Slow cooker peanut chicken is quick and easy to prep, just 7 ingredients and comes out coated in a delicious peanut sauce! Great for meal prepping or an easy weeknight dinner!
We are back from an amazing little getaway winter weekend in the mountains. ❄️
The kids had their first-ever ski lessons. I had my own lesson because it's been 15+ years since I've been skiing, so I was kinda back to being a beginner myself. We all had such a great time! ❤️
We had a cozy little cabin, where we played board games and made hot cocoa, s'mores and chili. And of course, we had lots of snuggling by the fire!
It was pretty glorious and we kind didn't want to leave! It's nice to be back home though, and I think we all feel a little refreshed.
So let's dive back into things. Which means all the food!
Raise your hand if you’re a peanut sauce lover.
This is me, jumping up and down with not one but both hands up.
I ADORE a peanut sauce! It’s rich, nutty, perfectly balanced with a hint of sweet and a hint of spicy, and has all the delicious peanut-y flavor that I love!
I sometimes make an easy peanut sauce just to drizzle over veggies or rice bowls. It’s so great to have on hand.
All the yums!
It’s also what I use in my easy chicken satay with zoodles and mushrooms. Deliciousness right there!
And today I’m using it for my slow cooker peanut chicken.
This is a super simple recipe but has such great flavor because of that, yup, peanut sauce. Gives it a Thai flair.
It coats each piece of chicken and has you wanting to go diving right into your plate!
And best of all, it’s just 7 ingredients and super quick and easy to prep!
I SO love that in a slow cooker recipe. I can throw it all together in the morning or at lunch and be all set.
(You can browse all of my slow cooker chicken recipes here if you want more ideas and inspiration!)
Oh and I’ve got lots of notes, tips and serving ideas coming at you below. Just trying to be helpful.
If you just want to jump to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Recipe Notes:
- I use a small red chili pepper, such as habanero, for this recipe. You can substitute a jalapeño if you can’t find one. Remove most of the seeds and the membrane if you want this to be fairly mild.
- You can also use ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes instead of the chili pepper. Or add that as extra if you want a spicy peanut chicken.
- Feel free to sub tamari for the soy sauce to make this gluten-free.
- The sauce for this chicken is thick, but you’ll be able to pour it over the chicken breasts.
- The chicken can be sliced or shredded after it’s cooked, depending on your preference.
- You’ll want to mix the chicken back into the sauce and get it well coated. If your mixture seems dry (which can happen depending on the cook setting and time), add a splash of chicken broth or water at the end to get the sauce to loosen up a little and coat the chicken better.
Finally, this is called peanut chicken for a reason. But I think you could probably substitute almond butter in place of the peanut butter if you need this to be peanut-free.
I’ve also included a recipe for an easy peanut dressing that you can make to go with this if you want to double down on the peanut sauce.
I don’t usually use it the night that we’re eating this. It has enough peanut flavor fresh from the slow cooker. But I like having it for leftovers or to make rice bowls. It’s great when you just want some extra peanut sauce to drizzle over everything on your plate.
And of course, I’ve got some toppings for you to choose from!
Topping Ideas:
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced green onions/scallions
- Chopped peanuts
- Red chili pepper slices
- Crushed red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha
I also love adding a fresh squeeze of lime juice and sometimes another dash of soy sauce to this before serving. It helps wake up the flavors after being in the slow cooker.
(This is especially important if you’ve left it on the warm setting in your slow cooker for a few hours.)
We mainly serve this over steamed brown rice, but basmati rice or regular white rice would be good, too. You can also do cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
Or go all in with the leftovers and have these delicious peanut chicken rice and cabbage bowls another night.
This is a great recipe to meal prep too!
Divide your rice and chicken into your lunch containers, add your favorite veggie to round it off and you’ll be the envy of the office!
And stay tuned, because I have another delicious serving idea coming up that you’re going to love!
(You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get my new recipes each week. I’ll also send you my free e-cookbook, Easy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!)
Happy cooking!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Love slow cooker meals? Me too. Check out my Easy Slow Cooker Meals e-book for more family favorites!
Slow cooker peanut chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or sub boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, or sub tamari for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about 1 medium, juicy lime, plus extra for serving
- 1 small spicy red chili, finely chopped (leave seeds and membranes in for some heat, remove to reduce heat, see notes)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch piece, or substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ hot water
- Toppings, optional: fresh chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, chopped peanuts, red pepper flakes or sriracha for extra heat
Optional easy peanut dressing (see notes):
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the insert of the slow cooker.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix until well combined. The sauce will be thick. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts and chop into small chunks with a knife or use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce. Add a splash of chicken broth or water if needed to get it to all come together. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes on warm to allow the chicken to soak up some of the sauce.
- Serve peanut chicken over rice with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
shankar
his was good but the peanut butter flavor seemed to get cooked out of the dish in the slow cooker. So, am going to add a little more. This also needs a little salt added to it after cooked. Other than that, this is a really good dish!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I definitely add salt to mine, too, but some people are sensitive and it can depend on your peanut butter, too, so I don't include it in the recipe. Also yes, feel free to add some extra PB! You could even try stirring some into the sauce at the end since slow cookers do tend to mute flavors a bit.