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!
This is a super easy recipe to make and perfect for busy weeknight dinners. My dish did not look as rich in colour (quite beigy bland) and was bland in flavour until we added the cilantro…then all we tasted was cilantro…great but we would like more peanut flavour. Please suggest any tips/tricks to deepen the colour and spice up the flavour.
You can leave out the cilantro next time and up the sauce ingredients by 25%. Hope this helps for next time.
I made this last night exactly as per your recipe and the whole family lived it! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes here in Sydney, Australia.
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the 5 star rating, Jenny.
Delicious, doubled everything but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Served with coconut rice, I’d say coconut was the strongest flavor, followed by the peanut butter/lime/ginger. Topped it with some toasted sesame seeds for a little texture and nutty flavor, perfectly balanced for my taste.
Only issue when cooking was that the chicken was done well before 4-5 hours, I checked the internal temperature of the biggest chunk after 2.5 hours before adding in cornstarch and lime and it registered 174°F, so it was probably done after between 1.5-2 hours of cooking and was slightly overdone. My 6 qt slow cooker doesn’t run particularly hot, around 185°F on low, 4-5 hours to cook 1 inch chunks of chicken just seems like crazy overkill.
This recipe took me about 30 minutes to prep FYI. Granted, I’m pretty slow at cleaning/mincing garlic and ginger.
I followed this recipe almost exactly and it did not disappoint! It came out super rich, tasty, and filling. The amazing savory smell tortured me for hours. My only adjustment was using 1 tbsp soy sauce instead of 2 because I didn’t have low-sodium soy sauce. I used a large chicken breast that weighed 16oz and cut into cubes as advised. The chicken came out SO TENDER!
To compliment this recipe I also made a a side of white basmati rice which I cooked using 1 cup water, 1/2 cup coconut milk, and 1/2 lime juiced. It came out FANTASTIC! The chicken in peanut sauce was great served on top of rice.
Notes: Next time I will use about 20oz of chicken instead of 16oz, because once I was done plating I had roughly 1/2 cup of peanut sauce left in the pot but I didn’t want to drown the rice. Also, I will double the recipe next time so that I can have leftovers for dinner a few times, AND leftovers for the freezer!
Thanks for this recipe! I’m so excited to see what else my crock pot can do. I never really make Asian food at home anymore because whenever I tried it is never as good as the restaurants so I gave up, but this inspired me to attempt sweet and sour pork or chicken next!
I’m glad you decided to give it a try!
I have not made this yet, But is it possible to make this recipe on a stove and not in a crockpot? I totally forgot to put everything in a crockpot this morning 🙁
Thanks
Here’s a link to the an oven version:
https://dev.dinnerthendessert.com/baked-thai-peanut-chicken/
Overall it was a good recipe but I too think it is missing depth of flavor. It tasted kind of bland. Still good but next time I may try and find something to add that additional layer of flavor it needs. Thanks for the recipe!
Great RECIPES
Amazing yum!!!
Awesome recipe as it is and really tasty, i don’t know what the people who thought it was bland usually eat (loads of chili’s?) ? I used the exact same recipe to do satay beef except i added onions and capsicum (red pepper). I browned the beef and sauted the onions and threw them in cooker then cooked as per the recipe except for putting capsicum in on the last hour .Kids loved it and was a hit with the wife , thankyou for another awesome recipe….trying your sweet and sour pork tomorrow and can’t wait
I would love to try this but my husband is allergic to coconut. What could I substitute the coconut milk with?
I would recommend substituting with almond milk or cashew milk. Enjoy!
This looks and sounds amazing! I really want to make this soon, but wondering how strong the coconut flavor is where my son hates it, but the rest of us love it. At least we all agree on peanut butter ? BTW, I rarely ever comment on recipes and usually just use them as a base or inspiration, but lately been visiting your site more and more and haven’t been let down! Your tips are perfect and very helpful when typically they’re too amateur and overly repetitive or someone blogs way too much about their recipe. You do a fantastic job with everything and I’ve been letting people know about my new go-to! Thank you ?
I’m so glad you’re loving the site! So sorry your comment got stuck in my spam filter. The coconut flavor isn’t very strong at all. I hope you decide to give it a try.
