Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken with 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce

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Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken with 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce is a crave-worthy dinner that can be prepped in minutes!

Servings

Calories 300

Author Robyn Conley Downs

Equipment

Ingredients

5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce

⅓ cup natural peanut butter at room temperature or melted*
1 garlic clove finely grated or minced
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons low-sodium gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
4 tablespoon rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
⅓ cup warm water
Hot sauce to taste

For the Pulled Chicken + Veggies

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

To Add at the End

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced red bell pepper
Chopped green onion, cilantro, and hot sauce for serving optional

Instructions

In a medium bowl, make the peanut sauce by whisking together the peanut butter, garlic, maple syrup, tamari, rice vinegar or lime juice and warm water until very smooth. Alternatively, add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the chicken along with ⅓ cup 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce to a 6-quart slow cooker. Set the remaining sauce aside.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork, being careful not to overcook or the chicken will be dry.
Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, or chop into pieces. Set aside.
Add the broccoli and bell pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, until the veggies are just tender.
Carefully drain half the cooking liquid. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker along with the remaining peanut sauce, stirring to combine.
Alternatively, toss the chicken and veggies with the remaining cooking liquid, then serve with the remaining peanut sauce drizzled over top or on the side.
Sprinkle with cilantro, green onion, and hot sauce if using, and serve.

Notes

For a saucier peanut chicken and veggies, leave all the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, and then add the remaining peanut sauce. For a less saucy option, drain most of the cooking liquid before adding the remaining sauce.

Since the consistency of natural peanut butter varies from brand to brand, you may need to add more (up to an additional ⅓ cup) if you prefer a very thick sauce. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the sauce to help it thicken a bit.

Note that the veggies go into the slow cooker for a quick steam after the chicken has cooked all the way. The ingredients are shown altogether in the photo simply to give you sense of the ingredients. Please follow the recipe as written.

Nutrition