Looking for an easy slow cooker chicken curry recipe? This is the one! A mild chicken curry recipe with coconut milk that’s creamy and delicious. Prefer a hot curry? Feel free to spice it up with hot curry powder or paste.
What makes this recipe so easy? You don’t need to brown the chicken! You just add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and leave it alone for a few hours. Just what you need on a hectic weeknight when you’re busy juggling about 10 different plates!
Hello! I’m back with a recipe that’s been a huge hit in my house over the past few weeks – a classic slow cooker chicken curry. with warming spices and creamy coconut milk. You’re going to LOVE this. It’s requested at least twice a month in my house, so I’ve literally made it dozens of times.
When I say this is a ridiculously easy recipe, I really mean it. Making chicken curry in the slow cooker in a total breeze. There’s no need to brown the chicken! Just pop everything in the slow cooker/crock pot and let the machine work its magic.
My boys love this recipe. My eldest son said it’s the best curry I’ve ever made!! I’m not making any claim that this is an Authentic Indian curry, but I’ll happily accept that compliment!
This is seriously good comfort food for the Winter months ahead. There are no fancy ingredients here – you should find all of them in most supermarkets.
ingredient list for slow cooker chicken curry
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts/chicken fillets. If you wanted to use boneless chicken thighs, that would also work great.
- sliced onion
- garlic and ginger paste. I can’t be without these handy pastes in my fridge – they are such a great timesaver. Of course, if you prefer, you can use fresh garlic and ginger instead.
- mango chutney adds a lovely sweetness to the curry that children seem to absolutely love. I also use mango chutney in my chickpea and potato curry recipe.
- coconut milk. I try and use the full fat if I can, but I usually use Maggi coconut milk powder which is a great store cupboard ingredient. If you’re looking for a quick curry recipe with coconut milk, try this super easy Red Thai prawn curry.
- chicken stock – I use a stock cube for this recipe.
- spices – ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper and Garam masala. If you want to omit the chilli powder, that’s fine.
- tomato puree adds a nice depth of flavour to the sauce.
- Cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the sauce.
equipment you will need
I love my slow cooker. It’s not an expensive brand with lots of bells and whistles, but it does the job perfectly. I have this red Crock pot with hinged lid. It’s one of my most used pieces of kitchen kit.
I recommend a set of measuring spoons to measure out your spices. I use these magnetic measuring spoons from Lakeland.
how to make slow cooker chicken curry
You’re going to love how simple the method is!
1.Preheat your slow cooker. Using a mini whisk or a fork, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon of the coconut milk until smooth. Place all of the ingredients APART from the Garam Masala inside the slow cooker.
2. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
3. When the curry is ready, the chicken will break up and shred very easily at the touch of a fork.
4. Just before you’re ready to serve the curry, stir in the Garam Masala. This will give the curry a “lift” in flavour. You might also need to add a little more salt.
I find if you cook this curry on the LOW setting for 6 or 7 hours, the chicken becomes very, very soft and falls apart at the touch of a fork, very similar to pulled chicken. If you would prefer to keep the chicken in larger pieces, I would recommend cooking on HIGH for about 5 hours. This of course will depend on your slow cooker, so please make sure the chicken is fully cooked (no traces of pink meat) before you serve it.
should i cut chicken for the slow cooker?
The first couple of times I made this curry, I cut each chicken breast into four pieces. I was in such a hurry last time I made it I didn’t even bother to do this.
You can choose to either cut the chicken or leave them whole – it doesn’t make much difference. If you decide to cut the chicken, don’t make the pieces too small or they could end up drying out. If your chicken breasts are very large (like supremes) I would cut them into three or four pieces.
can you put raw chicken in slow cooker?
Yes, you actually can place raw chicken directly in a slow cooker. I’m normally a big believer in browning meat before slow cooking, (I do for my slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole) but there is no need to do so for this recipe.
There are so many flavoursome ingredients packed into this curry that browning the chicken wouldn’t make any difference whatsoever. I’m all for convenience and ease and this recipe couldn’t get any easier.