This looks delicious and I’d love to try it! I wanted to ask, could I use this with pork instead of chicken? My roommate and I both bought pork chops at the same time. =o
I haven’t tested it but I don’t see why not though it may only need to cook on low for 2-3 hours. Keep an eye on it as you don’t want the pork chops to dry out if overcooked. Good luck!
I made this for dinner tonight. Delicious!!!!
Chicken very tender and we loved the sauce.
I will pass this recipe to my family and friends.
Thank you for sharing it.
Wanted to love this but something was missing! It tasted pretty bland, even with the add ins suggested.
Made this in my insta pot. (Used the stew setting.) it came out great! Will definitely make this again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Melissa how did you do this in the IP?
Delicious. I made it just a written. Cooked in a slow cooker 1 hour high, two hours low. Added a tablspoon of fish sauce and three or four shakes hot sauce and topped with fresh ground pepoer. Served over blanched baby spinach over white rice. Better than my local very good Thai place.
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars, Cat.
Did you happen to weigh the chicken or measure out how many cups the chicken was? Chicken breast can vary in size
I didn’t but each breast was around 4-5 ounces.
We all Loved it! I added some chili flakes to the sauce before cooking, and used all three options at the end (scallions, peanuts and cilantro). I also turned it up to high for one of the hours to speed things up, so the meal was done after about 3 hours plus the sauce thickening time. Since my peanut butter was already sweetened, I only used about a tablespoon of honey. Delicious! Will definitely make again! Thanks for posting!
Yum! That sounds like you really kicked up the flavor in all the best ways! Thanks for the review.
Made this today, taking some tips from the comments: added about a tablespoon of mild red curry paste (taste of Thai brand), added a handful of chopped cilantro stems early in the cooking, a few dashes of fish sauce, and some black pepper. It was AMAZING. I was cooking for a family that can’t have spicy food, but it was still super flavorful. When I make this for myself and my husband, I’ll probably use something that gives it some heat, but I didn’t find it bland at all.
I also doubled the recipe and cooked it for about 2.5 hours on high, until the thickest chicken chunks had an internal temp of 165. Used about 2lbs of chicken. There was still plenty of thick sauce left to smother the broccoli I made on the side.
So glad you like it! Having extra sauce for your veggies is the best! It is so good!
Any recommendations for veggies to add in to the crock pot?
Carrots in larger chunks, sweet potatoes would work well. Add green veggies, like peas snow peas or broccoli in the last hour.
Awesome recipe I add fish sauce and 2 fresh Thai chilli’s for a little extra punch.
Looks amazing! Approximately how much weight is the chicken in the recipe? Just wanted to make sure I use a close amount when I substitute chicken thighs.
I’d say approximately about 15 ounces. I hope you enjoy it!
I enjoy your recipes.Thanks for sharing them.If I double the chicken and the rest of ingredients,do I have to double the cooking time too?Thanks again.
No need to double the time. You may need an additional 30min-hour. Just keep a eye on it. Also, make sure your slow cooker is large enough to fit all the ingredients without it being overcrowded as that will affect the cook time. Good luck!
This is a good dish, but I wouldn’t call it an easy weeknight recipe. There’s a lot of chopping and mixing, and a couple ingredients not in every pantry. And the prep is longer than stated.
Hi Sabrina, could the cooking time for this be adapted to 2-3 hours on high in the crockpot? I’d love to do the longer cook time, but can’t work it into my schedule tomorrow. Also, you mention that thighs could be used instead. How many thighs/pounds do you recommend? Thanks!
Yes, you can cook it on high for 2-3 hours if that works better with your schedule. Depending on the size of the thigh, you could probably use around 4-5 of them instead of breasts. I used about 15 ounces of chicken. Enjoy!
