Make flavor-packed Thai peanut chicken in the slow cooker or crock pot! Juicy chicken breasts or thighs are cooked for hours in a rich and spicy peanut sauce with ginger, lime, and garlic, and then shredded for an easy weeknight dinner.
Serve this shredded Thai chicken sprinkled with peanuts with a side of white rice or a Thai quinoa salad, or between buns for a Thai-style pulled chicken sandwich.
We were utterly blown away by this sweet, tangy, spicy slow cooker Thai peanut chicken when I served it up with rice. We’ve been in the throes of unpacking after a family vacation, and everyone was craving a home-cooked meal. So, into the crockpot went a couple of pounds of chicken breasts, and my “improvised” Thai peanut sauce: A mix of peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, salsa, and sriracha.
Fast forward several hands-free hours in the slow cooker, and not only will I be making this Thai chicken again ASAP, but it couldn’t be easier. The flavors are zesty, a little spicy, and brightened up with fresh lime juice, similar to my stovetop peanut ginger chicken.
Why I Give This Thai Peanut Chicken Recipe 5 Stars
- The ultimate hands-free dinner. I love set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker chicken recipes. Like my slow cooker buffalo chicken and Tex-Mex fiesta chicken, I set this Thai chicken to cook in the morning, and it’s ready to shred and serve by dinner time.
- Like takeout, but better. We love Asian takeout, but instead of reaching for my local restaurant fliers, I’ve been remaking my favorite dishes at home, from pork ramen to fire meat, and this easy Thai chicken in the crockpot. It’s just as packed with flavor.
- Versatile. I love this Thai peanut chicken with a side of basmati or jasmine rice, sprinkled with peanuts and drizzled with extra hot sauce. It’s also delicious over noodles, quinoa, or even mashed potatoes. I’m already dreaming of a Thai pulled chicken sandwich!
- Great for weeknights and meal prep. You can marinate the chicken the night before so it’s ready to dump in the slow cooker the next day. The cooked peanut chicken is also great for meal prep. It stores and freezes well.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make It
Another bonus: the ingredients for this Thai peanut chicken are easy to come by (I scrounged them together from my pantry). This recipe is simple yet loaded with flavor, thanks to a crazy-delicious Thai peanut sauce made with a few star ingredients:
- Peanut Butter – Smooth, creamy peanut butter, and not the crunchy kind, is best here. You can use natural peanut butter if you’d like, but the sauce might be a little more oily.
- Sriracha Sauce – Or your favorite hot chili sauce or red chili flakes for a spicy kick. Feel free to skip the chili if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Salsa – Jarred salsa from the grocery store. You can opt for mild or spicy depending on the level of heat you’re after.
- Ground Ginger – Or fresh ginger that’s been finely minced or crushed into a paste. Substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger for every 1/2 teaspoon of ground.
- Garlic – Whole garlic cloves, minced. You can also use garlic paste if you have it available, about 1/2 teaspoon of paste per clove.
- Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice really brightens all the other flavors and gives the sauce its zestiness. In a pinch, bottled lime juice will also work, but I highly recommend freshly squeezed lime if you have it.
- Soy Sauce – Feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce if you prefer.
What Chicken Should I Use?
As for the chicken in this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs also work great. These cuts are the best for shredding. If you’re using bone-in chicken, your dish may also need more time to cook.
Whichever cut you choose, DO NOT use frozen chicken in the slow cooker. Frozen chicken will stay at an unsafe temperature for too long in the low heat, causing bacteria to grow that can lead to foodborne illnesses. It’s not worth the risk.
How to Make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
This easy and ultra-tasty Thai chicken recipe is just the best. With very little prep, it isn’t long before you’re passing the hard work over to your slow cooker. Here’s how to make it, and you’ll find the printable recipe instructions in the recipe card after the post.
- Prepare the peanut sauce. First things first, combine the peanut butter and other sauce ingredients. Then, pour your spicy Thai peanut sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cook. Cover and cook the chicken on High for about 3 hours, until it’s cooked through and tender enough to shred.
- Shred. Use a two forks to shred the chicken, and stir it into the sauce. Lastly, sprinkle in the crushed peanuts (I always wait to toss these in at the end so they stay nice and crunchy!) and garnish with fresh cilantro for serving.
Make-Ahead Tip: Marinate the Night Before
Mix your peanut sauce, and then add the sauce to a freezer bag with the chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight. It’s a great way to save time AND build flavor. The following day, empty the bag into the slow cooker and set it to cook for a dump-and-go dinner. If you want to prep this recipe more than one day ahead, I’d recommend freezing (see the Storage instructions later on for details).
