~Amanda~
Life has been super crazy lately… Jackie is getting married in less than two months! That means we’ve both been so busy with all sorts of planning, for me the bridal shower has taken up a lot of my free time the past few weekends, but I will say that it turned out AMAZING and all the hard work was worth it. On top of all the wedding shenanigans, we both started new jobs in the last two months… so needless to say, blogging has been a bit difficult lately. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been eating awesome food, and even better, coming up with some great recipes to make for those of us that are short on time. This Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken is one of those recipes and I am completely obsessed with it. It’s packed full of delicious peanut-y Thai flavor, it’s a great spin on some of my favorite pulled chicken/pork dishes, and best of all it’s SO easy!
The ingredient list is short with chicken, bell peppers, teriyaki sauce, garlic, and peanut butter as the main ingredients. The preparation is just as simple as the ingredient list; you thinly slice the peppers up and place them in the bottom of the Crockpot, then place the chicken breasts on top. Next you mix teriyaki sauce, red pepper flakes, rice wine vinegar and garlic to create the sauce and pour it on top of the chicken and peppers. Normally, I don’t like the idea of using a premade sauce like Teriyaki because I really do love to make my own homemade sauces, but sometimes there just isn’t time and there are some pretty awesome premade sauces out there. Now put the lid on the Crockpot and bake on high for 5-6 hours (or 7-8 hours on low)… so simple! The final step is to shred the chicken and then mix the chunky peanut butter into the chicken, pepper, and teriyaki mixture (and yes, use chunky; it gives a nice little crunch to the chicken for some added texture).
There are so many different ways you can serve this chicken; I’ve made it a few times now and I think my favorite so far is serving it over some rice with chopped peanuts, green onion, and Siracha. The rice makes it feel like a more traditional Asian dish and I love the comfort of it. Another great option is serving it over rice noodles. Unless you’re making this for a group of people, you’ll probably have some leftover that you can store in the fridge to bring for lunch during the week. I found that it was so delicious and refreshing to heat it up and eat it in lettuce boats (like a lettuce wrap). This was a much lighter alternative for lunchtime so I didn’t feel too full in the middle of the day. Whether you’re short on time and need a quick meal, or you have plenty of time but just want a simple and insanely delicious meal, this Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken is something you definitely need to try very soon, you’re gonna love it!
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Place red pepper slices in the bottom of your slow cooker (I like to grease mine with coconut oil first) and then top with the chicken breasts.
- In a small bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce, red pepper flakes, rice wine vinegar and garlic. Pour over chicken and peppers.
- Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours (or on low for 7-8 hours), flipping chicken over halfway through.
- Remove chicken and shred using 2 forks and return to slow cooker. Add the peanut butter to the slow cooker, and mix until incorporated. Cook on high for 15 more minutes.
- Time to eat! Serve over rice, lettuce, rice noodles, anything! Garnish with green onion and chopped peanuts.
