Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

I have always loved peanut sauce and this recipe did not disappoint!  I made this recipe for dinner tonight and was gonna take a picture but the kids gobbled it up so fast that all I managed to get was this one of Nolan finishing his up! ;)  I served it on top of cauliflower fried rice and the kids didn't even know!! They think it's fried rice. ;)

I love finding a healthy, yummy, slow cooker recipe! ;)

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

YIELD: SERVES 6

 

TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 2 TO 4 HOURS

 

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: ABOUT 2 TO 4 HOURS

Simply mix up the sauce that’s full of complementary flavors and pour it over bite-sized chicken pieces and let your slow cooker do the work. Topped with crunchy peanuts, cilantro, and green onions alongside a bed of rice (or use noodles), it’s an easy, weeknight recipe that everyone will love. There’s plenty of cooking sauce leftover in the bottom of the slow cooker which I spoon generously over the chicken, rice, and any veggies I may have steamed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• one 14-ounce can coconut milk (lite okay)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
• 1/3 cup lightly salted peanuts, finely chopped for garnishing
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (stems discarded), optional for garnishing
• 2 tablespoons green onions sliced thin, optional for garnishing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 3 to 6-quart slow cooker with a liner if using one. I prefer to use liners for easy cleanup.
2. Drizzle olive oil over bottom of the liner or slow cooker (or use spray). 
3. To a large, gallon-sized ziptop plastic bag, add the chicken, salt, pepper, seal bag, and toss to coat chicken evenly. Add chicken to slow cooker, evenly distributed; set aside.
4. To a medium bowl, add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger (I prefer 1 teaspoon but some people are sensitive to ginger), garlic, optional cayenne, and whisk to combine. Tip – If your peanut butter is resistant to smoothing out, place bowl in microwave and heat on high power for 30-seconds, making sure the bowl is microwave-safe.
5. Pour mixture over the chicken, using a spoon to distribute the sauce if necessary, making sure all pieces are coated. It looks like a lot of sauce but it reduces by at least half during cooking.
6. Cook covered on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours. If cooking on high, start checking at 90 minutes and if cooking on low, start checking at 3 hours. All slow cookers vary so cook until chicken is done (reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer).
7. Add chicken to a plate with as much extra cooking sauce spooned over the top as desired, garnish with peanuts, optional cilantro, optional green onions, and serve immediately. Chicken is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

*Recipe from "Averie Cooks"