This easy Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken simmers in a creamy peanut-coconut sauce with lime, ginger, garlic, and curry spices. It’s high-protein and family-friendly.
Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken
When my weekdays get hectic, I love using my slow cooker for simple, flavorful dinners that basically make themselves. I know you all love slow cooker recipes, so I think you will love this Slow Cooker Thai-style Peanut Chicken. It’s everything I want in a weeknight—creamy, slightly sweet, a little spicy, and packed with protein. It simmers all day in a peanut-coconut sauce until the chicken is tender and saucy enough to spoon over rice to meal prep some bowls, over noodles or veggies. If you love my Peanut-Braised Chicken Breasts or Peanut Noodles with Chicken, this one is right up your alley.
Why This Recipe Works
I tested this recipe a few times to get the flavor balance just right. I drew inspiration from the touch of curry powder in my Air Fryer Chicken Satay in my Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners cookbook. Adding that warm spice here made the sauce more layered and helped this slow cooker version stand out. It’s the kind of small tweak that turns a simple weeknight meal into something crave-worthy.
- Hands-off: The slow cooker does all the work while you’re away, making it perfect for busy weekdays.
- High-protein: Made with lean chicken breast and a peanut-coconut sauce that adds satisfying richness without being heavy.
- Balanced flavors: It’s the classic Thai-inspired combo of sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy.
- Family-friendly: Mild enough for kids but easy to customize with heat for adults.
- Meal-prep ready: Tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Read more below about all the ingredients for this creamy peanut chicken. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts are a lean source of protein.
- Curry Powder for depth
- Aromatics: Diced onion, chopped garlic, grated ginger
- Natural Peanut Butter contains only peanuts and salt.
- Fish Sauce adds depth, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
- Low-sodium Soy Sauce for umami flavor
- Sweetener: I used brown monk fruit for sweetness, with zero calories and zero net carbs.
- Kosher Salt enhances the flavors.
- Rice Vinegar’s acidity balances the richness.
- Sriracha for spiciness. Add more or less depending on your heat preference.
- Coconut Milk for creaminess without dairy
- Garnish: Peanuts, cilantro or scallion, and lime wedges
How to Make Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken
Sautéing the aromatics intensifies their flavor, enhancing the entire dish. After that quick step, mix everything in the crock pot and set it to slow cook. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Sauté the aromatics in sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add the curry powder, cook for a minute, then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Make the Thai peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter, fish sauce, soy sauce, monk fruit, salt, rice vinegar, remaining sesame oil, and coconut milk in the crockpot. Add the chicken and coat it with the sauce.
- Slow cook the peanut chicken on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Shred the chicken. Remove it from the pot and use 2 forks to shred it. Then, return it to the slow cooker, mixing it into the sauce, and cook on low for 15 minutes.
Variations & Substitutions
- Protein: Make this crockpot peanut chicken with boneless, skinless thighs and cook for the same amount of time.
- If you’re allergic to peanuts, replace peanut butter with almond or sunflower butter.
- Make it gluten-free: Substitute soy sauce with tamari.
- Sweetener options: Swap monk fruit with honey or brown sugar.
- No rice vinegar? Use apple cider vinegar.
- If you only have lite coconut milk, you can use it, but the sauce will not be as thick and creamy.
- Keep it mild and omit the sriracha.
Serving Suggestions
- I like to serve this healthy peanut chicken in lettuce wraps, rice bowls, or noodle bowls, and top it with peanuts, cilantro, and scallions. Jasmine rice and rice noodles are great, or you can use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- For more garnish ideas, try it with Thai basil or sliced Fresno or jalapeño peppers. If you want more vegetables, add sliced cucumbers, edamame, snap peas, or shredded carrots.
- If you don’t want to make a rice or noodle bowl, you could serve the chicken and peanut sauce over roasted broccoli or cauliflower.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Since this peanut chicken reheats nicely, it’s a great make-ahead dinner option.
- Refrigerate leftover chicken for up to 4 days.
- Freeze it in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then microwave until warm.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Crockpot Sesame Chicken
- Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, optional
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, or tamari
- 2 teaspoons monk fruit brown sweetener, or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sriracha, add more if you like it spicy
- 1 cup canned coconut milk, I used Thai Kitchen
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
- Chopped cilantro, or scallions, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Jasmine rice, lettuce cups, or cauliflower rice, for serving
Instructions
- Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil, garlic, onion, and ginger to a skillet over medium-low heat and saute until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the curry powder and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a 6-8 quart slow cooker.
