Warm curry flavors and coconut milk add flavor and moisture to lean chicken breasts to make this Slow Cooker Chicken Curry recipe a delicious one-pot dish.
When it comes to preparing moist and delicious dishes using lean chicken breasts, I’ve learned that the slow cooker is your friend! By locking in the moisture and cooking the meat slowly, you always end up with tender and juicy chicken without relying on fat, oil, or extra calories from the skin. My Slow Cooker Chicken Curry is a family favorite, as it’s mild enough for anyone to enjoy! It’s also extremely versatile, so you can change it up to be whatever you like!
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: While I prefer lean chicken breasts you can use Chicken thighs or any type of dark meat. The darker meats will boost the flavor!
- Onion: White onion will add great, strong flavor without adding more sweetness.
- Sweet potatoes: Mild and sweet, they make the curry filling and hearty.
- Chickpeas: A great source of protein, and makes the curry more hearty and filling.
- Coconut milk: A staple in many curries, it adds sweetness to balance out the savory and sometimes spicy flavor.
- Chicken stock: While you can also use veggie stock, I think chicken stock adds the best flavor to curry.
- Tomato sauce: Slightly sweet and slightly acidic, you could also use crushed or diced tomatoes if you want your curry more chunky.
- Curry powder: Different brands have different blends, but it usually consists of cumin, turmeric, ginger, and pepper, but they all add a delicious warmth.
- Green peas: Added towards the end of cooking, they don’t soften too much to add a great pop as well as fiber and antioxidants.
- Lemon juice: Bright, acidic flavor that adds freshness to the curry.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Start your Slow Cooker Chicken Curry by peeling and chopping up your sweet potatoes, and dicing your onion.
Then add the sweet potato to the bowl of your slow cooker.
Followed by the diced onion.
Then drain and rinse your chickpeas, and add them to the pot.
Next pour in the full-fat coconut milk.
And your chicken or veggie stock.
And the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.
Next add the curry powder and cayenne.
Then place your raw chicken breasts and season with some salt and pepper.
Using a large spoon or tongs, gently stir until mixed and chicken is coated. Then cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.
During the last couple minutes, add the frozen peas until warmed through and the lemon juice. Then serve over rice, garnish with fresh scallions or cilantro, and enjoy your Slow Cooker Chicken Curry!
Easy substitutions
- Swap the potatoes: If you aren’t a fan of sweet potatoes, use regular or try something new like Brussels sprouts.
- Make it vegetarian: Swap the chicken out for extra veggies, or follow the recipe for my vegetarian curry.
Frequently asked questions:
Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes you can! And you can even start with frozen breasts, not needing to thaw them ahead of time.
Will coconut milk curdle in slow cooker?
As long as you use a good quality brand, you shouldn’t have to worry about curdling.
Can I make this curry in a instant pot?
Yes you can! Follow the first 2 steps the same, then seal and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Stir in the peas and lemon juice, until heated through. Then serve!
More Slow Cooker Meals
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With so many ways to play with curry, let me know how you decide to serve yours in a commet below!
Your fork is waiting.
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless (skinless chicken breasts)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 15 ounces can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (light)
- ½ cup chicken stock (low sodium)
- 15 ounces can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (salt-free)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
- 1 cup green peas (frozen)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- cilantro (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In the bottom of the slow cooker, whisk together coconut milk, chicken stock, tomato sauce, curry powder, salt and cayenne.
- Add chicken breasts, onion, chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Using tongs, gently toss ingredients together to ensure evenly coated.
- Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Shred the chicken.
- Stir in peas and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice and with plenty of fresh cilantro.
Could I substitute curry paste? I made this once with powder and we liked it but prefer the taste of yellow Thai curry paste, especially with coconut milk. If so, do you know the ratio of powder to paste? (It has salt, so I’ll omit that.)
I’ve never made it with curry paste but I bet that would work! I would probably double the amount of paste to powder.
Hi,
I put this all together this morning before i left for work and it is currently cooking away on the low setting. All looked very nice, however the liquid did not cover the food! I would say that it only covered two thirds of it – is this correct/ok? I’m assuming it will still cook okay through the steam that is produced and does not escape due to the fitted lid?
Yes it’s not a soup really it’s a curry – no need to cover. Additionally, slow cookers don’t allow water to evaporate over time so you often end up with a more liquid mixture over time. How did it turn out?
This recipe looks delicious…..I’m trying not to use canned beans anymore though…..would I add the chickpeas directly after soaking overnight, or pre cook them a little
You’d need to pre-cook the chickpeas. Something I do is cook a huge batch then keep them (and any bean really) in the freezer, fully cooked, for last minute ideas!
It is a very tasty dish! I followed the recipe and the spices are a little too spicy for my pallet. What can I add to tone down the spice?
I would add in more chicken stock or coconut milk!!
