Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Chicken is a very simple and delicious dinner for busy weeknights! Let your slow cooker do all the work; prep time for this dish is less than 5 minutes!
I am introducing you to my kids’ favorite crockpot meal. If there is one food they love more than tacos, it’s peanut butter chicken. The peanut sauce is slightly sweet, a little acidic, and will leave your house smelling AhhhhhMAZING! We love to serve this among a bowl of rice and some roasted vegetables. Broccoli, red bell peppers, and carrots are great options here. If your weeknights are super busy like ours, dinner can be ready in no time at all! All you need to do is stir the peanut sauce ingredients, throw in your chicken breast, hit start, and be on your way. It’s just as simple as buying take-out, but so much cheaper and healthier for your family.
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Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce I use low sodium GF Tamari Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper optional
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts into your slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Sauce will be slightly lumpy, but make sure it's well incorporated.
- Pour on top chicken.
- Cook on low for about 4 hours or until chicken is no longer pink and easy to shred.
- Serve over rice with roasted vegetables and be sure to top your chicken with the sauce. Chicken can also be served with greens as a salad
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Parade Magazine: Recipe Girl
Ginna says
September 8, 2015 at 2:56 amThis recipe sounds really good! Do you think I can get by with creamy PB?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
September 8, 2015 at 3:58 amYes! Of course. I just love crunchy peanut butter, but I have also used creamy too!
Phyllis says
September 23, 2015 at 7:15 pmDo you think substituting white wine vinegar or Apple cider vinegar in place of the rice vinegar?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
September 23, 2015 at 7:19 pmYes, absolutely. I think out of those 2, apple cider is best 🙂
Joanne mrosz says
September 25, 2015 at 2:07 amDo u know about how many carbs in this peanut butter chicken?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
September 25, 2015 at 3:08 amYes, according to nutrition facts posted in yummly, per serving it is 21g of carbohydrates. Hope that helps!
Linda says
January 28, 2016 at 6:27 amI used the “My Fitness Pal” website to calculate and it said 28g Carbs, 2 of which were fiber, 21 sugars
Cheri says
January 10, 2016 at 3:57 pmIf i wanted to bake this what would the baking instructions be?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
January 10, 2016 at 6:10 pmHi Cheri, cover chicken with sauce in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 mins. It won’t be as tender, but still tasty!
Linda says
January 28, 2016 at 6:17 amTried this tonight – amazing! Cooked it on high for 3 hours, then turned to low for an hour and a half – came out really well (didn’t have time to start it early so I took a chance!) Served it on edamame noodles with bean sprouts, broccoli and snow peas. This is a definite win!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
January 28, 2016 at 3:25 pmGlad you enjoyed it!
Zeke says
February 2, 2016 at 6:11 amI’m not sure why, but I made this sauce per=recipe and it was so salty that I dumped it out and made my own version. The amount of Vinegar and Soy Sauce this recipe calls for seems to be the culprit.
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
February 2, 2016 at 6:38 pmHi Zeke, sorry it didn’t turn out! I use the gluten-free tamari brand soy sauce, and sometimes the low sodium variation. Perhaps it was the type of soy sauce?
Amanda says
April 4, 2016 at 2:05 pmDon you think I xold swap soon sauce for Worcester
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
April 4, 2016 at 2:34 pmYes, you could swap out the soy sauce and use Worcestershire sauce. I would cut the vinegar in half if you are going to do that. Only use 1-2 tbsp of rice vinegar.
Jaimie says
May 8, 2016 at 7:15 pmHi! This recipe sounds deliciously easy! However, I really hate the smell and taste of soy sauce…do you reckon I can leave it out completely? Or swap it for something else? Thanks in advance!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
May 9, 2016 at 6:46 pmHi Jamie! The soy sauce gives the recipe that salty/sweet taste. Have you tried coconut aminos as a substitute? Otherwise I would add more chicken broth in it’s place, and cut the honey in half. It would still be tasty!!
Andrea Patrick says
November 6, 2016 at 10:42 pmUse Teriyaki sauce…. I have a similar recipe that is made with pork instead of chicken and includes julienned red bell peppers and uses Teriyaki instead of soy sauce… I found the chicken to be very bland and added Teriyaki sauce… was perfect.
Erin McLaughlan says
July 9, 2016 at 5:35 amHi. Im a bit confused. Is it 4 or 6 hrs for cooking. It says both. Thanks
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
July 9, 2016 at 8:58 pmHi Erin, it depends on your slow cooker. For most it should only take 4 hours.
