Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Thai Peanut Chicken made in the slow cooker features tender chicken stewed in a flavorful coconut milk and peanut sauce, served over rice or rice noodles!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get our best recipes every week!
For more easy Asian-inspired dinners, you might enjoy Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Easy Fried Rice, Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl, or One-Pan Asian Beef & Rice Skillet.
Need an effortless, delicious dinner idea? This slow cooker spin on Thai Peanut Chicken turns out soooo yummy, friends. As a bonus, it's ridiculously easy to make.
What is Thai Peanut Chicken?
Chicken breasts are slow cooked in a sauce of coconut milk, peanut butter, and other goodness.
Once cooked through and fall-apart tender, the chicken is shredded and briefly returned to the sauce to soak up all of the goodness.
Then it's simply a matter of garnishing and serving over rice noodles (seen here) or white or brown rice.
If you're feeling especially virtuous, you can even use this recipe as a filling for lettuce wraps!
The flavors in this dish actually remind me a lot of a crockpot Pad Thai, except there are no eggs or tofu or fish sauce involved.
Tweak the Heat
Along those lines, though, I like my Pad Thai rather spicy. So while I kept this recipe fairly mild for the kiddos, I particularly enjoy it myself when I generously sprinkle my portion with extra crushed red pepper flakes.
If you like a little spice, there are other ways you could jazz it up as well. Sriracha, anyone?
So feel free to experiment...but only if you think you can handle the heat!
Ingredients
I bet you've already got most of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry, especially if you enjoy cooking with Asian flavors.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Or you could use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Or a combination of the two. For moister chicken, you could even opt for bone-in chicken breasts or thighs (with or without the skin), then remove and discard any skin/bones before shredding. Just remember that bone-in chicken requires a longer cooking time than boneless chicken, and thighs require a longer cooking time than breasts. At the end of the day, use what you like. Slow cooker chicken recipes are pretty forgiving.
- Coconut milk. Meaning the real stuff from a can. I use full-fat coconut milk, but light coconut milk should work as well. Be sure to shake the can well before opening it. I actually like to flip the can over and use a can opener to open it from the bottom. Since the thick coconut cream settles to the bottom of the can, this makes it easier to scrape it straight off the "lid" that the can opener removed.
- Peanut butter. I prefer chunky, although creamy would be fine. And I use all-natural peanut butter, but whatever you've got will work.
- Garlic. Glorious garlic...don't skimp!
- Honey. For natural sweetness.
- Soy sauce. For Asian saltiness.
- Lime juice. A bit of acidity helps balance the fat and creaminess from the coconut milk and peanut butter.
- Rice wine vinegar. More acidity, plus extra Asian flavor. If you don't have rice wine vinegar, you may use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Crushed red pepper flakes. For a nice touch of heat. Alternatively, sriracha would work as well.
- Chopped peanuts + fresh cilantro. Optional yet highly recommended garnishes.
- Rice, rice noodles, or lettuce leaves. For serving.
How to Make Thai Peanut Chicken
As with most good crockpot recipes, this Thai Peanut Chicken is quick and simple to toss in the slow cooker ahead of dinner time. Then when it's time to eat, you're just a couple of quick steps away from getting it on the table.
- Arrange chicken pieces in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Stir together the sauce and pour over the chicken.
- Cover and cook until cooked through and tender.
- Remove the chicken and pull into chunks. Return to the crockpot, stir into the sauce, and allow to reheat for a few minutes.
- Serve chicken with sauce over rice or rice noodles, garnishing with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro.
Ta-daaaa! Who needs take-out? Add an optional side salad drizzled with flavor-packed Asian Salad Dressing and dinner is DONE.
A Note on Cooking Time
When I first published this Thai Peanut Chicken, a few commenters noted that when they made it, their sauce burned or their chicken dried out. I apologize to anyone who had that problem.
