Craving something hearty and comforting? Try our easy Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken!
A takeout favorite reinvented
When I was a dietetic intern at the University of Alaska-Anchorage there was a little Thai restaurant in a seedy strip mall by my house that was well-known for it’s ‘Popeye Chicken’. The dish was essentially chicken, peanut butter, coconut milk, spinach and a handful of spices and ginger. It wasn’t particularly spicy but it was so rich and creamy – definitely a comfort food go-to during those long, dark days.
This Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken recipe is the interpretation of my gustatory memory of Popeye Chicken. When I served it I didn’t tell my hubby what we were having for dinner but instead, plunked a plate down in front of him and asked him to say the first thing that came to mind. He smiled and said, “Popeye Chicken from The Thai Kitchen!”
#nailedit
It’s all about the peanut butter
Peanuts and peanut sauces aren’t traditionally found in Thai cooking. Instead, they originated in Malaysia and Indonesia but somewhere along the line this was lost in culinary translation and peanut sauce-based dishes started showing up regularly on Thai restaurant menus. That being said, I’m no purist so whether this is authentically Thai or not isn’t my concern. I just wanted to recreate a beloved dish from my past that was easy to make and every bit as delicious as the original (but definitely more budget-friendly than takeout!)
So when our friends at Old Home Foods reached out and asked us to use their Natural Peanut Butter in a recipe, it was only fitting that it had to be this Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken.
Crunchy vs. Creamy
For this recipe, I opted to use the creamy style peanut butter rather than crunchy because I didn’t want the longer cooking time to make the bit of peanuts soggy. I then added the crunch that I thought the dish needed by sprinkling chopped peanuts on top just before serving. Basically, you’re getting the best of both worlds this way.
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep the slow cooker does the rest! Click To Tweet
Popeye loves spinach
And you should, too. It’s packed with vitamin A (in the carotene form) and good source of magnesium, potassium and folate. Adding a bag of fresh spinach just before serving punches up the nutrition and makes the dish pretty (which admittedly, isn’t always easy to do with slow cooker recipes).
Spice it up!
The dish I sought to recreate wasn’t spicy in the least – which always led me to add copious amounts of sriracha to because spicy food is my jam. This recipe keeps the spice level in the mild to medium range depending on how much of the crushed red pepper you use. Being that I was also serving this to my kids, I kept it mild with just a ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes (then added said sriracha to my own bowl when it was time to eat). But if spice is your thing and you don’t have little ones to feed, then feel free to add the full ½ teaspoon or more!
I served this over cauliflower rice but you can also serve it over rice, rice noodles, kelp noodles or my new ultra low-carb favorite: shirataki noodles (I get them on Amazon or Thrive Market for the best prices) – then garnished with fresh cilantro, crushed peanuts and a little diced red pepper for color and that crunch, of course!
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Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Entree, Slow Cooker, One-dish
- Cuisine: Slow Cooker, Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup Old Home Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (may substitute 2 Tbsp. gluten-free tamari sauce)
- 1 Tbsp. honey, optional
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. fish sauce, optional
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. dried ground ginger)
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 5-ounce bag fresh spinach
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Optional garnishes – chopped peanuts, cilantro, sliced green onions and/or diced red bell pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken and diced onions in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic through red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine.
- Pour sauce over chicken and set slow cooker to LOW heat. Cook for 4 – 4 ½ hours or until chicken is cooked through.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Remove lid, stir in lime juice and spinach. Allow spinach to wilt before serving.
- Serve with rice or ‘cauliflower’ rice and garnish as desired.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 686mg
- Fat: 25g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 34g
What’s your favorite savory way to use peanut butter? And are you a fan of the creamy or the crunchy? Tell us in the comments below!
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To make this whole30 compliant could we use almond butter in place of peanut butter? Or would that ruin the flavor of the dish?
Hi Jackie,
You could definitely substitute almond butter for peanut butter though it will change only the flavor of the dish (it will still be delicious, just not peanut buttery). You may find that you need to add a little more coconut aminos or ginger to give it a little more flavor. If you try it, please let us know – we’d love to share that information with other readers who may have the same question.
I made this last night with almond butter and omitted the honey to make it Whole 30 friendly. It was still delicious and had that Thai peanut taste you’re hoping for when you make this dish. I think it’s a great hearty, “fill ya up” dish, but noticed there’s a lot of calories and carbs – it’s only down fall. But other than that, Whole 30 compliant and delicious!
★★★★
I have another “peanut” chicken recipe that uses Sunbutter to make it compliant, so i’m going to try that!
Sounds great! Would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Turned out great! Although I will say that it looked pretty sketchy when I first opened the crock pot because the sauce had separated. Once I stirred it though it was totally fine!
Hi Ivy,
I had the same response when I was testing the recipe for the fist time but like you said, it all comes back together just fine 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Can you substitute coconut oil for the seasame oil? Also, there appears to be recipe instructions missing from the beginning. I don’t see anything about mixing all of the sauce ingredients together. Am I just not seeing that part?
Hi Kelly,
You can just omit the sesame oil if you don’t have it or can’t tolerate it. It’s more for flavor than for texture, etc.
In Step 2 you mix all the sauce ingredients together then pour over the chicken. Hope that helps!
Yes, very helpful. Thank you!
This is one of our favorites….wondering now that Im an InstantPot owner- could this be done in the instant pot? And if so, what is the timing for it, and a Quick Release or Natural Release
Hi Sue,
Yes, I believe you could easily convert this to an Instant Pot recipe but selecting the ‘Poultry’ setting and using a quick release.
I was wondering the same, but curious about whether the coconut milk would burn easily. It did, unfortunately. I tried the poultry setting on my instant pot and it burned quickly into the cycle (I don’t think it had even gotten up to pressure yet). If I were to try this recipe again in an IP, I’d suggest cooking the chicken first with the onion, garlic and ginger in some water or broth, then straining/draining most of the liquid, adding the rest of the sauce ingredients, and using the sauté function for a few minutes to meld the flavors.
Can you do lite coconut milk instead of the full fat kind? Would I just add a little more?
Hi Shelby,
Unfortunately, light coconut milk would not be a great choice for this recipe as it’s very water. Adding more would only make it waterier.
My daughter made this recipe and it was delicious!
How can I make this recipe without a slow cooker?
Hi Robin,
I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish! I think the easiest way to go would be to make it on the stovetop in a skillet, modifying it as follows:
– Saute onions in a skillet over medium-high heat with a bit of oil for 4-5 minutes or until they start to soften
– Add chicken and continue to cook until chicken is almost cooked through. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the sauce.
– Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
– Add sauce, stir to combine and cover with a lid. Allow sauce to come to a simmer then reduce heat to maintain that low simmer, stirring occasionally.
– Cook until the sauce is nice and thick then add the spinach and lime juice.
If you try it out and it works like a charm, please let us know!
I followed the stovetop instructions and it turned out excellent! I also substituted almond butter for peanut butter and still find it creamy and delicious (although almond butter is pretty standard on my house). I ended up adding more spinach to my meal. Huge hit. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it – thanks for sharing!