- Add the peanut butter, fish sauce, soy sauce, monk fruit sweetener, salt, rice vinegar, sriracha, remaining sesame oil, and coconut milk; whisk to evenly combine. Add the chicken and coat well.
- Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or low 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreddable. Scrape down the sides of the slow cooker as necessary.
- Remove the chicken and shred it into bite-size pieces. Return the chicken to the sauce and stir to combine. Turn the slow cooker down to low and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, so the chicken can absorb the sauce.
- Serve in lettuce cups or over rice as rice bowls, topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges for squeezing over the chicken.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Makes about 4 cups
- Additional garnish suggestions – Thai basil, sliced Fresno or jalapeño
This is just so darn good!! I used a rotisserie chicken and added red bell pepper and cooked it without the slow cooker and it turned out great and only took about 30 minutes.
So happy this recipe turned out really yummy.
Made a few adjustments because my husband doesn’t like curry and I don’t like too spicy.
I replaced the Indian curry spice by Thai green curry paste, similar amount and omitted the sriracha. The rest was the same and I followed a suggestion from previous poster and cooked it into the instant pot.
Keeping this recipe for a regular meal!
This was delicious. The whole family loved it. Great in lettuce cups or over cauliflower rice.
What a flavorful dinner, we really enjoyed it. Thank you another delicious recipe, I’ll definitely be making it again!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My adult son loves this recipe! I made it one weekend when he was at home, and now he makes it on a regular basis. It is delicious the first night over rice and just as good the next day as a lettuce wrap. This one is a keeper!
Long time fan first time commenter….This recipe is seriously soo good. Highly recommend. My whole family even my picky eaters love it.
Also can you substitute green or red curry?
I think it would be delish
Absolutely delicious! One of my new favorites. I’ve been following you for years, Gina. You’re the best!
I followed the suggestion of another commenter about using the instant pot. A word of caution if you do this- make sure there’s plenty of liquid on the bottom of the chicken or your machine will sense the food burning.
So quick to get together – extremely flavorful! Having it in lettuce cups. Will be making this again for sure.
So easy to pull together, and the flavour, Wow! Will be adding this to our menu rotation.
To me this tasted like Indian food which I don’t like. (I thought it would taste more like Thai food.) I should have realized with all the curry powder in the recipe and unfortunately, I trippled the recipe so have a ton of leftovers. It’s very flavorful and for those that like Indian food, I am sure it is great.
Could I use this with frozen chicken at all? Would I need to adjust timing?
Can you use almond butter instead? Peanut allergy household.
Yes or sunflower butter.
Really want to try this but my husband isn’t a curry fan. Do you have any other spice suggestions to replace curry? Or do you think the curry flavour is light enough that I could sneak it in without him noticing? :p
You can omit!
Excellent and EASY!
My husband absolutely loved this recipe and it was easy to do. I used the instant pot (10 min high, 10 min nat release) and here are my recommendations: saute the onions & garlic till softened, add the grated ginger and curry for a minute then the sauce. Cover the chicken breasts with sauce then set. We used hot curry powder and it was zippy and delicious! This recipe is a keeper ;-D
Thank you so much for sharing Beth! We wanted to use our instant pot and was wondering how to do it. I assume your chicken breasts were thawed.
So good!! Will be making this regularly!
So easy and delicious. I omitted the fish sauce, used honey for sweetener. I added some frozen Asian vegetable mix and fresh cilantro on the top for the last 15 minutes. This recipe is a keeper!
Loved this!!!
Another fabulous recipe. Will have regularly. Love a crockpot meal on a Sunday. Be sure to dress it up with the extras (cilantro, green onion, lime, jalapeno for me!) Gina, you’re a rockstar.
Thanks Taylor!
This crock pot dish was absolutely delish! It came together easily and was so enjoyable. I did skip the monk fruit or brown sugar and it still turned out great! Thanks for your wonderful recipes Gina! They make a difference in so many lives for healthy living!!!
Delicious served over rice! Very easy to prepare! For sure, a keeper.
Can this be made on the stovetop?
This was excellent
This was delicious. I made it without the sweetener and it still tasted great. I serves it on cauliflower rice and it really warmed me on a cold winter’s day.
Really delicious! I accidentally used a whole can of coconut milk. Oops! 😂 Served with rice and broccoli and it was a big hit.
Can I make this in Instant pot? Any guidance for how long to cook for? Natural release or quick release? Thanks!
One of the best recipes I have ever made! It was so easy and the flavor was divine! I put it over fettuccini noodles and divided it up for a week of lunches. The longer it sat the richer the flavor became. I did bump the siracha a bit to get that kick.
