Scents of ginger, peach, onions, and garlic fill the home as the slow cooker does its magic. The tantalizing aroma of peach chicken is unmistakable, as are the reactions from everyone in my family. They know what’s coming, and nobody will late for dinner – guaranteed.
Even the most passionate of cooks deserve to hit the “easy button” every now and then. And there are few recipes easier than this one! Just a teeny bit of prep work, and then the slow-cooker takes over.
This chicken recipe is simple to make, but the end results are incredible. Juicy, and flavorful chicken with a sweet and tangy ginger-peach sauce. And while the fruit and meat combination of chicken and peaches might sound odd, remember how much everyone loves dishes like orange chicken, pork chops and applesauce, or turkey and cranberries. Same energy.
This is great year-round dish. Peaches are a classic Summer fruit, but because the recipe calls for canned peaches, this recipe is consistently delicious in the fall, winter, and spring, too.
To keep the “easy” theme going, serve this chicken and peach recipe with a side of couscous, rice pilaf or butter noodles. Hearty, simple, and delicious. But if you want to tell everyone you slaved over a hot stove all day long, that’s between you and your crock pot.
INGREDIENTS – WHAT YOU NEED
This super easy chicken has a sauce made from onion, canned sliced peaches, peach jam, corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, salt, white pepper, and fresh grated ginger. It’s slow cooked with chicken thighs and garnished with sesame seeds.
HOW TO MAKE PEACH CHICKEN
- Purée 1/3 of an onion in a food processor or blender until you have ¼-cup of purée.
- Use a garlic press to crush 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic, giving you 2 teaspoons. If you don’t have a garlic press, peel your garlic and lay it on a cutting board. Then carefully crush it by pressing down on it with the flat side of a kitchen knife.
- Add all ingredients (except the chicken and sesame seeds) to a bowl and stir together to form your sauce.
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook for 6 hours on high.
- Top with sesame seed garnish and serve.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME AND FREEZE IT?
Yes, this is a perfect make-ahead recipe. Follow the same steps, but put sauce and chicken together in a 1-gallon freezer bag. Freeze. When it’s time to cook, remove bag of frozen ingredients from freezer and empty into a slow cooker. Cook 6 hours on high.
CAN YOU USE FRESH OR FROZEN PEACHES INSTEAD OF CANNED PEACHES?
This recipe works best with canned peaches for a few reasons. The long cooking time in the slow cooker can break down fresh or frozen peaches, giving you a slurry with no chunks. Canned peaches are pre-cooked, and stand up better to extended cooking times. Also, peaches can vary in flavor throughout the year. A life-changing peach in August gives way to a meh peach in December. Canned peaches are consistently sweet all year long. They’re basically foolproof.
Some other great peach recipes Peach Cobbler and Fresh Peach Pie.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS WITH CHICKEN BREASTS INSTEAD OF THIGHS?
You absolutely can! Crock pots are very forgiving, so you don’t have to worry about changing the temperature or cooking time if you use chicken breasts instead of things. The end result, however, may be a little less moist if you opt for lean white meat chicken.
WHAT SIDE DISHES GO WITH SLOW COOKER PEACH CHICKEN?
This meal is amazing with white rice, which soaks up that delicious peach sauce. Rice pilaf or butter noodles are great, too. You could even serve with Bombay Potatoes or Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, depending on whether you want to keep things simple or incorporate extra cooking steps. If you’re feeling really ambitious, use the time while the chicken is cooking to make these Vintage Brown Buttered Homemade Noodles.
WHAT VEGETABLE GOES WITH PEACH CHICKEN?
I like to serve a colorful plate, so I’d recommend broccoli, green beans, or peas to contrast with the orange-yellow of the chicken and peaches. That being said, a side of steamed carrot slices with little of the peach sauce drizzled on top is magnificent!
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
The slow-cooking process makes the chicken separate from the bone easily, so use a gentle touch when removing the chicken thighs from the crockpot. This allows each piece of chicken to stay beautifully intact when serving.
Make your thighs look extra pretty by broiling them for a couple minutes right before serving.
If you plate each person’s food individually, be sure everyone gets 2-3 peach slices. This “announces” the flavors of the meal, much like when you garnish lemon chicken with a lemon wheel.
WHAT OTHER RECIPES CAN YOU MAKE WITH CHICKEN?
- Make this delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken.
- Create this Seriously Easy Chicken Pot Pie.
- Make this Heritage Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings.
- Prepare these Chicken Enchiladas.
- Make these Asian Lettuce Chicken Wraps.
The next time you make this recipe, I would love to see it! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver!
Slow Cooker Peach Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup onion puréed
- 2 tsp garlic, crushed
- 1 29-ounce can of sliced peaches, drained
- 1/2 cup peach jam or preserves
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper black pepper may be substituted
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, about 8 pieces
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Purée 1/3 of an onion in a food processor or blender until you have ¼-cup of purée.
- Use a garlic press to crush 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic, giving you 2 teaspoons. If you don’t have a garlic press, peel your garlic and lay it on a cutting board. Then carefully crush it by pressing down on it with the flat side of a kitchen knife.
- Add all ingredients (except the chicken and sesame seeds) to a bowl and stir together to form your sauce.
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook for 6 hours on high.
- Top with sesame seed garnish and serve.
FROM FROZEN:
- Empty contents from freezer bag into a crock pot and cook 6 hours on high.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with rice or butter noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Loved this recipe?
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This recipe was first posted September 8, 2018, but has been updated with better detailed instructions on August 24th, 2021.
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Ellen says
Made this tonight and it was a great meal. I served over egg noodles and HAD to add some crushed red pepper flakes, as it needed a little kick for my tastes. My canned peaches were “flat” and lacked favor, which is the signature flavor in this dish. Next time I will use a better peach brand and likely a little ‘heat’. Otherwise, this is really very good for family with children that are picky eaters. It can be livened up, easily, as needed.
Happy-Money-Saver says
Good idea to add some crushed red pepper flakes!
Ella smith says
Looking too Yummy , Thanks for sharing Recipe info about Peachy Keen Ginger Thighs,
I will try this at home. Love to read your articles.
Thanks