I love the fact that I can literally throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker, walk away and a few hours later, dinner is ready!
the curry sauce is too thin!
The first couple of times I made this curry, there was one thing I wasn’t so keen on. The sauce was a little too thin for my liking. I tried using a cornflour slurry. I mixed equal parts cornflour and coconut milk in a bowl until smooth, then stirred it into the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. It worked a treat!
If, by the end of cooking time, the sauce is still a little thin for you, mix one more tablespoon of cornflour and a tablespoon of cold water together until smooth, then pour into the slow cooker, stirring. This will thicken the sauce further.
Leaving the lid off the slow cooker for the last hour of cooking time will also thicken the sauce.
serving suggestions for crock pot chicken curry
You don’t need me to tell you that chicken curry is amazing served with Naan bread, fluffy rice, poppadoms and more mango chutney on the side of your plate. Oops, I just did.
It’s not exactly traditional, also pretty fond of pilling this curry and the delicious sauce over a baked potato!
more easy curry recipes
- If you’re cooking this in advance for a family curry night or get together, you could make this slow cooker beef curry to go along with it.
- This green Thai vegetable curry or my potato and chickpea curry would be perfect for non meat eaters!
Storage instructions
Store the completely cooled chicken curry in a tupperware container and keep it in the fridge for up to three days.
reheating
Reheat the curry in a saucepan on a hob (medium heat) for at least 10 minutes or until piping hot. This curry is quite “saucy” so you shouldn’t need to add any liquid on reheating, but if it does seem a bit dry add a little splash of water.
Can I freeze chicken curry?
Yes! Chicken curry is perfect for freezing. Store portions of the curry in freezer safe containers or bags and for up to three months.
Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating. I find it best to reheat the curry on the hob. The chicken soaks all the sauce up and it will be less “saucy” while reheating, so you will probably need to add a little water or stock. Sometimes I add a little more coconut milk instead.
variations
- I often make a chicken and sweet potato curry by adding a whole chopped sweet potato to the ingredients. Don’t chop the potato too small – it needs to be quite chunky or it tends to disappear into the sauce.
- Add some vegetables for added goodness and to stretch the meal further – sliced peppers, mushrooms and baby corn are all good for this recipe.
- A handful of fresh or frozen spinach is also a great addition. If using fresh, simply throw it in just before you’re ready to eat. Frozen spinach is best added 10-15 minutes before serving.
more slow cooker meaLs
- slow cooker macaroni cheese (super creamy!)
did you make this recipe?
I really hope you enjoyed it! Let me know how you got on by leaving a comment below. If you loved it, don’t forget to rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card. Thanks!
Easy slow cooker chicken curry
Once you've tried this easy slow cooker chicken curry with coconut milk, it will become a family favourite! Simply place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, leave it to do its thing for a few hours and dinner is served.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- One large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons mango chutney
- 400ml coconut milk
- 150ml chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 1-2 teaspoons garam masala
Instructions
- Place the cornflour in a small bowl. Add one tablespoon of the coconut milk and mix together until smooth.
- Place everything (including the cornflour/coconut milk mixture) apart from the garam masala in the preheated slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours. If you're cooking on low for 6-7 hours, the chicken will be very soft and break apart easily with two forks.
- Just before you're ready to serve the curry, open the lid and stir in the Garam Masala. Taste the curry to see if you want to add more salt.
- If the curry sauce is still too thin for your liking, you can either cook the curry on high with the lid off for about 30 minutes or thicken the sauce with more cornflour. Stir together one tablespoon of cornflour with one tablespoon of cold water until smooth, then stir into the curry. You should see the sauce start to thicken slightly.
Notes
serve the curry with rice, Naan bread, poppadoms and mango chutney/Indian pickles.
You can swap the chicken breasts for skinless boneless chicken thighs if you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 463Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 867mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 33g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Another love recipe from you. Can’t wait to try it. I love and still make your slow cooker butter chicken. So good 💕
Thank you so much Brenda, I hope you enjoy it 😊❤️