I knew this would be good but it is reallllly good! It requires a little bit more labor than I typically do for crock pot meals but I feel cooking the onion down with all the spices was critical to the deliciousness of this meal. We ate with lettuce cups and used some naan to soak up the yummy sauce!
Yes, its an added step but a must!
Loved it! Flavorful & delicious.
I am so glad!!
Outstanding recipe! So flavorful and comforting. Cooked on high pressure / 10 min as recommended below by Gina. Entire family loved it! Will keep in the recipe rotation.
GREAT!!!
This is simply outstanding! One of the most delicious things I’ve ever made. Served with lettuce cups, rice, and then for toppings: chopped peanuts, sriracha, cilantro, lime wedges, diced avocado and green onions.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night. One of the best things I’ve eaten in a while! Delicious. I had it over riced cauliflower and a side of broccoli. This will be on my rotation.
Can I use something other then coconut milk.
This came together quickly and was really tasty. Served it over jasmine rice/cauliflower rice, along with steamed broccoli. Topping with peanuts and a squeeze of lime is a must!
My family and I went wild for this tonight! I doubled the recipe and used the slow cook function in my Instant Pot for 3.5 hours on low. I was worried that there was too much sauce, but the shredded chicken really did absorb it. This is immediately going into our regular rotation. Thank you for a winner!
So glad to hear!
Absolutely delicious! My husband declared it one of the best meals ever (and he is an amazing cook). We will double the recipe next time to freeze some to have on hand.
I’m about to make this. I am going to add the shredded carrots and snap peas. Would you recommend adding them in for the whole time in the crock pot? Or how would you think is best to add them? Thank you!
Maybe the last hour?
Can you make this without using a slow cooker—either in the oven or on the stovetop?
Sure. Add the chicken and peanut sauce to a large skillet or Dutch oven and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then shred, return to the sauce, and simmer uncovered 5 minutes to thicken.
The sauce is super delicious, but quite rich. I used chicken thighs as that was what I had in the fridge and served with rice. I didnt add a vegetable, but really think some steamed broccoli would be great with it, and will help to break down the richness of the sauce.
Perfect for this frigid winter evening. Easy and I had everything on hand. I used light coconut milk since that’s what I had and put in the whole 15oz can since I rarely cook with it. Great over rice.
Great!
Super easy but needed something to kick it up a notch. Next time I’ll try more sriracha or the jalapeño addition to the garnishes.
This looks great! How would you do this with an Instant Pot and chicken thighs? Thinking to follow same as your IP Chicken Tikka Masala but not sure which sauces to wait to add until the end. I know coconut milk at the end.
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and simmer on Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken the sauce.
This in my slow cooker right now. I did use WW calculator with the nutritional information provided and I got 10 points instead of the 6 points on the recipe, if I’m reading that right.
You have to use WW recipe builder because the calculator adds points for 0 foods. If you or on your phone with the app open, I already did this for you. Click the blue circle in the recipe card and it takes you there.
Can you use turkey breast instead of chicken?
Sure
Looks great! Is there a way to adapt this to the Instapot?
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and simmer on Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken the sauce.
This looks delicious. I will be making it very soon. Wondering about using powdered peanut butter and if so, just the dry powder or rehydrated?
Yes, I would like to know the answer to the same question.
I would like to know as well!
I have seen different types of curry available at the grocery store. e.g. Thai, green, yellow, red, etc.. What do you recommend?
This is dry curry powder
Can you share instructions for making in the Instant Pot?
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and simmer on Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken the sauce.
This was great! I added carrots to get more fiber and I used PB2 instead of peanut butter to lighten it up. Will make again!
Can I make this on top of the stove instead of in a slow cooker?
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to a large skillet or Dutch oven and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then shred, return to the sauce, and simmer uncovered 5 minutes to thicken.
Can you use an Instant Pot for this recipe? Is so, what would be the settings?
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and simmer on Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken the sauce.
Can this be made in the instant pot?
Add the chicken and peanut sauce to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 to 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and simmer on Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken the sauce.
What can you use instead of coconut milk?
Cashew cream would work, see my recipe https://www.skinnytaste.com/dairy-free-heavy-cream/
Looks good! Same question as below – canned coconut milk or coconut milk from the dairy section?
Canned coconut milk, I used Thai Kitchen
Thanks! Definitely going to make this dish over the weekend!
Enjoy
Can something be used instead of coconut milk as I cannot eat coconut.
Did you use canned coconut milk or coconut milk from the dairy section? This looks really good!