Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Easy Healthy Wellplated Com

Whenever I’m hitting a healthy dinner rut, Indian food is the genre that (quite literally) spices my life up once more. Recipes like this slow cooker chicken curry make me feel genuinely excited about what we are eating and proud of the flavors I can create. Richly flavored, high in protein and fiber, lusciously creamy, and super delicious, not only is this satisfying Indian chicken recipe healthy, but it is easy too! Made almost entirely in a slow cooker (like this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken), it’s a fuss-free, hands-off recipe perfect for the busy work week.

How to Make the BEST Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

I won’t pretend this is an authentic Indian chicken curry. While I love and appreciate the large number of spices and the intense preparation that goes into creating authentic Indian dishes, I like to slim down the ingredient list at home (as seen in this Instant Pot Lentil Curry). This simple slow cooker chicken curry recipe takes the classic flavor profile of Indian curry and streamlines it to be accessible to home cooks with ingredients you can find in most average U.S. grocery stores. If you’d like to learn more about Indian food and find great recipes, check out my friend Richa’s blog.

The Ingredients

Coconut Milk. Making this Indian chicken curry with coconut milk makes it rich and creamy and balances the spices (as in this Chickpea Curry). I use light coconut milk to make the recipe healthy, but for the full effect, you can use whole (regular) coconut milk.

Chicken. I opt to make this a slow cooker curry chicken thighs recipe since thighs usually perform better with crockpot cooking. (See this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken for another crockpot chicken thigh recipe.)

Red Bell Peppers + Sweet Potatoes. Anytime I can “one pan” a meal, I will. Adding fresh veggies to the recipe makes it a well-rounded dish. No separate vegetable side required (but if you insist, Roasted Cauliflower would be a nice option).

Lime Juice. For balance, brightness, and pop. Do yourself a favor and use fresh lime juice rather than the bottled stuff; it makes a HUGE difference.Curry Powder. This blend of spices can be found in the spice aisle of about any standard grocery store. Every spoonful gives you mega bang for your buck (especially in these Curried Deviled Eggs).

Cumin and Chili Powder. The mild heat works well with the sweeter profile of curry powder. (If you’re looking for a curry recipe with more heat, check out my Jamaican Curry Chicken.)Smoked Paprika. Admittedly, not super traditional in Indian cooking, but SO GOOD and a game-changing shortcut. It gives you instant, intense flavor without the dedication of toasting and grinding whole spices the way many authentic Indian recipes do.

Rice or Quinoa. I like to serve this easy slow cooker chicken curry over a bed of fluffy brown or jasmine rice. For an extra boost of protein, quinoa is also a lovely choice.Cilantro. A perfect finish of color and freshness to this slow-cooked, soul-satisfying dish.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Let cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. You can store the rice either with the curry or separately. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.To Reheat. Mix your desired portion of rice and chicken curry (if not already combined). Warm gently in the microwave or stovetop.To Freeze. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as the coconut milk tends to separate and become grainy.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Programmable Slow Cooker. I like this kind because it can be automatically set to switch to warm.Instant-Read Thermometer. The BEST and most accurate way to know if your chicken is done.Cutting Board. An extra large cutting board like this one is ideal for seasoning the large quantity of chicken for this recipe.

With a prep time of fewer than 10 minutes and ingredients you can find in any grocery store, this crock pot meal is a fast, healthy way to satisfy my coconut chicken curry craving, no plane ticket or jet lag required! I repeat, do not add coconut milk to a slow cooker right at the beginning; it will curdle as the recipe cooks. If you wait until the end, however, you are good to go and will be rewarded with rich, creamy coconut milk goodness. Keep in mind the cooking time of other veggies may differ, so if you decide to experiment, keep in mind that your vegetables may be done at different points. In a pinch, if all you have on hand is garam masala, you could experiment with substituting it for curry powder. Just know the flavor of the dish will be somewhat different. This curry tastes exotic enough to feel exciting, but not so exotic that it will scare away the less adventurous eaters in your family. Toddler (and picky husband) approval has been widely reported (ditto for this Chicken Tikka Masala too).

Browning the chicken on the stove before you put it into the slow cooker makes a big impact on the outcome of your dish, especially if you are cooking whole chicken thighs or chicken breasts. You won’t ever regret taking the time to do it.Work quickly! You don’t need to cook the chicken all the way through; the chicken will still be raw in the middle when you place it in the crock pot and will finish cooking with the recipe.In the case of this slow cooker chicken curry, I took the browning a step further by coating the chicken in the spices FIRST, then searing it on the stove. It activates the spices and gives the chicken a bit of a blackened effect that pops with every bite.