As a general rule, cooking time for boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a slow cooker is totally dependent on your model of slow cooker and how hot it runs. Older model, cooler running slow cookers take longer to cook and can go for 6 to 8 hours without burning the sauce or drying out the chicken. Newer model, hotter running slow cookers can cook chicken breasts as quickly as 3 hours. You need to be familiar with your slow cooker in order to determine the appropriate cooking time for this recipe (or any slow cooker recipe involving boneless, skinless chicken breasts).
When I first developed this recipe, I was using a 10-year old slow cooker and a 6 hour cooking time was appropriate. However, I now have a newer model slow cooker that runs hotter and cooks faster and, as a result, when I make this recipe now, I cook it for a shorter duration.
Therefore, I decreased the overall cooking time in the recipe instructions, since many people these days own modern (hotter running) slow cookers. If you still have an old, cooler running slow cooker, you may need to cook your chicken closer to 6 hours (or longer).
If you like Asian flavors, I hope you love this Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken! It's simple. Satisfying. Delicious. An easy weeknight dinner you'll definitely want to put on repeat. 😉
More Slow Cooker Dinners
- Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Shredded Beef Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Mexican Street Corn Chowder
- Beef Barbacoa {Slow Cooker}
- Slow Cooker Honey Lime Pulled Pork Tacos
- The BEST Easy Slow Cooker Recipes Collection
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Rice, rice noodles, or lettuce leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Arrange chicken breasts in the bottom of a large slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together coconut milk, peanut butter, garlic, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes; mix until (mostly) smooth) Pour over chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 5 hours (or until chicken is cooked through and tender but not overcooked, depending on the strength of your slow cooker). Reduce slow cooker temperature to WARM. Remove chicken from slow cooker, cut into chunks, and shred. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker to allow it to absorb sauce and heat through.
- Serve chicken and sauce over cooked white or brown rice, cooked rice noodles, or stuffed inside large lettuce leaves, as wraps. Garnish with chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and additional red pepper flakes, if desired.
Equipment Needed
Nutrition
Recipe originally published on May 14, 2015, and updated on October 13, 2019.
I made this last weekend and it was delicious. We ate it with bean thread noodles and a pile of shredded carrots for crunch. Thanks!
Hi! About how many chicken breast did u use in this recipe?
Hi Leslie! 1 1/2 pounds typically equals about 3 average-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
I made this a few days ago and I'm usually not a fan of leftovers, but I've taken this meal to work for the past two days!!! It's so good!
I actually made this tonight and it was awesome! In fact I have never even posted a comment before but just felt I should to let others know. I did just a couple of things differently. One is I used already cooked shredded chix, threw that in and then everything else on top I didn't add the pepper flakes. And, at the end I also used a couple of chopped green onions in addition to peanuts and cilantro. So easy, so good and different than the norm - had to call my sister and give her the recipe!
Really a keeper!
could i try this with tofu instead of chicken?
Hi Raj! I'm sorry, but I'm not really familiar with using tofu as a substitute for chicken or how it would fare in a slow cooker, so I can't say whether or not it would work in this recipe. Good luck if you decide to give it a try!
This was SO delicious and really easy. We had it over rice and a side of broccoli. It's a recipe I'll be making over and over. Thanks!
So happy to hear it, Kelli! It's always an honor when one of my recipes makes it onto someone's "repeat dinners" list. 😉 Thanks for the comment and hope you have a great weekend!
Can I make this on the stove or in the oven? Left my slow cooker at a friends & already bought all the ingredients 🙁
Hi Rayni! Sorry to hear about your slow cooker. I think this recipe could definitely be adapted to the stovetop, though. Hope you were able to make it work since you had already bought the ingredients!
I've made this a couple times, love it! It comes out a bit thick though, maybe just adding a bit of liquid at the beginning would help? Thank you! (And great pictures by the way!)
So happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe, Karen! And yes, you can definitely stir in some extra liquid (like chicken broth) at the beginning (or end) of the recipe if you prefer a thinner sauce. 🙂 Hope you're having a great week!
can I just cut up the chicken before cooking? Is there a reason to cook the breasts whole and cut up at the end?
