Healthy Thai Peanut Chicken
Dive into a bowl of vibrant flavors with this simple Thai Peanut Chicken, crafted effortlessly in your trusty crock pot! Featuring tender chicken simmered in a luscious mix of creamy peanut butter, zesty lime, and aromatic ginger, this dish is not only a feast for the taste buds but also perfect for meal prepping. Get ready to savor a wholesome meal that's as convenient as it is delicious!
Prep
15
min
Cook
210
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp minced garlic (10 ml)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pepper
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 2 lb chicken breast (907 g)
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (600 ml)
- 1/2 cup lite unsweetened coconut milk (120 ml)
- 1 tbsp honey (15 ml)
- 1/4 cup powdered peanut butter (56.8 g)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (15 ml)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (60 ml)
- 2 tbsp sriracha (30 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Place two pounds of chicken breast in the crock pot. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- 2
Add two teaspoons of minced garlic, one tablespoon of rice vinegar, two tablespoons of Sriracha, one fourth of a cup of low sodium soy sauce, one fourth of a cup of powdered peanut butter, one teaspoon of sesame oil, the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of honey, and half a cup of lite unsweetened coconut milk. Mix everything well.
- 3
Cover and cook on high for three and a half to four and a half hours.
- 4
After three and a half hours, shred the chicken and add a bag of frozen veggies. Cover and let sit for about 15 minutes.
- 5
Add two and a half cups of cooked brown rice, mix, and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Whisk the powdered peanut butter into the coconut milk and soy sauce before adding it to the crock pot rather than dumping it in dry, since powdered fats rehydrate unevenly and will form gritty clumps that never fully dissolve in a slow, low-agitation braise.technique1/4 cup powdered peanut butter
- ✓Cook chicken breast on high for 3.5-4 hours until it hits an internal temp of 195-205°F before shredding, well above the 165°F safe minimum, because collagen in the connective tissue needs that extra heat and time to convert to gelatin for fork-tender shredding rather than dry, stringy fibers.timing195-205°F
- ✓Add the frozen vegetables only after shredding and let them sit covered off heat-adjacent for 15 minutes rather than cooking them the full braise time, since prolonged high heat breaks down their cell walls and causes chlorophyll degradation, turning bright vegetables olive-drab and mushy.timing15 minutes
- ✓Add the lime juice at the very end alongside or after the honey rather than at the start of the 4-hour cook, since prolonged heat exposure volatilizes citrus aromatics and can also cause the acid to slightly curdle the coconut milk's proteins over long cook times.ingredientjuice of 1 lime
- ✓Use lite coconut milk (around 5-7% fat) rather than full-fat here, because the sauce already gets body from powdered peanut butter's starch content, and full-fat coconut milk would push the dish's fat percentage too high for a 'healthy' macro profile while adding little emulsifying benefit.ingredient5-7% fat
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
210
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Healthy Thai Peanut Chicken
Dive into a bowl of vibrant flavors with this simple Thai Peanut Chicken, crafted effortlessly in your trusty crock pot! Featuring tender chicken simmered in a luscious mix of creamy peanut butter, zesty lime, and aromatic ginger, this dish is not only a feast for the taste buds but also perfect for meal prepping. Get ready to savor a wholesome meal that's as convenient as it is delicious!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp minced garlic (10 ml)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pepper
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 2 lb chicken breast (907 g)
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (600 ml)
- 1/2 cup lite unsweetened coconut milk (120 ml)
- 1 tbsp honey (15 ml)
- 1/4 cup powdered peanut butter (56.8 g)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (15 ml)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (60 ml)
- 2 tbsp sriracha (30 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Place two pounds of chicken breast in the crock pot. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- 2
Add two teaspoons of minced garlic, one tablespoon of rice vinegar, two tablespoons of Sriracha, one fourth of a cup of low sodium soy sauce, one fourth of a cup of powdered peanut butter, one teaspoon of sesame oil, the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of honey, and half a cup of lite unsweetened coconut milk. Mix everything well.
- 3
Cover and cook on high for three and a half to four and a half hours.
- 4
After three and a half hours, shred the chicken and add a bag of frozen veggies. Cover and let sit for about 15 minutes.
- 5
Add two and a half cups of cooked brown rice, mix, and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Whisk the powdered peanut butter into the coconut milk and soy sauce before adding it to the crock pot rather than dumping it in dry, since powdered fats rehydrate unevenly and will form gritty clumps that never fully dissolve in a slow, low-agitation braise.technique1/4 cup powdered peanut butter
- ✓Cook chicken breast on high for 3.5-4 hours until it hits an internal temp of 195-205°F before shredding, well above the 165°F safe minimum, because collagen in the connective tissue needs that extra heat and time to convert to gelatin for fork-tender shredding rather than dry, stringy fibers.timing195-205°F
- ✓Add the frozen vegetables only after shredding and let them sit covered off heat-adjacent for 15 minutes rather than cooking them the full braise time, since prolonged high heat breaks down their cell walls and causes chlorophyll degradation, turning bright vegetables olive-drab and mushy.timing15 minutes
- ✓Add the lime juice at the very end alongside or after the honey rather than at the start of the 4-hour cook, since prolonged heat exposure volatilizes citrus aromatics and can also cause the acid to slightly curdle the coconut milk's proteins over long cook times.ingredientjuice of 1 lime
- ✓Use lite coconut milk (around 5-7% fat) rather than full-fat here, because the sauce already gets body from powdered peanut butter's starch content, and full-fat coconut milk would push the dish's fat percentage too high for a 'healthy' macro profile while adding little emulsifying benefit.ingredient5-7% fat