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Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup

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Updated Oct 21, 2024
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Our Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Soup is perfect for chilly autumn and winter days when you need a warm, comforting dish, but it’s so easy and delicious, you’ll want to make it all year round! The rich and creamy, spiced peanut and coconut base comes together with just a handful of convenient ingredients, so you can make a hearty meal with just 15 minutes of prep.

In Thai culture, soups hold a prominent place in everyday meals. They are often enjoyed as a starter or side dish but can also serve as a main course. Thai Peanut Soup is a fusion of traditional Thai ingredients and foreign influences, making it an approachable dish that can add a touch of international flair to your menu.

Thai cuisine is renowned for its complex flavors; a harmonious blend of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy elements. Our version of this recipe uses prepared, bottled Thai peanut sauce as a shortcut. This sauce, usually made from ground peanuts, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and a mix of spices, adds complex, nutty flavors without having to use 12 separate ingredients. We also love that this recipe uses one of our favorite pantry staples—canned coconut milk—which adds creamy richness without using actual dairy, which can sometimes break in slow-cooked soups. With cubed boneless skinless chicken thighs, plus a thickener of cornstarch and lime juice added at the end, this is a recipe you’ll want to have in your back pocket for a hassle-free dinner that requires minimal preparation.

Slow-cooker recipes like this are ideal for meal prep. Make it on Sunday and enjoy it for lunch or a quick snack throughout the week. The flavors only get better as they meld together, making your leftovers even more delicious. Embracing the slow cooker not only saves time but also ensures that the chicken is tender and the flavors are well integrated. No matter when and how you enjoy this soup, we think you’ll want to make it again and again!

How to Make Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup

Ready to make Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Soup? Here’s a quick overview of how to prep and cook the soup. You can find the full recipe, plus ideas for toppings and more, below.

Add the Liquids

Add a bottle of peanut sauce and a can of coconut milk to your sprayed slow cooker insert. If you haven’t used canned coconut milk before, be aware that there are two parts, a thin liquid and a thick cream that often rises to the top of the can. Sometimes a can will be smooth and combined when you open it, but often, it isn’t. You can give it a quick stir with a fork while it’s still in the can to incorporate the two parts.

Add the Chicken

We use a convenient 20-oz package of boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Cut them in 1-inch pieces, and trim off any large pieces of fat as you cut. While most packages of boneless, skinless thighs are processed very cleanly, sometimes there will be a tiny piece of bone still attached. If you encounter any bone, trim and discard. Ideally, all your cubed pieces of chicken will be the same size. If you find you’re wondering if you should leave a piece larger or cut it into two smaller pieces, opt for one larger piece as tiny pieces are more likely to overcook. Stir the pieces of chicken into the liquids in the slow cooker. The soup will need to cook on low for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Add Thickener

Once the chicken is cooked through, it’s time to thicken the soup. At Pillsbury, we love using what’s called a “slurry.” Basically, it’s cornstarch mixed with a cold liquid that you stir in at the end of cooking to quickly thicken a soup or sauce. When creating a recipe, given the choice to add plain water or something with a flavor, we usually pick the flavorful liquid. For this recipe, we chose to beat the cornstarch with lime juice both for flavor, and because it’s the best time to add lime juice to this soup. Acidic ingredients mellow out and lose their tartness through long cooking, so adding at the end of cooking increases its potency. Stir in the slurry and crank the slow cooker up to high heat for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Now, just add your favorite toppings (see our suggestions in the tips below) and dig in!

More Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup Recipes

Once you’ve tried one of our slow-cooker chicken soups, we know you’ll crave more! With easy prep and results the whole family loves, slow-cooker chicken soups are hard to beat. Here are a few of our favorites for you to try next.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup If you love the flavors of chicken Parm, but the breading and panfrying seems daunting, this is for you! Cheesy, crispy breadcrumbs top this rich chicken and tomato soup. With just 15 minutes of prep and a few hands-off hours in the slow cooker, you’ll be serving up some warming bowls of comfort.