You should be able to do it either way, Lisa! I just don't like cutting up raw chicken if I can avoid it...I think it's easier and less messy to cut up at the end after it's cooked. I think it's just a matter of personal preference, so go for it! Just be sure to watch the cooking time since you don't want to dry out your smaller pieces of chicken. 🙂
LOVED this meal! BOTH kids loved it too. I was praying that I could make something healthy that both kids enjoyed. Prayers answered! Thank you!!!!
Yay, Brittany...so happy to hear that this was a hit! Getting two thumbs up from the kiddos is the biggest compliment of all. 😉 Thanks for taking the time to let me know that y'all enjoyed this recipe...hope your week is off to a great start! 🙂
I added fish sauce to this recipe (it's a basic for Thai and Vietnamese cooking). Gives a great depth of flavor to this recipe. Also, I use cayenne pepper instead of pepper flakes. Pepper flakes don't always dissolve, cayenne is ground fine and disperses better with pretty much the same spiciness. Kids can't find them either 🙂
What great suggestions, Barbara...thank you for sharing your tweaks to this recipe! 🙂
What size slow cooker is this recipe for? I have a small one - (4 quart).
Hi Marisa! I made this in a large 6- to 7-quart slow cooker. I'm not sure how it would fit or cook in a 4-quart? Please let us know if you decide to try it!
i'll probably try halving it. thanks!
You can totally make this in a 4 quart crockpot.
This sounds so delicious. Hubby is allergic coconut and wanted to know if there was something else I could use instead of the coconut milk? We have recently started eating Thai food and this just sounds so yummy.
Hi Amanda! The flavor will be slightly different without that coconut undertone that's common to Thai cuisine, but I bet you could substitute chicken broth in this recipe and it would still turn out yummy. 🙂 Hope y'all enjoy!
Hi, can you use frozen chicken breast or does it need to be thawed first? Anyway, can't wait to try this!
Hi Stace! For food safety reasons, it's not recommended to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker, since the strength/temperature of slow cookers can vary and it's possible that the meat won't get up to a safe temperature quickly enough. So while I think this recipe would work using frozen chicken breasts, I wouldn't want anyone to risk food poisoning!
Oh my word, I made this today and it was AMAZING!!!! I did not have chunky peanut butter, so I simply added extra chopped peanuts. I also used chili garlic sauce and added ginger. This is a recipe I will make often!! Thanks a ton.
I'm so happy to hear that this was a hit, Tricia! Your additions sound great...I just might have to try them next time. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe for many years to come...have a great weekend!
Not only do I love thus recipe, I have passed it on to all my friends!! Just as good the next day as leftovers, I used lettuce cups and had it as an appetizer! Thanks again for sharing!
The fact that you shared the recipe with your friends is the biggest compliment I could receive, Tricia. 🙂 And I love the lettuce wrap idea...yum!
Oh my goodness this looks awesome!! I love the list of simple ingredients too...this is my most favorite Thai dish. Pinning and making one day soon. Blessings to you in getting your house ready to sell...it's a lot of work, but it will all work on in time. I think you should have much freedom in posting less content with your posts....do what you gotta do! Thanks much for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. Always happy to have you join us.
Thanks so much, Marsha...I really appreciate your encouraging words. 🙂 And I hope that you love this recipe if you have a chance to try it! See you at Weekend Potluck on Friday...have a great rest of the week!
Good luck with your moving! It can be so stressful, but worth it in the end. This looks so yummy, but I think sadly I'd be the only one eating it which could be good and bad 😉
That's what I keep telling myself, Kristin...the stress will be short-term, and it will be worth it in the long-run! Remind me of that one night in the near future when I'm up until 3 a.m. packing -- ha. 😉 Hope you enjoy this recipe if you end up trying it! I have to admit that I was surprised that my kids liked it. I figured that a savory peanut sauce might seem strange to them, but my boys actually gobbled it right up. Maybe your family will surprise you, too? Here's hoping! 🙂
Oh! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo making this!
Hope you love it, Meghan! 🙂