Description
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken is a flavorful and comforting dish featuring tender chicken cooked with vibrant vegetables and spinach in a rich, homemade peanut sauce. Perfect for an easy dinner, this recipe combines the sweet, savory, and spicy elements of Thai cuisine with the convenience of slow cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (5-ounce) carton or bag fresh baby spinach
- Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes (1/4 cup)
Peanut Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup light or full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: In a slow cooker, place the chicken pieces, diced onion, and red bell pepper. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then toss to evenly coat the ingredients with seasoning.
- Make Peanut Sauce: In a medium bowl, combine minced garlic, coconut milk, creamy peanut butter, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey (if using), toasted sesame oil, fish sauce (if using), grated ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Whisk thoroughly until smooth and well combined.
- Combine and Cook: Pour the peanut sauce over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 to 4 1/2 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Season to Taste: After cooking, taste the dish and add more salt and pepper if desired to enhance the flavors.
- Add Spinach and Lime: Remove the lid and stir in the fresh baby spinach leaves along with the lime juice. Stir gently and heat a few more minutes to allow the spinach to wilt and blend into the sauce.
- Serve: Serve hot over white rice, cauliflower rice, pad Thai noodles, or your preferred noodles. Optionally, garnish with chopped peanuts or fresh herbs for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- Use either chicken breast or thighs based on your preference; thighs will yield a moister dish.
- If you don’t have coconut aminos, you can substitute with low-sodium soy sauce for a similar flavor.
- Honey is optional; omit for a less sweet and lower-calorie version.
- Adjust crushed red pepper flakes to your desired heat level, or omit for a milder dish.
- Serving over cauliflower rice keeps the dish lower in carbohydrates.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat nicely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 340 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 572 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
