 of the top ten recipes on the site have bacon in them!
This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken intentionally calls for only a half a can of coconut milk because every time we make this we use the leftovers in our rice. What we do is cook our rice as you would any regular rice, but replace some of the water with the rest of the coconut milk and usually whatever lime juice is left in the lime we are using in the recipe. Served with some roasted Garlic and Ginger Carrots this is a meal your family will enjoy for a long time to come.
The best part of this is also that it is almost completely hands off. You start the chicken in the slow cooker and when you are about a half an hour away from dinner you put your carrots in the oven and make the rice in your favorite rice cooker. Anytime meal prep can be this passive is a win, there won’t be anything cooking on your stovetop for you to watch.
Some tips and tricks for this This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken:
- You can cut up the chicken and add the ingredients into a large ziploc bag/bowl the night before if you’d like then you can just put it in the slow cooker in the morning.
- If you are making this fresh in the morning you can brown the chicken before cutting it up and it will add a deeper flavor.
- Using chicken thighs can keep the chicken moister and allow for you to cook it longer (7-8 hours on low) if you will be away all day. I recommend boneless skinless thighs for this since the skin would add a lot of rendered fat to the sauce.
- There are some pre-made garlic and ginger pastes on the market that you can keep on hand if you find that you don’t want to have to keep fresh ginger and garlic in your kitchen.
- You can easily make this dish on your stovetop or in your oven as well. Add the ingredients to a dutch oven and cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or on your stovetop (covered) on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
Looking for more slow cooker Chicken Recipes?
- Crisp & Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken
- Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
- Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
- Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken
Tools Used in the making of this Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken:
Low Sodium Soy Sauce – I find regular soy sauce much too salty, remember you can always add salt but you can’t subtract it. Starting with low sodium allows you to alter to your tastes if necessary.
Coconut Milk: I stick to the full fat for the thickness and creaminess in the dish, if you want to stick to a lower fat alternative you may want to cook this on the stovetop as it may break the sauce in the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk about a half a can
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low-sodium
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Optional garnishes: chopped peanuts cilantro or green onions
Instructions
- To a 6 qt slow cooker, add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, and stir until combined.
- Cut the chicken breasts into one inch chunks and add to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Add the lime juice and cornstarch/water mixture to the slow cooker and stir carefully.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes until sauce is thickened.
- Garnish with desired toppings like chopped peanuts, cilantro or green onions (or all three!).
Does the ninja foodi cook faster than a regular crockpot?
I’m not familiar with that one, sorry.
I just made this last night. My son scraped the crockpot with a silicone scraper and licked it clean. It was a big hit. Thank you.
I’d definitely call that a winner!
Can you use an instapot? If so, how long?
I haven’t tested it using one so I’m not sure the recommendation. You might be able to find a recipe online with similar ingredients and use that as a guideline to follow. Good luck!
I just made this recipe and it’s so flavorful! It was so easy to make .
Thank you so much !
If I don’t have coconut milk, would condensed milk work?
Yes 🙂
Is the coconut milk supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened? I just found a can of unsweetened coconut milk in my pantry and would love to try this recipe!
I used unsweetened for this recipe.
If doubling the recipe should I increase cook time? And if yes, by how long?
You may only need about 30 minutes more.
This was great, I made some modifications after reading through the comments. I added 1 T Red Curry paste, dash Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp sesame oil to the peanut butter mixture. I browned cubed chicken tenderloins and then simmered everything in my Dutch oven for 1.5 hours. I will definitely make again, my family with teens liked it too.
Yay!!
Tried this recipe for the first time with family coming over for dinner. Thankfully it was a huge hit that everyone loved. In fact, I had requests for the recipe. I added broccoli to the crockpot about 30 minutes before it was done and served it over rice. YUM!
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Tammy.
Delicious. I didn’t have any honey so used maple syrup, used white wine vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar and lemon juice instead of lime juice. Second time I added a few veggies to the mix and it turned out beautifully.
Just want to be sure: the cubed chicken meat is raw when added to the crockpot?
Yes 🙂
The flavor was good, but I didn’t like the cornstarch. It created a gummy flavor. I cooked this on the stove, so maybe that’s why? I don’t cook with cornstarch much.
I messed around with this recipe a bit and it turned out absolutely deliciously! I used whole bone-in chicken thighs and just erred on the long side of the cook time. I also doubled the sauce amount to make sure I’d have PLENTY to put on my roasted veggies, haha! I was low on both honey and soy sauce, so I subbed in sweet chili sauce instead of the honey, and fish sauce for half of the soy sauce once I ran out of the soy. To add to the spice from the sweet chili sauce, I also added some red chili flakes; I highly recommend if you’re a fan of spice!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe, I love to cook and would be lost without awesome recipes like yours to try! <3
Sounds amazing! Thanks for all of the ideas!
Super yummy! I made it vegan, replaced the chicken with tofu, and honey with brown sugar. Added heaps of vegies too. Only cooked for 3hrs on high, as not sure how the tofu would go longer. Soo good, the sauce was perfect!
Thanks for the vegan suggestion!
After finding this recipe back in May I believe I have made it half a dozen times or more. I’ve made it just for myself, cutting the recipe down to a third. I’ve made the full amount when having people over. I’ve done it in the slow cooker and on the stove top. IT COMES OUT GOOD EVERY SINGLE TIME! I prefer it over a bed of rice noodles as I like the texture better. Sometimes I add broccoli and bean sprouts. I always top with chopped peanuts, green onion, and sriracha. You won’t be sorry trying out this recipe!
I have this cooking now in my crock pot. I added a drained can of baby corn, 4 coin sliced fresh carrots and a drained can of sliced water chestnuts. I also added a bay leaf, 15 drops of siracha sauce, 1/2 thinly sliced red bell pepper, a dash of garlic salt (didn’t have fresh garlic). I have cooked jasmine rice that will be topped with this recipe. I am currently retired & trying to kick the eating out habit! Thanks for your website…I can’t wait to try this when it’s finished cooking – next time I will double the recipe, love having the leftovers & always better the next day!! With this extreme heat lately, we’re eating @ home more frequently & I am a crock pot diva!!
Simply outstanding! Used the slow cooker on low for seven hours and cut up chicken fillets. Just wow!