Warm curry flavors and coconut milk add flavor and moisture to lean chicken breasts to make this Slow Cooker Chicken Curry recipe an authentic one-pot dish.
When it comes to preparing moist and delicious dishes using lean, boneless skinless 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.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty thrilled that grilling season has finally arrived but the truth is when it is sweltering hot out, sometimes it is nice to cook dinner inside.
The slow cooker is a great alternative to the stove and oven because it doesn’t heat up your kitchen and house. (Anyone else live with an A/C control freak husband? No? Oh…)
This dish is extremely versatile. Of course, there’s always the vegetarian version full of delicious veggies like cauliflower and Brussels. Don’t have sweet potatoes on hand? Butternut squash would be a great substitute. Want to use chicken thighs instead? Be my guest – they are full of flavor. Want to douse it in sriracha before serving? By all means.
Secrets to a good curry
It’s easy to make a good curry. If you’re looking for a tasty dish always be sure to utilize the following ingredients:
- Full-fat Thai style coconut milk
- Chicken stock
- Using fresh spices in your pantry. If the spices in your pantry are more than a few years old then I would suggest replacing.
- Good quality curry powder
- Peas (or another diced vegetable)
- Cilantro to boost the flavor
While I prefer lean chicken breasts you can use Chicken thighs or any type of dark meat. The darker meats will boost the flavor.
Substitutions:
You can make substitutions on this dish. If you’re not a fan of sweet potatoes I’d suggest trying a different potato or Brussels sprouts.
Curry paste can be subbed out for curry powder but would suggest doubling
Canned tomatoes do not have to be used. If you have crushed tomatoes those will work equally as well.
Frequently asked questions:
Yes.
Just look for chicken with low sodium and buy low sodium canned products. You can also use dried chickpeas instead of canned.
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.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian option of this dish you’re in luck! Here is my Slow Cooker Vegetarian Curry.
No. If you wish to add spice feel free to experiment with jalapeños, hot sauce, or chili powder.
Your fork is waiting.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Equipment
- 6 Quart Slow Cooker
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.
- Stir in peas and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice and with plenty of fresh cilantro.
Video
Chef’s Notes
Nutrition
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Jayne Rossetti
Doubled the recipe. Far to spicy. We ended up removing the chicken, rinsing it off, and shredding it for other uses. We threw the rest away.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Jayne, I’m so sorry this didnt work out for you. Out of curiosity, did you accidentally add cayenne? There’s no spice in this curry. Let me know – it should’t be spicy unless you add in cayenne. :)
Mimi Newman
If it was too spicy I bet you used red curry, not mild green curry. My family prefers spicy red curry, but my elderly mama cannot do spice. This recipe reminds me of growing up near a woman who lived her growing up years in India and shared her recipes with my mama. Be sure to use quality jasmine rice (or basmati if you prefer a slightly stronger flavor).
Liz DellaCroce
Actually this is not a Thai curry recipe – it uses Indian curry powder which has no spice. :)
Matt
Not good at all.
With such great reviews, I didn’t hesitate to just roll with it. I should’ve dug deeper because I’ve made a lot of Indian curry dishes and this seemed quite off.
Too little coconut milk and curry powder. I should’ve saved the coconut milk but dumped the extra.
Way too much tomato sauce. I doubled the recipe and used half the tomato sauce required. I added so much curry powder and cayenne to improve it and couldn’t lose the tomato flavor.
Liz DellaCroce
Sorry you didn’t like it! If you skim the comments, a lot of people have made adjustments to make it their own, and maybe something they’ve tried would alter it to your liking! But everyone has their own tastes. Some people will like it, and some won’t :)
Nina
I doubled the recipe and it tasted very bland to me. I added crushed tomatoes instead of the sauce…how would you make it not bland?
Liz DellaCroce
Did you add enough salt?
Debbie
Wondering if you mean full fat coconut milk because the word light is after it. Thank you!
