Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe (Slow Cooker)

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Creamy slow cooker peanut butter chicken is a delicious and easy dinner that everyone will love. It takes very little time to prepare which makes it perfect for busy weeknights!

This easy peanut butter chicken recipe is so good! Boneless chicken breasts are drenched in a rich and creamy peanut butter sauce and slow-cooked to perfection.

Peanut butter chicken on a white plate

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Easy recipes like this are the best, especially when it’s a filling and delicious meal! If you love your slow cooker as much as we do, you might also like this chipotle chicken stew recipe for another easy meal idea.

Why you will love this recipe

  • Easy! It’s made with simple ingredients. There is very little prep time to make this recipe; perfect for busy weeknights.
  • Flavor! This chicken is packed with flavor!
  • Versatile! This is a great recipe that has many options, perfect for meal prep.
A picture of the ingredients for peanut butter chicken of boneless chicken breast, half of lime, peanut sauce, olive oil

Here is what you will need

This is a brief summary of the ingredients needed to make this chicken recipe and a convenient shopping list from my Instacart affiliate link. For a printable recipe card with exact measurements and detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card section.

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Ingredients

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Olive oil
  • Peanut sauce (here’s the recipe for easy peanut sauce)
  • Lime juice
  • Water, chicken broth or chicken stock

🥄Equipment

How to make this easy peanut butter chicken recipe

Prepare: Make the creamy peanut butter sauce, and squeeze the lime juice. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.

2 boneless chicken breasts cooking in a skillet

STEP 1. Brown the chicken. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, reduce it to medium-high heat and add the raw chicken breasts. Cook until they are golden brown on the outside (about 3 minutes on each side).

STEP 2. Place ingredients in a slow cooker. Add the peanut butter sauce, water, and lime juice to the slow cooker, and mix them together. Add the chicken pieces and turn them a few times to coat them in the sauce. Cover and cook for 3 1/2 hours on low.

Peanut butter chicken in a slow cooker before cooking

NOTE: If the sauce is too thick, gradually add water, broth or coconut milk to thin it out. If it’s too thin, gradually add natural peanut butter for texture.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Boneless chicken breasts – These can be substituted with boneless skinless chicken thighs or you can use a combination of both.

Peanut Sauce – Even though my homemade creamy peanut sauce takes minutes to make, you can substitute it with a packaged peanut sauce if you don’t have the ingredients.

If you use a packaged sauce, you can make it taste fresher by adding a tablespoon of natural creamy peanut butter for a rich peanut sauce.

Water – Chicken releases a lot of liquid during cooking and I’ve found that water along with the juices from the chicken adds enough flavor without using broth. If you prefer chicken broth or stock, it can easily replace the water.

Peanut butter chicken on a white plate overhead view

Serving suggestions

Serve this flavorful dish garnished with chopped peanuts and green onions.

Great options for side dishes are rice noodles, jasmine rice, steamed brown rice, white rice, rice or cauliflower rice and stir-fried vegetables, green beans, or a zucchini ribbon salad.

Make-ahead instructions

This peanut sauce chicken recipe takes little time to prepare, but to make it even quicker, mix the peanut sauce together a few days ahead of time.

Browning the meat ahead of time is not recommended for food safety reasons.

How to store and use leftovers

Store leftover peanut butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat it on top of the stove or in the microwave.

Leftover peanut butter chicken tastes great leftover in a salad or stuffed into a tortilla with a side of spicy mango salsa.

Variations

Spicy – This recipe is a little bit spicy. If you prefer more heat add 1/2 teaspoon or more to your taste of sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes.

Add Veggies – For a complete meal, stir in chopped veggies such as red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms or snow peas about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Vegetarian – Replace chicken with a block of cooked tofu.

peanut butter chicken on a plate

Tip

  • For best results when browning the meat in the skillet, the skillet should be hot and excess moisture should be removed from the chicken before adding it to the skillet.
Can peanut butter chicken be made on top of the stove?

Yes, it can. Once the chicken is browned on top of the stove, add the peanut sauce. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees f.

Is it necessary to brown the chicken to before adding it to the slow cooker?

No, it is not necessary, but this step helps to lock in moisture, add a little more flavor, and speeds up the cooking time. If you don’t brown the chicken before slow cooking, add another 30 minutes of cooking time.

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Peanut butter chicken on a white plate

Slow Cooker Easy Peanut Butter Chicken

Creamy slow cooker peanut butter chicken is a delicious and easy dinner that everyone will love. It takes very little time to prepare which makes it perfect for busy weeknights!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Click on serving size to scale this recipe

Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: Asian American
Keyword: easy peanut butter chicken recipe, peanut butter chicken
Servings: 2 People
Calories: 375kcal
Author: Anne

Slow Cooker Easy Peanut Butter Chicken

Scale this Recipe 2 People

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast
  • 2/3 cup peanut sauce
  • 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat the oil on top of the stove in a skillet over high heat. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Add them to the skillet and cook until they begin to turn golden brown on each side (approximately 3 minutes).
  • Add the peanut butter sauce, water and lime juice to the slow cooker and mix them together. Add the chicken breasts and turn them over a few times in the sauce making sure they are coated.
  • Cover and cook on low heat fo3 1/2 hours.

Video

Notes

If the sauce is too thick, gradually add water to thin it out. If it is too thin, gradually add creamy peanut butter.
Store leftover peanut butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
See the blog post above for more tips and suggestions.
 

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Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken breast | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1246mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Pat, Peanut sauce is a sauce that’s made with peanut butter and soy sauce. There is a link to a recipe in the post and you can also buy it in the Asian food section of your supermarket.