Slow-cooker Thai peanut chicken - The Slimming Foodie (2024)

A quick and easy slow-cooker recipe that includes the classic flavours of Thai cuisine in a nutty creamy sauce.

10 mins

4 hours

426 kcals

serves 4

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Slow-cooker Thai peanut chicken

Chicken satay has always been one of my favourite treat dinners, but in the past I have always used the peanut butter as the main component of the satay sauce, very tasty but also high in fat. I decided to try this slow-cooker peanut chicken version with light coconut milk- of course this still contains fat but it has so much flavour and it makes a perfect creamy base for a very tasty peanut sauce, the perfect way to make chicken satay in the slow cooker.

What is Thai peanut chicken?

This dish is based on the classic flavours from Thai cuisine in a creamy and nutty peanut satay sauce. In this recipe I use chicken that is diced up before adding it to the slow-cooker with light coconut milk and peanut butter to form the creamy base for the sauce. I then add soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, honey as well as garlic and ginger. This combination of flavours gives the dish a sweet and salty taste.

In this post: Find everything you need to make this slow cooker Thai peanut chicken

• What ingredients do I need to make Thai peanut chicken?
• Do you need to add fish sauce?
• What you need to make Thai peanut chicken.
• What can you serve with Thai peanut chicken?
• How to store Thai peanut chicken?
• How do you reheat Thai peanut chicken?
• Does Thai peanut chicken contain any ingredients that cause allergens?
• How does this meal work on Slimming World?
• FAQ’s
• Recipe

What ingredients do I need to make Thai peanut chicken?

COCONUT MILK – I use a light coconut milk for this sauce. Although it’s not as creamy as the full fat coconut milk when it’s combined with the other ingredients it creates a velvety creamy enough sauce that keeps helps cut down on calories.

You can also use a pourable carton of coconut milk drinks if you want to save even more calories. Just pour in 400ml. The sauce will not be as creamy and thick, but it will still taste great. You can always remove the slow-cooker lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid and thicken it up. Check outthis versionon Instagram using this mix of ingredients!

PEANUT BUTTER – There are wide variety of peanut butters available but any will work with this recipe. Just bare in mind that each peanut butter is slightly different in colour and this will affect the colour of the final dish.

SOY SAUCE – I use light soy sauce for this recipe as it provides the right level of saltiness. Dark soy sauce can be used but it will add more sweetness to the overall flavour.

FISH SAUCE -Although this sauce has a pretty punchy smell, it really does add a lot of flavour to sauce. You can find a good fish sauce in most supermarkets or high street shops.

RICE VINEGAR – The vinegar here adds a slightly sweet tangy flavour and balance the richness of the peanut butter. If you don’t have or can’t find rice vinegar you can substitute this with apple cider vinegar.

GARLIC – You can use large or small bulbs here and then either chop or crush them.

GINGER – A thumb size pice is all you need and then finely chop it or you can even grate it.

CORNFLOUR – This just helps to thicken the sauce a bit. Add it to small amount of cold water to dissolve it before adding it to the slow-cooker, this way it prevents it clumping up in the final dish.

CHICKEN – I use chicken breasts here as they tend to be leaner. You can use thighs but remember to remove any visible fat before adding it to the slow-cooker.

This recipe uses 3 breasts for 4 people which I think is plenty as the sauce is quite filling.

LIME – Pick nice firm limes as they will be the juicy ones. A small squeeze of this when serving adds that sharp zing to the dish.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT YOU COULD TRY – In the past I have used a tablespoon of red or green Thai curry paste for extra depth and flavour and this also adds a bit of heat to the sauce.

Do you need to add fish sauce?

Honestly fish sauce is one of those magic ingredients which can just make a dish taste amazing! You might be put off by the name, or even by the smell once you open it, but fish sauce really works so well with the other flavours in this, and you wouldn’t be able to single it out as an ingredient. However, in the first batch that I made of this meal, I didn’t use fish sauce and it still tasted really good- my children preferred this version probably because of the slightly more bland flavour.

What you need to make Thai peanut chicken.

KNIFE – A good sharp knife is needed for chopping the garlic, ginger and chicken.

