Crockpot Thai Chicken

This super simple recipe for Crockpot Thai Chicken is packed full of flavor. Chicken thighs cook slowly with onion, garlic, ginger root, lime juice, peanut butter, and salsa for a wonderful dish. These flavors may sound unusual, but they are classic in Thai cooking. This recipe is also called Chicken Satay and is cooked on skewers in that country.

You can also make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. In that case, the cooking time would be reduced to 5 to 6 hours. If you have a newer, hotter cooking crockpot check the chicken at the shorter cooking time. When the meat is cooked to 165°F, it's done.

Chicken thighs really are the ideal meat to cook in the crockpot, though. Since they have more fat than chicken breasts and take longer to cook, they are less likely to overcook. If you want to use chicken breasts, reduce the number to 6 breasts, and think about starting with frozen chicken breasts. They will not dry out as quickly as thawed chicken.

You can make this recipe as spicy or as mild as you'd like. The salsa you choose can be mild or hot. You can add more jalapeño peppers, or choose a hotter pepper such as the habanero. Some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce would also be good in this recipe, or you could add some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper if you really like the heat.

Serve this wonderful recipe over hot cooked rice or couscous. Pair it with a cool vegetable cucumber salad or fruit salad for a nice contrast and serve some breadsticks on the side. A nice cold and frosty beer would be a great accompaniment.