Tried this today and not to impressed I’m sorry to say :(. It’s very bland. I tried to save it my saute some garlic and curry powder and added to the pot…it didn’t make too much of a difference:(. Not trying this one again
Hi Mia – I’m so sorry to hear this didn’t turn out for you. I make this all the time and it’s actually the most popular recipe out of my 1,000 total recipes on The Lemon Bowl so I’d love to see if we could brainstorm together ways in which something may have gone wrong? Did you make any substitutions to my recipe at all? Did you leave anything out? Let me know – I would love to make this work for you like the millions of others who have made it already and love it.
Hi,.. I m going to make this very soon and was wondering how many cups of 15 oz tomatoe sauce is
About 1 3/4 cup!
Hi,.I, that seems like a lot of sauce,,, would it work with just 1 cup ??
Yes it would.
oh gosh that sounds like a lot of tomatoe sauce .. can i use just 1 cup ?
Yes you can.
Thank you for saving my day! I am having company and I know I shouldn’t use my guests as guine-pigs, but reviews are wonderful and I ha all the incredients. However, I only eat chick pea in salads; can I use northern or red beans instead? Would that be weird? Thank you so much for taking the time to reply all the comments.
I would do northern beans!! Totally works. I’m so glad I could help you with your party! Have fun!
We just got back from a week in Jamaica. My 21 yo son loved the goat curry from the buffet (as did I). But alas no goat on hand. But craving a taste of Jamaica as we are in a cold spell (-25/-30 overnight) right now. Bought the missing ingredients last night and it’s all in the crockpot now for tonight. Easy to make. Smells AMAZING already! Can’t wait for the final product!!
Oh I”m so happy to hear you enjoyed this!!!! Cooking is a great way to keep traveling from home!
I am embarrassed to say, I used 15 ounces of tomato paste instead of sauce !@#% – what can I do, it’s in the slow cooker right now? I added a cup of water just now, anything I can do to save this dish? How will it taste as is?
Thanks!!!
Brad
I would add more coconut milk and spices and salt. :) And yes water!
I just made this a week ago for my husband, daughter and myself. It is AMAZING!! I was asked for it afain ALLL week that I am actually prepping as I text this for it to be tonight’s dinner. It is phenomenal.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!! Let me know if you try any of my other slow cooker recipes!!
We made it today and loved it. Thanks for the great recipe. We’ll make it again for sure.
I’m so happy Paul!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Do you think this would work with venison? I really try not to buy meat from grocery stores, and I haven’t got chickens from the farm in a while, so I have so much venison and am trying new things.Venison and curry is something I haven’t tried, but now I’m curious!
Yes absolutely!!! Great idea!
Just made this today, and it looks exactly like your picture. My husband loved it! Trying to cook healthier for the new year, and this will definitely be added as a regular. Thank you!!
I’m so thrilled to hear it!!! Yay!!! Let me know if you try any of my other recipes!
HI! I am so excited to try this, but I am a slow cooker newbie! Can I easily double or triple the chicken for a bigger batch? Also does that mean I would double or triple the other ingredients besides the chicken? Also, can I use potatoes instead?
Yes you absolutely can double the amounts. You can also double the chicken without doubling the veggies but I would add more liquid and spices. Yes you can do potatoes! Enjoy!
Hi! This looks delicious and I want to make it immediately! With that in mind, can I use frozen chicken breasts? Or, do I need to thaw first before combining with the other ingredients? If you have any suggestions, I would be very grateful!
I’ve never used frozen breasts but I think it should work out fine but it may cause the final product to be a bit more watery.
Thank you for a great dinner! :-) It didn’t come out just as yellow as on your pictures, but it had a wonderful taste. I added some cut up kale, since I want to have more greens in my diet. Worked fine.
Greetings from Denmark
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! The color isn’t nearly as important as the flavor!
Tastes great. Does it freeze well
Yes it freezes very well!
Is there a way too cook this on the stove instead of a slow cooker? It’s too late in the day to start the slow cooker but i have all the ingredients.
You can make it on the stove top very easily! Just Saute the chicken and vegetables then add the liquid ingredients and let simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was so delicious. My family loved it specially my husband.
I’m so glad to hear it! Let me know if you try any of my other slow cooker recipes!! https://thelemonbowl.com/slow-cooker
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe but a quick question, when you say tomato sauce do you mean pasta sauce or like canned tomatoes? Thanks for the clarification!
canned tomatoes!! Enjoy!
There’s nothing better than coming home from a hard day of work to a house filled with the yummy smell of curry. This recipe is easy to make and follow and the tastes blow you away. Both my teens absolutely loved it and had seconds. I doubled the recipe and it turned out perfect. Thank you so so very much this will be a staple in our recipe collection. Cheers from Canada
Yummmmm! This was my first ever slow cooker attempt and it turned out so well! I used chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts and it was done in about 3 hours on high. Served over brown rice. Delicious! :)
I’m so glad you liked it!
This may be a silly question but I’m new to the whole slow cooker scene.. how does your chicken come out so conveniently shredded and awesome looking, if you threw in a whole chicken breast?
I shred it with two forks before serving :)
Aha! ;) Thanks!
This was amazing! Made it for the first time for guests. I added some garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and less tomato sauce. Guests loved it and so did we. :)
I’m so glad you liked it!!!