Add Salt & Serve may earn affiliate commissions from purchases made using links on this page. Read our full disclosure.

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken is tender, covered in creamy sauce, and full of peanut-y goodness . . . AND it's super easy with its five-ingredient sauce. Prep for this flavorful crockpot chicken with peanut butter and salsa is quick—just mix the five sauce ingredients, pour over chicken, and cook in the slow cooker. Garnishing with peanuts and cilantro adds the perfect flavor and and just the right amount of crunch.

Plated slow cooker Thai Peanut Chicken over rice garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro with a fork cutting into the chicken showing white breast meat.

Jump to:

Video
What you need to make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
How to make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Crockpot tip
Variations
Storage & freezer instructions
Suggested sides
Recipe

Video

What you need to make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken: Uncooked chicken breasts, chopped peanuts, cilantro, peanut butter, salsa, soy sauce, grated ginger, lime juice, and cooked rice.

chicken breasts (chicken thighs can be substituted)
cooked rice (you could serve over rice noodles or cauliflower rice if you prefer)
salsa
soy sauce or tamari
peanut butter
chopped peanuts
chopped cilantro
grated fresh ginger

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Uncooked chicken breasts in a slow cooker surrounded by small bowls of chopped peanuts, cilantro, peanut butter, salsa, soy sauce, grated ginger, and lime juice.

Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker.

Uncooked chicken breasts in a slow cooker and small bowls of chopped peanuts and cilantro around a bowl of peanut butter, salsa, soy sauce, grated ginger, and lime juice before mixing.

In a medium bowl, mix together salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and lime juice.

A slow cooker with chicken covered in a peanut sauce before cooking.

Spread peanut sauce over chicken.

Cooked Thai Peanut Chicken in a slow cooker surrounded by rice, chopped peanuts, cilantro, ginger, a halved lime, and a stack of empty plates with forks.

Cook until chicken is cooked through to 165ºF, stirring occasionally.

Plated slow cooker Thai Peanut Chicken over rice garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Serve over cooked rice and garnish with chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro.

Crockpot tip

You'll need to adjust the cooking time based on your individual appliance. Crockpots cook differently based on brand, size, and how full they are, so keep that in mind when planning your cook time. A 6-quart crockpot will cook the same recipe much faster than a 4-quart or 3-quart crockpot.

On top of that, not all crockpots cook at the temperature they are supposed to (you can use this method to test your crockpot temperature). The bottom line is that unlike oven cooking, there is no way to exactly predict the time needed to perfectly cook in a crockpot because they vary so much.

I use this Rival Crockpot—the size is perfect for the recipes I make, and it gives me the options I need without needing to learn complicated programming modes. I like the ability to choose how long to cook at high or low. It automatically switches to the "keep warm" function after the cooking time ends.

Variations

Veggie-ful - Peanut sauce is delicious on vegetables, so you could add slices of yellow or red bell peppers and onions to the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking. Throw in 2-3 cups of spinach in the last half hour or so and this is a complete meal with no sides needed.

Spicy - Add red pepper flakes or sliced serrano peppers to the ingredients to take this up a notch on the spicy scale, or add Thai chili sauce to taste with the salsa.

Storage & freezer instructions

Refrigerate leftovers: Store the rice and chicken separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freeze before cooking: Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken freezes well. Prepare the sauce in whatever quantity needed for the number of dishes you want to freeze. Freeze the sauce in a separate container and put it together with the chicken in the freezer, then place the instructions and ¼ cup chopped peanuts with them.

Print or write out the below instructions and place with the dish, and label as follows (I use permanent marker to label the outside; it can be removed with magic eraser).

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with sauce and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker. Stir occasionally. Serve over white rice and garnish with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro and ¼ cup chopped peanuts.

Suggested sides

The rich flavor of the peanut sauce makes this dish perfect for a simple side. Sautéed or steamed vegetables with no additional sauces or just a simple salad would be good choices.

Recipe

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

5 from 4 votes

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken is tender and full of peanut-y goodness, and it's super easy with a five-ingredient sauce. Prep for this flavorful Thai peanut chicken is quick—just mix five ingredients, pour over chicken, and cook in the slow cooker. Garnishing with peanuts and cilantro adds the perfect flavor and and just the right amount of crunch.

Mary Ann

Add to Collection

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Thai

Servings servings

Calories 447

Ingredients

2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
⅓ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root
¼ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
3 cups prepared white rice

Instructions

Place 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts in slow cooker.
Mix together 1 cup salsa, ⅓ cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, and 1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker, stirring occasionally.
Serve over 3 cups prepared white rice and garnish with ¼ cup chopped peanuts and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

Notes

Note that slow cookers vary in cooking time due to brand and size. This recipe was tested in a 6-quart slow cooker and cooked on the fast end. Smaller slow cookers generally cook slower and larger ones faster.

Preparation option: Peanut sauce is delicious on vegetables, so you could add slices of colorful bell peppers and onions to the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking. Throw in 2-3 cups of spinach in the last half hour or so and this is a complete meal with no sides needed.
To freeze: Prepare the sauce in whatever quantity needed for the number of dishes you want to freeze. Freeze the sauce in a separate container and put it together with the chicken in the freezer, then place the instructions and ¼ cup chopped peanuts with them. Label with:
Easy Slow Cooker Thai Chicken in Peanut Sauce: Thaw. Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with sauce and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker. Stir occasionally. Serve over white rice and garnish with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro and ¼ cup chopped peanuts.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 447 calCarbohydrates: 28 gProtein: 48 gFat: 16 gSodium: 763 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 3 g

Comments

Shannon

September 07, 2023 at 3:10 pm

I have this recipe. The version I have calls to sprinkle coconut over the rice then follow with the Thai chicken and cilantro. The coconut is optional but I love it! I use chunky peanut butter and skip the peanut garnish. It is one of my 3 sons favorites!

- Mary Ann
  
  September 08, 2023 at 8:58 am
  
  I love the dry crunch of the peanut garnish!