You’re going to love this Slow Cooker Thai-Style Chicken! Tender, juicy chicken breast cooked in a crockpot with a zesty, spicy Thai peanut sauce is such an easy weeknight dinner. Serve this shredded chicken recipe sprinkled with peanuts and dished up over rice for a delicious meal that’s bursting with flavor!
The Ultimate Crock Pot Chicken Recipe
The first time I made this amazing recipe for Thai style chicken in the crockpot, I was just back from vacation and the whole family was in the throes of unpacking, doing laundry, etc. Everyone was craving a home cooked meal, but time was definitely not on my side!
Into the slow cooker went the chicken breast and sauce ingredients for this savory Thai peanut chicken. A few hours later, WHOA! We were utterly blown away by the incredible sweet, tangy, spicy flavors of this tender, pull-apart chicken recipe when I served it up with rice.
I cannot wait for you to try this easy and zesty Thai-style crock pot chicken. It’s truly the ultimate hands off dinner!
What You’ll Need
Another bonus: the ingredients for this Thai peanut chicken are easy to come by! 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!
- Sriracha Sauce: Or your favorite hot chili sauce, for a spicy kick.
- 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.
- Garlic: Whole garlic cloves, minced. You can also use garlic paste if you have it available!
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime really brightens all the other flavors and gives the sauce it’s zestiness.
- Soy Sauce
As for the chicken itself, I use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, but boneless chicken thighs also work well for this recipe if you prefer. These cuts are the best for shredding!
Lastly, you’ll also need your choice of side, like rice or noodles, for serving. I love this Thai style chicken with basmati or jasmine rice, topped with a garnish of chopped Peanuts and Fresh Cilantro.
How to Make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
This easy and ultra tasty 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 this deliciously zesty Thai crock pot chicken:
Prepare the Sauce: First thing’s first, place your chicken in the bowl of the slow cooker. Next, combine the peanut butter and other sauce ingredients, and then pour your spicy Thai peanut sauce over the chicken.
Cook: Cover and cook the chicken on high for about 3 hours, until tender.
Shred: Use a fork (or two!) to shred the chicken and stir it into the sauce. Sprinkle in the crushed peanuts (I always wait to toss these in at the end so they stay nice and crunchy!).
Serve your Thai-style chicken hot with a garnish of fresh cilantro, and another drizzle of hot sauce for an extra hint of heat!
Tips for Success
- Make It A Day Ahead: Prep the chicken and peanut sauce the night before you plan to cook it, and leave everything to marinate in a resealable bag in the fridge overnight. Empty the bag into the slow cooker the next morning and set it to cook! If you want to make this recipe more than a day ahead, I’d recommend freezing. See tips on how to freeze your Thai peanut chicken below!
- Invest in Garlic Paste: If you’re also a fan of Asian-style cooking, garlic paste is a blessing for the many recipes that call for minced garlic! You can find garlic paste in most grocery stores, and it cuts the time it takes to mince it yourself.
Serving Suggestions
This Thai peanut chicken is so packed with flavor on its own, it doesn’t need much in terms of serving! Give the chicken an extra squeeze of lime and drizzle of Sriracha and try these easy ways to serve it:
- Serve your Thai-style chicken over rice or noodles, or even Sesame Zoodles.
- Pair this chicken recipe with a side of steamed or sauteed veggies, or a quick Asian vegetable stir fry.
- Use this savory shredded chicken as a filling for easy Thai chicken wraps, or Lettuce Wraps.
- Spoon it over fresh greens, or serve it with this Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad!
- Serve it between buns for Thai-style Chicken Salad Sandwiches.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftover chicken and sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat your Thai style chicken in the microwave, or on the stovetop, stirring often until heated through.
Can I Freeze This?
This easy chicken is a perfect make-ahead meal! The leftovers are also just as perfect to freeze and enjoy later. Either way, you can keep this recipe frozen in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Uncooked Peanut Chicken: Combine the chicken and the peanut sauce in a resealable freezer bag and lay flat to freeze. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then slow cook as directed.
How to Freeze Cooked Peanut Chicken: Allow the chicken to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight before reheating and serving!
More Thai-Inspired Dishes to Try
- Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad
- Asian Fire Meat
- Easy Homemade Pork Ramen
- Super Easy Beef and Broccoli
- Chicken Pineapple Skewers
Slow Cooker Thai-Style 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
You’re going to love this Slow Cooker Thai-Style Chicken! Tender, juicy chicken breast cooked in a crockpot with a zesty, spicy Thai peanut sauce is such an easy weeknight dinner. Dish it up over rice for a delicious meal that’s bursting with flavor!
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.
Keywords: crock pot chicken, easy chicken recipes, thai peanut sauce
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.