So, I’m an odd person who likes peanuts, to a degree, but I cannot stand peanut butter unless it’s in a cookie or slathered in chocolate. I don’t know if it is the texture, the scent (I ate WAY WAY too much PB & raisins in Kindergarten, and nearly 40 years later, still haven’t recovered. If I get a PB cup, and the chocolate is missing or melted to the wrapper, I almost can’t eat it! I HATE the new “more peanutty” Butterfinger. PB cookies I can tolerate, more because it’s most cookie and sugar than PB…), or what, really…
I know that seems exaggerated, but I promise you, it’s not. That being said, I love tossing fresh peanuts in a pork with egg noodles dish with garlic, tamari soy sauce, olive oil, sprouts, and such…but the thought in peanut butter in a sauce is almost a non starter for me. Does this sauce actually TASTE like PB??? Or does it disappear and just add savory flavor? I REALLY want to try and LIKE this, but I get ill in the stomach even thinking about making this… I appreciate any advice!
Taste is so subjective but I really don’t think it’s peanut buttery although if you already have an aversion to it, I’m not sure if it would be too much for you or not. You might just have to try it and see. I hope you enjoy it!
It honestly takes just like peanut butter. We were surprised (and disappointed) how much.
It can be too peanut buttery for some but others absolutely love it. Hope you are able to find other recipes that are more to you and your family’s taste.
Bearing in mind the updates of all who left comments, I doubled the sauce recipe, added a tiny hit of red pepper flakes, added sweet chili sauce. In addition to rice vinegar,I added cooking sherry. I forgot to add the garlic. But I didn’t miss it.
This turned out delicious. My dish looks just like the pics on here.
Judi
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Unfortunately this recipe didn’t have the wow factor I was expecting. As others have pointed out, it was surprisingly bland, considering how wonderfully flavourful all the ingredients are. The addition of extra cilantro and lime on top helps to bring out more flavour.
Great recipe. I make this a lot. Also spice it up a bit myself, most recently with a bit of Carolina Reaper paste.
Would you happen the have the fiber grams per serving vs the 13 g of carbs?
I’m sorry I don’t. So glad you love the recipe so much though!
It’s my second time making this yummy dish. The first attempt was ok but something is missing for my taste so this time I put the whole can of coconut milk added half cup of chicken broth, pinch of red chili flakes, 1 tablespoon of thai red curry, a splash of fish sauce and half cup of sour cream at the cooking to make it creamy. I skip the cornstarch mixture. Its soooooo good.
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you decided to try it again and customize it to your liking. 🙂
That’s a whole new recipe
Hi Sabrina, I’d like to try this recipe, however, I don’t like peanut butter. What would be suitable to replace it? I don’t want to buy a glass peanut butter and throw away the left over.
It’s a pretty important ingredient in this recipe, sorry. I’ve never used a substitute for it so I don’t have a recommendation.
Would almond butter or cashew butter make sense in this recipe? I know that the nuts are often used in similar cooking…
I’ve not tested it but I’d love to know how it turns out if you decide to try. Thanks!
I made this for tomorrow’s dinner. After reading some of the previous comments about the dish being bland, I added a half cube of chicken bouillon and a pinch of red pepper flakes to kick up the flavor. I also swapped the soy sauce for liquid amino. The flavor is just to my liking. I’m sure it’ll be even better tomorrow after the seasoning settles and I add the green onions.
Great recipe!
So glad you were able to customize it to your liking!
This separated badly on me. Any suggestions?
Oh no! Did you change any of the ingredients or instructions?
This looks delicious; I am going to try it! Hey Sabrina, when you refer to a boneless, skinless chicken breast, what is the approximate weight? The size of a chicken breast can vary greatly. Thank you for posting all these yummy recipes!
So glad you’re enjoying the site. I would say the average size of chicken breast is around 4-5 ounces.
First taste is wow! I added a teaspoon of Thai chili paste and a half a cup of chicken broth as I made it in the poultry setting on the instant pot. Plenty of flavor. Delicious!
So glad you loved it! Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!
Did you follow the recipe, but simply poured everything into the Instant Pot? Did you brown and/or cube the chicken first? Sorry for the questions – I just got an Instant Pot and don’t want to blow my first meal prep! Thanks!
Made the recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Turned out perfect.
I made this recipe for dinner today. Found it a little bland for my taste like something was missing. Is there a spice I could add to make it more flavourful for my liking.