Deborah says
July 23, 2016 at 4:24 pmHi Amy,
Recipe sounds amazing. Do you think I could swap out sunflower butter for the peanut butter if someone has a peanut allergy?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
July 23, 2016 at 5:00 pmYes, absolutely!
Catherine says
September 7, 2016 at 5:58 pmHello, I just put everything in the crockpot. I have four options on my crockpot: 4hrs on high, 6hrs on high, 8hrs on low and 10hrs on low. If I chose 6hrs on high, will it be too much?
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
September 7, 2016 at 10:42 pmHi Catherine, I would do 8 hours on low and then take it out early (between 4-6 hours)
Suzanne says
September 22, 2016 at 12:13 amMade this for dinner tonight. It was yummy. I served it with rice noodles and chopped peanuts on top. Have some left for lunch tomorrow!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
September 22, 2016 at 3:39 amGlad you enjoyed it Suzanne!
plasterer bristol says
October 12, 2016 at 8:11 amThis turned out delcious. One of my favorites a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
simon
Natalie says
March 11, 2017 at 11:39 amHi I’m going to try this but wondering does it work well with boneless thighs as well? What about bone-in legs? Thanks!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
March 11, 2017 at 5:54 pmYes, it will definitely work with thighs. I have not tried with bone-in because the chicken gets so tender and will shred.
Angela says
June 14, 2017 at 8:28 amHAs anyone made this in the instant pot? What setting would you use? I love this recipe!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
June 14, 2017 at 4:30 pmYes! Use the manual setting, set it to 8 minutes on high pressure. Use a quick release!
Ryan says
July 14, 2017 at 10:29 pmI used the instant pot to your specifications (first time I’ve actually used it other than rice right before) and it came out great. However the valve never rose and there was no pressure when I did the quick release. Is that the experience you had? Wondered if iit had something to do with the sauce being so thick? Thanks!
amy@wholesomelicious.com says
July 15, 2017 at 8:08 amHi Ryan, That’s definitely weird and has never happened to me. Did you have the valve set right? I’m actually surprised the chicken still came out if there was no pressure. You could maybe try to add some more chicken broth next time, but the sauce will be runny.
Krista Ferber says
October 10, 2017 at 10:54 pmCan I make this without lime juice, I’m allergic to citrus fruits. If so should I substitute with something?
Elisabeth says
November 14, 2017 at 12:37 pmHello, I am very excited to make this! I am just wondering where the nutritional facts are so I can calculate it within my weight watchers app. Thank you!
Joanne Smith says
February 11, 2018 at 1:20 pmFor the slow cooker peanut butter chicken it says to cook for 6 hours and then it says 4 hours. I was wondering if it is 4 or 6?
Amy says
February 11, 2018 at 2:51 pmIt is between 4-6 hours, depending on your slow cooker. I find mine is perfect at 4 hours. Start with 4 hours, and then check to see if it needs more time
Ian Magowan says
April 6, 2018 at 2:24 pmReally beautiful tasting sauce and tender chicken. The whole family enjoyed it. My daughter who was visiting demanded the recipe! Served with rice noodles and brocolli. Will become a regular dish in our house. Thanks.
Amy says
April 7, 2018 at 11:35 amLove to hear that! Thank you 🙂
Jo Schomer says
April 9, 2018 at 10:16 amI made this last night. I used bone in chicken legs and baked it at 325 for about 90 minutes. I took the meat off the bone and rough chopped it. Served over ramen noodles discarding the seasoning packet. Loved the sauce. This is a keeper!
Amy says
April 9, 2018 at 1:08 pmSounds like a delicious adaptation!!
Reese says
October 22, 2018 at 1:52 pmCould I make this in the instant pot vs. the slow cooker?
Amy says
October 22, 2018 at 8:57 pmYes! Add in a bit more chicken broth, about 3/4 cup total. Add ingredients and use the manual setting at 8 minutes, quick release.
Patti says
December 17, 2018 at 7:44 pmI used regular vinegar. Any way to correct?
Ruth Lanteigne says
January 23, 2019 at 5:54 pmI wanted to make this without using honey so substituted 2 tsp liquid stevia and enough water to make the 1/4 cup measurement of the honey. It turned out really well.
Laura says
August 20, 2019 at 1:07 pmThe basics of this recipe are great, but I find that it needs only 1-2Tbsp vinegar. I also completely left out the honey and it was still delicious.