This Thai Peanut Chicken is ridiculously easy and ridiculously delicious. Tender chicken thighs in a creamy, flavorful sauce, all cooked together in one pot. Serve over cauliflower rice for a healthy low carb dinner!
We’ve been making Thai-style Peanut Chicken for at least 15 years now, and my whole family loves it. We usually just grill up some thighs and whip up the sauce a blender. We serve it with coconut cauliflower rice for a delectable dinner.
But this Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken is a little different. It’s the same basic premise, but you just dump all the ingredients into your slow cooker and let it do its thing. Three to four hours later, you have a spectacular meal. And you barely had to lift a finger!
One bite and my husband and I were hooked. The chicken is so succulent, the sauce is so creamy, and rich, and it has that unique Thai umami. This will easily become one of my favorite keto chicken recipes.
Why you will love this Thai chicken recipe
In case it’s not readily apparent, I love Thai food and Thai flavors. But a lot of takeout contains noodles, rice, or sugar sauces, so I usually try to make my own at home. I have a delicious Keto Pad Thai recipe with cabbage noodles, and my Thai Basil Chicken is fantastic too.
Making Thai Peanut Chicken in a slow cooker is kind of a no-brainer. This is what I call a dump-and-run recipe, where you just pop everything into the pot and walk away. Aside from slicing the pepper and whisking the sauce, you have almost no prep work.
And the chicken comes out of the pot mouthwateringly tender, while the sauce becomes rich and creamy. The flavor is out of this world!
Each serving has only 4g net carbs, making it an ideal keto dinner recipe. I see this going into regular rotation in our house!
Ingredients you need
- Chicken thighs: I recommend boneless, skinless thighs for this recipe, as the skin can get very rubbery in a crockpot.
- Red pepper: Thinly sliced red pepper adds color, flavor, and nutrition!
- Peanut butter: Creamy natural peanut butter is perfect for this Thai Peanut Chicken recipe.
- Tamari: I prefer this stronger, gluten-free version of soy sauce as it adds more flavor.
- Vinegar: The original recipe I had for peanut sauce always took a touch of vinegar, and I enjoy the tanginess it adds.
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce is one of the ingredients that gives Thai food its unique flavor!
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger.
- Garnish: Chopped peanuts, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Step by step directions
1. Lightly grease the ceramic interior of a slow cooker. Pat the chicken dry, and place in the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the red pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water to help thin out the sauce and make it smooth.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the pot.Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on how big your chicken thighs are. They should reach 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
4. Remove the chicken and red peppers with a slotted spoon and whisk the sauce left in the pot until smooth. Garnish with chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, and slices of lime.
Expert Tips
You could use bone-in, skin on chicken, but I find that the skin gets rubbery when cooked in a crockpot. If you do go that route, I recommend browning the thighs in a skillet first.
You could also use breasts but they may take longer to cook through. If the chicken breasts are the really large enhanced kind, I recommend cutting each of them in half for more appropriate serving sizes.
I know many people will ask if they can use an Instant Pot for this recipe and I honestly don’t think it will be quite as good. Pressure cookers force a lot of liquid out of chicken, and the sauce may be a bit too soupy. If you do try that, I recommend manual high for about 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. If your Instant Pot has a slow cooker function, I would just use that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Peanut sauce typically contains a combination of creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger. We find that the addition of a little vinegar gives it a unique tanginess as well.
For a healthy low carb meal, serve this recipe with coconut rice or zucchini noodles. You could also serve it over Palmini noodles.
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More recipes you will love
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (907.18 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (86 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp tamari, (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Peanuts, lime slices, and cilantro for garnish.
Instructions
- Lightly grease the ceramic interior of a slow cooker. Pat the chicken dry, and place in the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the red pepper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water to help thin out the sauce and make it smooth. .
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the pot. Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on how big your chicken thighs are. They should reach 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken and red peppers with a slotted spoon and whisk the sauce left in the pot until smooth. Garnish with chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, and slices of lime.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Hi, tried thus for the first time last night and wow, flavor was so good. The chicken was super moist. I definitely want to make again. Just one question, the sauce was a little thin for my preference. Any suggestions to make it a bit thicker?
Could be your peanut butter. An option without a lot of oil would help.
Thanks. I was using Kraft peanut butter.
I’ve been making this weekly for the past few months and it’s a real winner! It tastes even better the next day popped into the air fryer! Another fantastic recipe from you Carolyn… thank you!
Oh, I will have to try that with the leftovers.
Is there something I could substitute for the fish sauce? I am VERY allergic to fish and seafood.
I recommend googling options that add flavor. I am not really sure what they would be.
Supereasy to make and very good. Added a bit of sweetener to the sauc because our favorite peanut sauce has a hint of sweetness to it. Served over brown rice for hubby and cauliflower rice for myself. Great recipe!