Some of the comments mentioned this was missing something, and I believe it is roasted red chili paste…gives it another layer of flavor and a hint of sweetness. I don’t put it in the crockpot, but instead add around a tsp to my bowl at the table (be sure to give it a good mix). Some comments also mentioned it being bland, and I also had this problem. I believe it’s because I used too much chicken, and store bought. Pastured chickens give off far less water or “juices” when cooked than the cage raised chicken meat you buy at the store. I tasted the mixture before adding the chicken to the crockpot and it was delicious….but when it was done it looked like I had poured 2 cups of water in it and tasted diluted. My fault, I’ll use the amount of chicken called for in recipe next time
DELICIOUS!! When we can’t get across town to our favorite restaurant, Phan Shin, we can have peanut chicken right here at home. Double the sauce – you’ll thank me!
I chose the oven option and it worked just fine!
Oh my goodness you are so kind. Thank you for coming back to leave a review!
I think this is very nice recipe that you can easy spice up if you want.
One thing I’d like to point out to people ,is that Slow cooker temperatures can vary,so knowing your slow cooker is important .I’m lucky enough to own a 30 year old slow cooker that cooks at a lower temp than today’s pots ( a ruling on temps was changed years ago) so can easily cook chicken all day with no problem.
I have heard that some of the new one pots are more variable with the slow cooker temps. Also chicken breasts dry out quicker than thighs. Hope that helps.
I made this last night in a Mealthy pot. I added 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, increased peanut butter to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 can of coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Cooked on poultry setting for 15 minutes with natural release. I added 1 can of sliced water chestnuts and chopped green onions after cooking. Everything else was as directed in the recipe and it turned out great! Served with rice cauliflower with peas and carrots, sauteed in remaining coconut creme with lime juice and cilantro for a quick healthy supper. Family loved it!
I’m so glad everyone loved it! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Wow. Another keeper. I added a generous amount of ground black pepper before the final 20 minutes. I used Pics smooth peanut butter which is made in Nelson, New Zealand.
Can I make this w/chunky peanut butter?
Sure 🙂
Has anybody thought about adding curry powder to this? Or red curry paste? Would love some input!!
Sounds fantastic!
I followed the recipe to the letter. My family was disappointed in the meal. Very bland. If there is a next time, I’ll use chicken thighs and brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. Almost no peanut taste; added cilantro, chopped peanuts and green onions and it was still very nondescript. As some of the others have written, there was just something missing. My results did’t even look the same. It looked like chicken in a light b brown gravy.
HippyTea convinced me to try this. The comments were useful and he/she actually cooked this and constructive information was relayed. Yes, the recipe lives on. “Looks great” does not help in any way…do not intend to be off putting…but, seriously-do you want to be helpful or just have your name/nick name posted….a verbal selfie
I made this last night. It is yummy, but needs a kick of somekind…a bit bland. I am going to try it next time with veggies instead of chicken and a kick of pepper. VERY easy to put together!
Delicious & EASY dish. I used thighs but forgot to pick up fresh ginger.. I added ground ginger & prob wasn’t quite the same. It was wonderful, nonetheless! Thanks for a great recipe.
Are you still happy with the, then new, slow cooker you used when you made this? I read a lot of bad reviews on amazon about the non-stick coating coming off.
I absolutely love it and haven’t had any issues.
I was somewhat hesitant to try this recipes since I have tried numerous other thai chicken recipes and have been disappointed with the results. However l, I decided to try it since I’ve enjoyed several of your other recipes a lot. I loved it and have made it many times
How wonderful, Ellen! So glad you decided to give it a try!
No idea what I did wrong, but the oils seemed to seperate from everything else when I let it sit on the stovetop. Browned the chicken, used thighs instead of Breast and followed the instructions. Help!
If it’s allowed to sit, it will break. Sorry
I made this for lunch today and everyone (3 men, 2 women) enjoyed it. Next time I make it, I will double the lime juice and add a little bit of either red pepper flakes or jalapeno pepper for a little bit of kick. I found it to be slightly bland. Others in my family suggested adding peanuts for a bit more flavor and crunch. I will make it again.