Recipe Notes
- Invest in garlic paste. If you’re also a fan of Asian-style cooking, garlic paste is an excellent stand-in for minced garlic in loads of recipes. You can find garlic paste in most grocery stores, and it cuts the time it takes to mince it yourself. Substitute about 1/2 teaspoon of paste per fresh clove.
- Check the chicken for doneness. Before shredding, check that the chicken has cooked all the way through by taking the internal temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer. Chicken is done when the temperature reaches 165ºF at the thickest part of the breast or thigh.
- For a creamy variation, stir a can of coconut milk into the sauce.
- Peanut allergy? Swap the peanut butter with almond butter or a seed butter, like sun butter, instead. You could also try a variation with cashew butter.
- Alternative cooking methods. For a stovetop version, I recommend combining the chicken and peanut sauce in a deep skillet or Dutch oven and simmering with a lid until the chicken is cooked through. You could also make this Thai chicken in the Instant Pot. I’d recommend following the cooking directions for my Instant Pot salsa verde chicken in this case.
Serving Suggestions
I usually pair my Thai peanut chicken with a salad, like this rainbow crunch salad, and a side of rice. Give the chicken an extra squeeze of lime and drizzle of sriracha, and you’re ready to serve. Try these other easy serving ideas:
- Over rice or noodles. Serve your Thai peanut chicken over white rice, or toss the saucy chicken with plain egg noodles or spicy peanut noodles for a takeout-style meal. Try sesame zoodles as a low-carb option.
- Veggie sides. Pair this chicken recipe with a quick Asian vegetable stir fry or easy sides like air fryer asparagus, green beans, or roasted carrots.
- Wraps and sandwiches. Serve this shredded chicken in fluffy Hawaiian rolls for sliders, or use it as a filling for easy Thai chicken wraps or lettuce wraps.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Leftover chicken and sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat. Reheat your Thai peanut chicken in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring often until heated through.
- Freeze. You can freeze the uncooked or cooked peanut chicken in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. To freeze chicken, combine the chicken and sauce in a resealable freezer bag and lay flat to freeze. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then reheat or slow cook as directed.
More Asian-Style Dinner Recipes
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Make flavor-packed slow cooker Thai peanut chicken with juicy chicken breasts cooked for hours in a spicy peanut sauce with ginger, lime, and garlic. Shred it afterward for an easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup salsa
- juice of 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- garnish with fresh cilantro
- Serve over rice
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a large bowl combine the salsa, lime, juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, peanut butter and sriracha. Pour this over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- When the chicken is tender, shred it with a fork and mix evenly with the sauce. Add the peanuts to the mixture and serve hot and garnish with cilantro.
- Add extra sriracha if desired.
This sounds wonderful! And, sorry in advance, but I have 3 questions: for the peanut butter, creamy or crunchy? Ginger: fresh or ground/from the spice container? Peanuts: dry roasted or not? Thanks tons!
Peanut Butter can be either… I used creamy because that’s what we always have in our house. I used Ground Ginger in this recipe as written. You could absolutely use fresh, but I would increase the amount to at least 2 teaspoons. And the peanuts can be either!
Hi. Could this be adapted to pressure cook instead of slow cooking?
Oh absolutely! I would imagine it would take about 10-15 minutes on high pressure.
I tried it my Instapot and kept getting the ‘burn’ message. Try adding chicken broth to thin-out the sauce to avoid this same mistake.
Yum! When you say “mix it up with the sauce” are you putting it back in the crockpot after it’s shredded or do you mean the sriracha sauce? Thanks!!
Do you add the sriracha in the sauce mix or just put it on top after?
Mix that in with the sauce. I fixed the recipe to clarify that!
I like to pile on the sriracha. Looks delish!
I was wondering if you could cook it on low for longer…I am always on the lookout for meals I can start in the morning and they are ready when I get home from work. Do you think this recipe would lend itself to this?
sure, you could always cook it on low for 5-6 hours!
Do you think I could freeze leftovers for a future meal? Sounds yummy!
Sure!!
This looks really yummy and easy. It is great for the summer because you don’t have to heat the kitchen up or perfect for the fall when you want something warm and ready when you get home!
Yep, definitely one for me this autumn. I love how easy it is – throw everything in and cook are my favourite sort of slow cooker recipes.