Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
If you haven’t yet explored the world of slow cooker curries, you are bound to be amazed by some flavorful surprises! Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry combines a hearty mix of chicken and potatoes with signature curry seasoning and a creamy coconut milk sauce. A low-prep, one-pot meal that is packed with flavor, but mild enough for the whole family to enjoy.
Many popular slow cooker chicken recipes utilize flavors from Italian or Mexican traditional dishes. Indian-inspired curries can open up a whole realm of recipes with simple ingredients and smoky, slightly spicy flavors. Perfect to serve over a bowl of rice or with a side of naan!
Ingredients Needed
This easy chicken curry recipe uses ingredients that are probably familiar to most kitchens. The combination of curry seasoning, red curry paste, and coconut milk adds a distinct twist to slow cooker chicken meals.
If you’ve never tried a curry recipe before, this one is a great starter recipe – simple to make and won’t require lots of new ingredients on your shopping list.
Start with:
- Boneless skinless chicken breast: Cut into bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly and is ready to serve in even portions ladled up with the sauce. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are best because chicken thighs would add too much extra grease to the sauce.
- Baby potatoes: Also called “new potatoes,” baby potatoes are a small, round potato variety with slight sweetness and thin peel. Cut these into halves or quarters – similar sizes as the chicken bites.
- Yellow onion: Dice approximately 1⁄2 of a yellow onion to yield a half-cup. The sweetness of yellow onion contributes to the rich flavor of the sauce.
- Garlic: A staple flavor of many curries! Buy jarred minced garlic to save several steps and allow flavors to saturate the mix.
- Homemade curry seasoning: I am a huge proponent of homemade spice blends so that you can season your foods with delicious, quality flavors. This is the perfect all-purpose curry seasoning – not too hot and not too mild.
- Salt: A little extra salt goes a long way!
- Red curry paste: This store-bought mixture is such a small addition with a big impact. Great to keep on hand for many Asian-inspired dishes!
- Tomato paste: This provides some thickness to the sauce and adds some earthy goodness that deliciously balances the coconut milk.
- Coconut milk: Canned coconut milk is an amazing pantry staple. Unlike dairy products, coconut milk works at any point in the slow-cooking process and makes the creamiest, rich base for curries.
- Baby spinach: Tender, fresh spinach is a great contrast and colorful addition to the sauce. If preferred, you can also leave it out and it won’t alter the overall flavor.
How To Make Coconut Chicken Curry In The Slow Cooker
If you have 5 minutes to chop chicken and vegetables, then toss the ingredients in the slow cooker, you’re set for the rest of the day! Truly, a “dump and go” recipe since there is no pre-cooking or browning involved.
Start by chopping the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and cut the potatoes into halves or quarters. Dice the yellow onion.
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
This is a great recipe to prep for when you’ll be away from the kitchen – especially if your slow cooker has a timer feature. Since it can simmer away for up to 8 hours, you’ll have tender, flavorful chicken waiting for you at the end of the day!
Tips For Making The Best Coconut Chicken Curry
- Coconut milk is a great option for the slow cooker since it can be added at any point in the cooking time.
- If you don’t already have a batch of homemade curry seasoning already mixed up, make a double or triple batch when you make this chicken curry. Homemade mixes are so convenient to adjust to your preferences and leave out all the unnecessary ingredients that are frequently in store-bought options.
- Chop all the chicken and potatoes roughly the same size to allow for even cooking time.
- If the sauce is too thick, slowly add a few spoonfuls of water. Stir until you reach the desired consistency.
- Be careful not to overcook to the point that the chicken becomes tough and the potatoes start to fall apart. Keep an eye on the chicken temperature near the end of cooking time and set the slow cooker to warm or program it to stop cooking.
How To Serve Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Curries are traditionally served over fluffy long-grain rice. White or brown basmati or jasmine rice is a great, easy side that provides a nice texture to soak up the curry sauce.
Since this curry contains potatoes, it is already on the heartier side. You may wish to serve a green side like Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic or oven-roasted broccoli. Riced cauliflower is a light, low-carb option, or you could roast cauliflower florets with some olive oil and garlic salt.
You can also buy premade naan or pita bread and warm it up in the oven or over a skillet. A serving of buttered egg noodles or warm bread to dip in the sauce would perfectly complete this meal!
Leftover Instructions
Coconut chicken curry makes amazing leftovers! Something about the blend of flavors saturating the chicken and potatoes just makes the next-day servings equally as delicious. If you like to meal prep for your week, you might include this in your rotation of ready-to-go healthy lunches!
Easily store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer options are another reason this meal is amazing! Two options are:
- You can prep all ingredients for this meal in a freezer-safe container or zipper bag and store them prior to cooking for up to 3 months. Just be sure to allow plenty of defrosting time in advance. Or…
- You can cook your meal, then store leftovers (once cool) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you choose this method for freezing, defrost then reheat in a saucepan over the stove.
Tip: For individual freezer portions, you can use silicone molds or muffin cups to portion out the leftover curry. Just pop the frozen curry out of the molds and store it in a zipper bag until ready to defrost and heat a portion at a time over the stove!
Chicken Curry FAQs
- How to know if your chicken is done cooking in the slow cooker? Use a digital or instant-read meat thermometer to be sure the chicken has reached at least 165℉ and is finished cooking.
- Can you put coconut milk in a slow cooker? Unlike dairy, coconut milk can be added with all the other ingredients and cooked all day in the slow cooker without any issues!
- Can you overcook curry in a slow cooker? While you do have quite a bit of leeway with the slow cooker, you’ll still want to monitor the curry to ensure it doesn’t burn from cooking too long at a too-high level of heat. A programmable slow cooker is best if you plan to be away from home while your meals are cooking.
- What to do if the curry is not thickening or is runny? If the chicken curry is too runny, add a cornstarch slurry (mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water). Slowly stir it into the sauce and add another portion of slurry if needed.
- Can chicken curry be made in the Instant Pot? Yes! Like the slow cooker, add all ingredients then seal the lid. Set on high pressure, cook for 12 minutes, then manually release the steam.
Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 oz baby potatoes halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon homemade curry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 oz canned coconut milk
- 2 oz baby spinach
Instructions
- Chop chicken and potatoes, and dice onion
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
Notes
- Let cool completely then store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep ingredients ahead and store in the freezer for up to 3 months, or freeze after cooking for up to 3 months.
- Reheat over a saucepan on the stove.
- If your family does not care for the spinach, you can leave it out.
- If you’d like a spicier dish, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Do you suggest breasts or thighs?
You can use either. I used chicken breasts for this recipe.
Disappointed by the blandness of this recipe. I wouldn’t make it again.
absolutely loved this coconut chicken curry also added sultanas along with the spinach and so delicious and easy to make served with rice and sliced banana and mango chutney sooo good