I have made this 3 times now. Once in a slow cooker and twice on the stove top. The first time I was having a friend over so I halved the recipe(slow cooker). The other two times it was just me so I cut it down to a third(stove top). It is the perfect size for me to have one portion at dinner and one portion for the next day. I don’t like endless leftovers. I serve it over Thai rice noodles. I add some crushed red pepper flakes while cooking and top with sriracha to turn up the heat. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Smelled amazing, but wasn’t too crazy about how it turned out…
Same as Elizabeth. Smelled and looked amazing, but was missing something. I make another more simple peanut butter sauce we like better!
This sounds delicious, but What are the macros (nutritional information)?
Thank you. I’ve edited the recipe card to show the macros. 🙂
When using thighs and browning first, do i then cut into chunks before i put in crock? I plan to double the recipe so also wonder if I should adjust the time in the crock pot? Thank you.
Yes, brown the chicken and then cut into chunks to put into the slow cooker. You may need to add another hour of cook time if you plan on doubling it. I would check it after 5 hours and see if more time is needed or not.
We loved this recipe! Made it exactly as written. Don’t pass on the cilantro! If you like more spice you can add cayenne or your favorite, but the flavor is perfect. Can’t wait to make again!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
When cooking in the oven do you cover the Dutch oven?
Yes 🙂
This looks delicious. One question, I usually cook cabbage, peppers, and some other veggies in my pad Thai when I cook it on the stove top and serve with rice noodles. Should I add the vegetables into the slow cooker with the chicken or cook separately?
Thanks!
I would cook them separately and add them in at the end. 🙂
This was soooo good! I made it in my pressure cooker and had dinner in less than 40 mins! I just made the sauce and poured it over my frozen chicken breasts and served over jasmine rice. Will definitely become a regular in our house!
Thanks for the suggestion about using your pressure cooker! So glad you enjoyed it!
Really tasty recipe. Made it in the slow cooker using chicken thighs instead of breast. Delicious!
This was quite tasty. I think the next time I will use chicken thighs and brown them a bit first to add to the flavour. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Thank you for a great recipe! I made this in my Instant Pot with first the saute feature, then the crock pot setting. My family love it, and your garlic ginger carrots, too. I passed the recipe along to my friends on FB. Best wishes to you and your family.
Jane
You’re welcome Jane!
Just made this dish for the first time for dinner. My roommates and I did a taste test and we absolutely loved it! Made it with the chicken thighs which I definitely think was the right call. Since I used the low sodium soy sauce, they did suggest adding a bit more salt to it (low sodium soy sauce is definitely the way to go and then add salt to taste). Next time I may add a bit more lime juice since the peanut butter was a bit overpowering and maybe add bean sprouts to the mix. Also loved the idea of adding the rest of the coconut milk with water for the rice! It was a nice addition of flavor and texture and it didn’t leave any waste! Will definitely make again!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I can hardly wait to try this and several more of your recipes!!!!!
I have kidney disease and these recipes are just what I needed to find today!
Chicken is a big favorite and I love Thai food.
I’m not a great cook, but your recipes make me want to do more.
So, so, glad I found your page today. My meals will be far more nutritious now!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Thanks, Mary! I always love to hear when my recipes help people get more adventurous with their cooking!
Hello! This looks delicious and I will making it this week. How many chicken thighs do you think equate three breasts? Six? Thank you
I would recommend 6 skinless thighs. Enjoy!
Sorry I meant to come back earlier and tell you how much the whole family enjoyed this! Making again next week
Awesome! So happy to hear it!
Are the calories listed somewhere?
Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.
You can always plug into myfitnesspal and it will calculate calories!
How many calories are there per serving?
Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.
My family loved this recipe.
I had the recipe for 2 lbs. of chicken, and I cooked on low for 4 hours, however, that was an hour too long. I made it exactly to the recipe and added about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a little heat. When I make again, I will reduce the amount of cornstarch and be sure you check the slow cooker at 3 hours on low, mine was close to burning. Try this recipe and make the adjustments to the recipe according to your tastes. Will definitely make this again.
I served it over Jasmine rice, yummmmmm!
Made it today for the first time – really yummy and absolutely zero effort. I didn’t need to thicken the sauce but feel I need some crushed peanuts to top next time just to add to the texture. A great recipe, thanks!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
What can I use in place of rice viniger?