Slow-Cooker King Ranch Chicken Soup This fun slow-cooker chicken soup is based on a tried-and-true casserole recipe. It combines Tex-Mex ingredients like tomatoes, chiles, and taco seasoning with creamy mushroom soup and cream cheese for a filling, warming soup that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner or lazy weekend meal. Don’t forget the tortilla chips for serving!

Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup is another favorite, which transforms a classic app into a creamy, zesty soup.

Which one will you make first? Let us know in the comments.

Is it Safe to Put Raw Chicken in a Slow Cooker?

When thinking about food safety, the most important thing to do is be a rule follower. Small pieces of chicken, like we use in this recipe, cook faster than bigger cuts like a whole breast or drumstick. Also, we’ve tested for time and temperature to make sure the chicken cooks fast enough to ensure safety. But you must safely handle the chicken before you put it in the slow cooker, and after it’s finished cooking.

Keep Cold Foods Cold: Limit the time that raw proteins spend at room temperature. Don’t take the chicken out of the refrigerator until you’re ready to prepare it. Also, be thoughtful about how long it takes to get the chicken from its starting point in the meat department to your refrigerator. If it’s hot out or you have to make additional stops between the grocery store and your home, place chicken in an insulated bag or cooler with ice packs.

Keep Hot Foods Hot, and Cool Them Quickly: Once your soup is ready to serve, it can be held in your slow cooker on the warm setting for up to two hours. Don’t turn off or unplug the slow cooker and turn it back on later, as the soup could cool to unsafe temperatures. When saving leftovers, cool them down quickly. Transfer to smaller containers before refrigerating to help chill them faster.

Handle Chicken Safely: Use a food thermometer to confirm that chicken is cooked to at least 165°F in center. Avoid prepping raw chicken near ready-to-eat foods, like salads or foods that are already cooked. Also, raw chicken is ready to cook and doesn't need to be washed first. Most importantly, be sure to wash hands thoroughly, and often, and keep work surfaces clean.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Get the Most Tender Chicken in Soup?

The answer is boneless skinless chicken thighs. We love chicken thighs in the Pillsbury kitchens. Don’t get us wrong—chicken breasts look beautiful coming off the grill or taking center stage as part of a sheet pan dinner. They have their place. But chicken thighs, with their tender and juicy texture, are hands-down more delicious. And since they’re a little fattier than breasts, they are less likely to dry out during a long, slow simmer in the slow cooker.

How Long Can I Store Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup?

Believe it or not, our Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup recipe can be even more flavorful the next day. You can keep any leftovers for another delicious lunch or dinner that requires no prep beyond a simple reheat.

Cool It Down: Chill the soup quickly to avoid any potential risk for foodborne illness. Ladle the hot soup into small food-storage containers. Let it sit uncovered up to 30 minutes before covering.

Refrigerate It: Cover the containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Freeze It: Cover the containers and freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating: To reheat either refrigerated or frozen soup, transfer to microwavable bowl, and cover loosely. For refrigerated soup, microwave on High 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If soup is too thick, stir in a little water, until desired consistency. Heat again until heated through. For frozen soup, microwave on High 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps, until heated through. Follow the same directions if the soup is too thick.

Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup

  • Prep Time 15 min
  • Total 3 hr 25 min
  • Ingredients 5
  • Servings 4
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Ingredients

  • 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
  • 1 bottle (10 oz) Thai peanut sauce
  • 20 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add coconut milk and peanut sauce.
  • Step 
    2
    Stir chicken into coconut milk mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through.
  • Step 
    3
    In small bowl, beat cornstarch and lime juice. Quickly stir into chicken mixture in slow cooker; cover. Increase to High heat setting; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.

Nutrition

580 Calories
35g Total Fat
36g Protein
30g Total Carbohydrate
21g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 1/4 Cups
Calories
580
Calories from Fat
310
Total Fat
35g
53%
Saturated Fat
21g
107%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
135mg
45%
Sodium
1440mg
60%
Potassium
650mg
19%
Total Carbohydrate
30g
10%
Dietary Fiber
2g
8%
Sugars
21g
Protein
36g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
0%
0%
Vitamin C
2%
2%
Calcium
4%
4%
Iron
15%
15%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 1/2 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 4 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 5 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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