This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken is coated in the most incredible peanut sauce. Serve it over rice for an easy meal, and garnish with green onions and extra peanuts for added crunch!
2poundsboneless skinless chicken breastscut into 1-inch pieces
⅓cupcornstarch
½teaspoonsaltor to taste
½teaspoonpepperor to taste
one 14-ounce can coconut milklite okay
¾cupcreamy peanut butter
¼cuplow-sodium soy sauce
¼cuphoney
2tablespoonsrice wine vinegar
2tablespoonslime juice
1teaspoonsesame oil
½ to 1teaspoonground gingeror to taste
½teaspoongarlic powder or 2 garlic clovesfinely minced
pinchcayenne pepperoptional and to taste
⅓cuplightly salted peanutsfinely chopped for garnishing
¼cupfresh cilantro leavesstems discarded, optional for garnishing
2tablespoonsgreen onions sliced thinoptional for garnishing
Instructions
Line a 3 to 6-quart slow cooker with a liner if using one. I prefer to use liners for easy cleanup.
Drizzle olive oil over bottom of the liner or slow cooker.
To a large, gallon-sized ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, cornstarch, salt, pepper, seal bag, and toss to coat chicken evenly. Add chicken to slow cooker, evenly distributed; set aside.
To a medium bowl, add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger (I prefer 1 teaspoon but some people are sensitive to ginger), garlic, optional cayenne, and whisk to combine. Tip – If your peanut butter is resistant to smoothing out, place bowl in microwave and heat on high power for 30-seconds, making sure the bowl is microwave-safe.
Pour mixture over the chicken, using a spoon to distribute the sauce if necessary, making sure all pieces are coated. It looks like a lot of sauce but it reduces by at least half during cooking.
Cook covered on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours. If cooking on high, start checking at 90 minutes and if cooking on low, start checking at 3 hours. All slow cookers vary so cook until chicken is done (reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer).
Add chicken to a plate with as much extra cooking sauce spooned over the top as desired, garnish with peanuts, optional cilantro, optional green onions, and serve immediately. Chicken is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.