You can substitute using cider vinegar. 🙂
My family loved this. I doubled the sauce and served it up in a bowl with jasmine rice. Topped it with Thai basil, siracha, and peanuts. Will definitely make again!
Yay!! Thanks for letting me know how much you all enjoyed it!
Can i cook on low for 7 hours with chicken breast?
I’d be afraid they would dry out being cooked that long.
Would this recipe work using frozen chicken breast strips in the crockpot?
You want to make sure that the chicken is thawed out before putting it in the crockpot otherwise it will release too much water while cooking and make everything very “soupy”. Sorry
Amazing recipe even my stubborn 3 yr old was tucking in now become a family favourite I add fresh chilli to husbands as he likes spice thank you looking forward to trying other recipes
Fantastic! I love hearing that the whole family enjoyed it!
Sweetened coconut milk? I tried with unsweetened and the taste was great but ‘dry’.
I’m thinking if it was dry it was from the chicken. Try using chicken thighs next time and see it that’s better for you.
Sounds so good. Do you think it would be good with cashew butter & cashews?
I haven’t tested it before but it should ok. If you decide to try it, I’d love to know how it turned out!
I added a sriracha to this to give it a little hint of spice and it really gave it a nice kick. I absolutely love this recipe
Such a great idea for a kick of flavor! So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious and I’m going to make this week. Question – would it be okay to throw in 3 frozen chicken breasts into the crockpot? I know the outcome will be more of a shredded chicken, but wanted to make sure all of the timing would still be the same. Thank you!
I really don’t prefer to put frozen chicken in because it produces too much water during the cooking process and everything becomes more “soupy”. If you know that going in, you can definitely give it a try. Good luck!
Really great recipe, excellent flavour. Quantities were perfect for my 3 quart (3.5 litre) slow cooker – if I tried to cook it in the big 6-quart it would not have filled it enough, and it would have burned. This is probably the problem some have been having.
Very easy and quick to do, very flexible for substitutions (couldn’t get lime juice so had to use lemon, couldn’t get rice wine vinegar so used apple cider vinegar – turned out fine), perfect consistency, everyone loved it, will definitely do it again. Thanks for this recipe!
My daughter is a vegetarian. Thoughts on substituting tofu for the chicken?
Yes, you can certainly use tofu but I would recommend ensuring it was extra firm for this recipe. Enjoy!
So if I use the boneless thighs, like your suggestion, I should set my slow cooker to 7 hours? Just to clarify, as I want to start it before I go to work all day.
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
Yes, boneless skinless thighs would work on a low setting for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker. I hope you enjoy it!
I used 3 lbs of boneless skinless thighs and it was done at 4 hours. Very yummy!
DO you have any suggestions on how to add veggies to this?
You can move the chicken over to the side and add in some sliced and peeled carrots 2 hours before it is done. In the last half hour you could add broccoli to the top (don’t mix).
This recipe has DELICIOUS flavor. I just made it. My only note (which I assume is because I live at elevation) is that this was past ready at 3 hours. I came to check on it and it obviously had started drying up (I did have my Crockpot on Low) and I didn’t need to use the cornstarch to thicken it – I added a few tablespoons of boiling water to perk it back up (chicken was still tender). So I just wanted to make this note for people who live at elevation 🙂 Check at two hours! Thanks for the delicious recipe! My whole house smells heavenly.
Thanks for the info Anna! Also glad you enjoyed it!
I’d love to make this as it sounds absolutely gorgeous, however I would have to use skinless boneless chicken thighs as my family aren’t keen on the breast, what weight/ number of thighs would you suggest? Thanks in advance.
P.S Has anyone done this in an electric pressure cooker? I’d love to know what setting/ time you used and how it turned out!
It can really vary but my chicken breasts were about 6-8 oz each so I used about 1.5-2 pounds in this recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Can I double this recipe in my slow cooker? Will that impact time at all?
You could totally double this recipe and wouldn’t need to adjust a thing. Enjoy!
3 halves of whole chicken breasts? thank u! 🙂
You’ll want to use 3 chicken breasts for this recipe. Enjoy!