Liz DellaCroce
So I use Thai Style Coconut Milk – full fat or light work. :)
Martha Oti
Has anyone tried spinach at end instead of peas and adding apples?
Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
That’s a wonderful idea on both fronts!
Lisa
I skimped on the curry powder because of my one year old and regretted it later!..added it in later and was lovely. I shredded the chicken and served it with rice..yum!
Lisa
Forgot to mention I added red lentils to thicken it up and only put the stock cube in a small amount of boiling water
Liz DellaCroce
Sounds amazing!!!
Saib
You deadass made a CURRY and skipped on curry powder. K.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m not sure what you mean there’s curry powder? :)
Emily
Can this be prepared the evening before, left in fridge overnight and cooked in the morning?
Liz DellaCroce
YES! Great idea!
Dweenie
This is fabulous! Just delicious!
To keep it from being runny, I omitted the half cup of water and just added half a teaspoon liquid bullion. Consistency was perfect!! Also used salt free tomato sauce, low sodium chickpeas, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt (rather than full teaspoon – found half teaspoon wasn’t enough).
Try it!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
Liz DellaCroce
Great idea!
Johanna Day
I really liked this! Really easy to make and was tasty. I accidentally added a whole can of coconut milk, so tried to compensate by adding more tomatoes and chickpeas and a bit more curry powder and cayenne pepper but probably didn’t put enough in.
To those saying this isn’t flavorful enough- I disagree, and I love strong flavor. It’s delicious as it is and would be a good base to add other veggies.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe-will definitely be making this again
Liz DellaCroce
That sounds perfect!!
Kiana
Can I add the chicken breasts from frozen or should they be thawed first? Can’t wait to try this!
Liz DellaCroce
Either works!
Maggie
I have this sitting in the slow cooker now- looking forward to dinner tonight!
I used passata instead of tomato sauce, and a combo of pumpkin and sweet potato. Nom nom
Maggie
Also used chicken thighs instead of breast
Liz DellaCroce
Great idea!
Liz DellaCroce
Let me know how it turns out!
Maxine F
Hi Love this simple recipe and can’t wait to try it..I was wondering if I could use chicken nibbles in this recipe? Chicken Breast is quite expensive here in NZ.
Liz DellaCroce
Yes that would work great!!! Any type would work including thigh/dark meat!
Demonte
This looks so good I can’t wait to make it can I add frozen vegetables and the peas to this dish also I love chickpeas can I also add more chickpeas or another bean to this dish.???????
Thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
Yes absolutely!!!!
Shann
Delicious!! We had this tonight & it was a winner all round. Are the leftovers freezable?
Liz DellaCroce
Oh I’m so glad! Yes very freezer friendly!
Jay Jay
This will be an easy regular! Delicious! I used 750 grams boneless chicken thighs (my preference). In Australia, the can of tomato sauce is a can of crushed tomatoes. Looking forward to the leftovers which are stored in the freezer. Thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
So glad you enjoyed it! One of my favorites!
SS
Hi!
Question about scale for this.
Suggestions on quantities fr this recipe if I wanted to cook for a crowd of 50?
Liz DellaCroce
I would do three slow cookers worth!
Kira
Quick question, can I toss the frozen peas in with everything instead of waiting to put them in before serving? Please email me back my answer :)
Liz DellaCroce
Yes you can! Enjoy!
Terry
So easy to make. My family really enjoyed this recipe.
Liz DellaCroce
That’s great news Terry!
KP
Any idea how to transition this to a InstantPot fast cooking recipe?
Liz DellaCroce
I would just make it on the stovetop instead – chicken breasts are quick cooking. Instant pots are more for large buts of meat like a roast.
Ameer
Does it hold overnight? Meal prep for next day lunch?
Liz DellaCroce
Oh yes it’s great for up to 3-4 days!
Cassandra Miller
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. I make it at least once per month. We use tomato sauce and the flavor is great, but we also like how loose it is. If you don’t want to to be as loose, you can use a slotted spoon. Tomato paste would not have the same flavor. It is perfect just the way it is ????
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you like it!!!