Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
13 Comments Jul 08, 2022
Updated Jun 08, 2025
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Packed with bold, creamy flavor, this slow cooker Thai peanut chicken is an easy way to bring a takeout-style dish to your table. If you’re a fan of Thai-inspired meals, this one’s a must-try.
Why You’ll Love This
- Creamy and with just the right amount of spice.
- Uses easy ingredients but tastes like takeout.
- Cooks low and slow—no babysitting required.
- Perfect over your favorite starch.
The Ingredients
Chicken Thighs: Stay juicy and tender after slow cooking—more forgiving than chicken breasts.
Coconut Milk: Adds creamy texture and mellows the spice.
Thai Red Curry Paste: Brings authentic heat and our favorite Thai flavor.
Peanut Butter: Gives the dish its signature nutty richness and thickens the sauce.
Lime Juice & Brown Sugar: Added at the end to freshen up the sauce.
Cornstarch: Makes a thick sauce.
How to make Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together before pouring them in—this helps everything blend smoothly.
- Let the slow cooker handle the heavy lifting while you go about your day.
- Mix in the finishing ingredients near the end.
- Stir well before serving so every bite is coated in that creamy, spicy peanut goodness.
Ways to Serve
Rice Noodles: To keep the recipe traditional, serve Thai peanut chicken with a generous helping of the sauce over rice noodles.
White or Brown Rice: White and/or brown rice is another serving option for this Thai peanut chicken. Place it on top or next to a mound of rice. You can also pair this with cauliflower rice.
Wraps: Put these tasty chicken thighs into some wraps (especially lettuce wraps) for a unique dish.
Toppings: Fresh cilantro, sliced red bell pepper, green onions, bean sprouts, and roasted peanuts all make for delicious topping choices.
Sides: If you’re looking to add a side dish (or two), consider steamed broccoli or a steamed vegetable mix.
Featured Comment
“My husband is obsessed and he usually doesn’t like a lot of my cooking haha. Thank you ❤️❤️”
– BianCA
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 13.66 ounce can coconut milk
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
- 2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
WAIT TO ADD
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, depending on the desired thickness of the sauce
Optional for serving
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup spicy or regular roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a 4 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken thighs into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red curry paste, ginger, and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Carefully remove about 1 cup of sauce from the slow cooker. To the removed sauce, whisk in the lime juice, brown sugar, and cornstarch until completely blended. Pour the sauce back into the slow cooker and stir to blend. Cover and continue cooking for 1 hour to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Serve the chicken over rice or noodles garnished with cilantro and peanuts, if desired.
Sarah’s Notes
- If you want to bring on the heat, consider adding red pepper flakes, some Sriracha, or more curry paste.
- This recipe will also work well with boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cooking it according to the directions should still yield tender chicken.
- To make ahead of time: simply mix the sauce base together and store it in a Ziploc bag. Then all you’ll need to do is prep the crock pot, add the chicken, pour in the sauce, and cook!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Recipe adapted from my friend Jessica at Modern DIY Bride.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs and Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies are easy, flavorful meals that bring zesty or buttery goodness to the table with minimal prep.
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry and Chicken Adobo both offer bold, savory sauces—one rich with spices, the other tangy with soy and vinegar.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken adds a sweet and tropical twist to your usual chicken dinner, perfect served over rice.
I’ve used too much spice and my sons will not have any of it – is there a way of turning down the spice heat? More coconut milk??
Recipies are my absolute go to!!! Love them!
I would add more coconut milk and be sure to serve it over plain rice.
My husband is obsessed and he usually doesn’t like a lot of my cooking haha. Thank you ❤️❤️
I just finished eating this for dinner. Cooked it exactly as directed except I cooked it for about three hours and it was done. Absolutely delicious!
Would love to see an instructional video.
I will add it to the list!
Can I substitute tofu for the chicken?
Thank you for the recipe. This is a must-try for us!
I LOVE chicken satay & curry, but I can’t handle even the slightest bit of spice/heat. I have a very sensitive tongue to the point that even carbonation burns my tongue. What could I do so I can enjoy the taste of Thai peanut chicken, but without the heat of the curry? Could I use whatever’s the mildest curry?
Hello Colleen. You can find red curry paste in regular store it’s not that spicy and use less than in the recipe.
This sounds great!!!!! > will be trying it for sure!!!!!!! Thanks Sara!!!!!!!
Can this be frozen after it is cooked?
Yes, that will work great.