CHOPPING BOARD – I always use a different chopping board for meats, ideally plastic, to stop any cross contamination.

MEASURING SPOONS – This is the most accurate way to measure out ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce and honey which are used in this dish.

SLOW-COOKER – There are wide variety of slow-cookers on the market, some are very fancy and others simply slow cook. I still use the one given to me by my grandmother when I went to university which is quite a basic model and that works fine for me.

What can you serve with Thai peanut chicken?

There are a few serving suggestions that work well with Thai peanut chicken.

RICE – The sauce in this dish is full of flavour so a simple steamed rice works really well. I normally use either white rice or jasmine.

NOODLES – Vermicelli or rice noodles are a good choice for this dish.

VEGETABLES – Steaming vegetables like broccoli is a good choice. Alternatively stir frying or roasting vegetables like bok choy, spring onions, sugar snap peas and bell peppers are a nice side dish. You can also add in some ginger and garlic when stir frying or roasting for extra flavour.

SALAD – For a lighter option try a fresh salad like this Thai carrot and red cabbage one.

Thai carrot and red cabbage salad

OTHE THAI RECIPES – You can also serve this along side some of these Thai dishes as part of a feast if cooking for a group.

How to store Thai peanut chicken?

Yes you can store Thai peanut chicken in both the fridge and freezer. Before storing you need to make sure the chicken is completely cool.

FRIDGE – Place the cooled Thai peanut chicken into an airtight container or a freezer safe bag for 3-4 days.

FREEZER – Place the cooled Thai peanut chicken into an airtight container or freezer safe bag. Make sure you label the container/bag with the date it goes into the freezer. This will store for up to 3 months.

Making sure you have a good air seal on your container or bag will ensure that the flavours stay locked in.

How do you reheat Thai peanut chicken?

There are a few options for reheating the Thai peanut chicken. Make sure before reheating that if it has come out of the freezer that you have allowed it to defrost fully – you can do this either in the fridge overnight or on a defrost setting on a microwave following the microwaves instructions.

STOVE – Pour the chicken and sauce into a saucepan and heat on a medium heat on the stove until the chicken is cooked through. You will need to give the sauce a stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking and drying out. To keep the sauce creamy you can add a little bit of water if it’s starting look dry.

MICROWAVE – Pour the chicken and sauce into a microwavable container and cover with a microwave safe lid of clingfilm. Cook for approx 2-3 minutes, or until heated through (the exact cooking time will depend on the amount of chicken and the power of your microwave). It’s worth stopping halfway through cooking to give the sauce a stir, this will ensure even cooking and prevent it from drying out. If the chicken is not heated through after 3 minutes then continue heating in 30sec intervals until its fully heated through.

Let it stand for a minute before removing the lid or clingfilm as the internal steam is very hot.

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Does Thai peanut chicken contain any ingredients that cause allergens?

Yes Thai peanut chicken does contain allergens.

PEANUTS – This comes from the peanut butter. You could try this allergen free alternative.

FISH – This comes from the fish sauce. This ingredient can be left out if there is an allergen risk.

SOY – This comes from the soy sauce. You can substitute this with tamari.

DISCLAIMER: This information is given as a guide and is by no way definitive. It’s still really important you check all the ingredients you are planning on using to make sure that they don’t contain allergens if this is something that affects you.

How does this meal work on Slimming World?

This meal isn’t syn free but it is a treat meal, and one well worth the syns that it carries- it’s a much healthier version than you would get from a takeaway, and full of good, wholesome ingredients. If you wish to cut down on the amount of coconut milk you could just use half of the tin, but personally I like lots of sauce!

Different brands of coconut milk carry different amounts of syns. The Blue Dragon brand is 14.5 syns, and the Natco one 17.5 syns. Peanut butter is 4.5 syns per tbsp and honey is 2.5 syns per tbsp. Cornflour is 1 syn per tbsp. This meal therefore works out at 8 syns per portion. Most supermarket own versions are double this in syns so it’s definitely smart (and I think much more tasty!) to make your own!

Do you have an Instagram account? Watch the step-by-step recipe in myInstagram stories highlights!

Love Thai food? why not try myPad Thai,Thai carrot and red cabbage salad,Thai chicken curry

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