3 halves or whole chicken breasts? here’s what i mean by 3 halves – http://mania-m.co.il/?product=%D7%97%D7%96%D7%94-%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%A3-%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%99
thanks!
Yes, 3 halves 🙂
hi! this looks great! but i dont have a slow cooker :/ how could i make this on the stove top/in the oven? thanks!
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. Enjoy!!
just a couple of questions; how much Ginger paste would equal the amount in the recipe? AND what programmable slow cooker is your new one? as I’m seriously considering buying a new one – mine is NOT programmable & runs to hot & everything gets overcooked & dried out. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
You can use the same amount of ginger when substituting with paste. You will LOVE my slow cooker!! I have a link to the new one in the post. If you go to the “tools I use” section and click on the green highlight for it, it will take you to the exact one I have. It’s amazing!
Unfortunately, my slow cooker (which, after seven years, does run a tad hot) burned this pretty well after four hours, even cooking it on a lower setting. Thankfully I had enough of all the ingredients to make it again on the stovetop – and it was tasty! I did add a little chili garlic sauce for some extra dimension. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh no! so glad you were able to give it a second go round on the stovetop though.
Would this freeze well? Without the rice of course. Since my family would not like it was thinking of making a batch and freezing in individual containers for myself
Sure, but I would add about 1/2 – 1 cup water to the amount you’re going to freeze, then stir. Spoon that into your freezer containers because when foods tend to freeze and be reheated they are drier than they once were.
Great tip! I didn’t even think about adding water to a meal before freezing it! Especially with sauce, I’m a little obsessed with any meal that has sauce .
How long do you think this would need to cook if it was frozen before hand?
I prefer to take it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat the next day. Hope this helps!
I made this today and it was delicious! I used the extra coconut milk to make rice and served it all with edamame. Even my fussy kid enjoyed it. The only complaint is that there wasn’t enough sauce. Do you think some water would dilute the flavors too much? Thank you so much. I can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes.
So glad to hear you loved it! Getting your kids to eat, especially fussy ones, is definitely a great compliment for any dish 🙂 To get more sauce, you could add water or more chicken stock. If the flavors are too diluted after doing so, add more peanut butter too.
You suggest “more” chicken stock above with reference to dryness. I don’t see chicken stock in the list of ingredients.??
Sorry to confuse you…I meant just to add chicken stock if desired. 🙂
If making on the stovetop, do you brown the chicken first?
Also, do you wait until chicken is mostly cooked before adding the lime and cornstarch (as you instruct in the slow cooker version)?
Thanks!
Yes, I would still brown it first. It really does add a deeper flavor to the chicken. You’ll want to still add the lime and cornstarch as directed because that will help thicken up the sauce for the dish after it’s been cooking. I’d love to hear what you think after trying it on the stovetop. Enjoy!
Mine did dry out a bit, I cooked for 4 hrs. I wonder if browning first would help seal the juices? Delicious sauce……I might skip cornstarch next time as it was already quite thick. Thanks for sharing this!! I’ve been looking for a thai peanut chicken recipe!
Doesn’t the chicken breasts DRY out….
No, not at all 🙂 Because you’re cooking it in the sauce, it stays moist and delicious.
Have yout tried this in an Instant pot? Would love a conversion!
Looks awesome
I haven’t but I’m sure there are some great resources online that could help converting it. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try 🙂
Did you try it? Was going to convert this recipe today and wondered how it turned out 🙂
I am totally making this soon. I love anything peanut butter so this is great!
Me too! It’s so delicious!!
I can’t get over how good this looks– AND that it’s made in the slow cooker! Perfect for busy weeknights!
Thanks Karly!
This looks crazy delicious! Thai chicken is our favorite!
Thanks Anna!
I love this peanut chicken! Coconut milk, lime, ginger, peanut butter! A lot of delicious flavors!
Such a great flavor combination, for sure!!
Springtime is a busy season around here. Can’t wait to throw this one in the crock pot and enjoy later!!
Definitely, let your slow cooker do the work!!
That looks and sounds so flavorful, yummy!
I absolutely love this dinner!
Thanks Cathy!
Slow cooker megs are the best!! Love these flavors!