Slow Cooker Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk is a delicious meal made with just a few simple ingredients that you're sure to love! It's so easy that if you can open a can, dump spices and turn on your slow cooker, then you can make this recipe!
In America, the term curry usually refers to a specific blend of spices found in curry powder. Outside of the US, the term curry is often used more loosely to refer to various stew-like dishes. Various regions tend to have their own unique versions of curry, one of the most common curries being a Thai curry made with red curry paste, sometimes with the addition of peanut butter. This particular curry recipe more closely resembles an Indian curry, with similar spices as found in the classic dish Chicken Tikka Masala. In all forms of curry, the star of the show is always the sauce and this one doesn't disappoint by offering a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and smoky flavors. 🙂
I like to serve this curry over rice or cauliflower rice with Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots or Roasted Sheet Pan Broccoli for a balanced meal.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to make Slow Cooker Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk:
- canned coconut milk
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- onion
- ginger
- minced garlic
- curry powder
- sugar
- salt
- pepper
- cayenne pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to make Slow Cooker Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk:
First, use a knife and cutting board to mince the ginger and slice the onion.
Then, add the coconut milk, curry powder, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne to a greased slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Add the chicken, sliced onion, minced ginger and minced garlic, giving everything an additional stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Once the chicken is done cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove the chunks of chicken to a separate place, then use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
Return the chicken to the juices in the slow cooker, stir one last time, then serve or keep warm until serving.
Hint: Use a slow cooker liner for easy cleanup.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient in Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken? Here's how:
- Full-fat coconut milk - use a can of lite coconut milk or a can of coconut cream in place of the can of full-fat coconut milk.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - use an equal amount of boneless skinless chicken thighs for a richer chicken curry.
- Curry powder - use 1 Tablespoon of turmeric, 1 Tablespoon of ground cumin and 1 Tablespoon of coriander in place of the curry powder.
- Sugar - use an equal amount of honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar or monk fruit in place of the sugar.
- Cayenne pepper - use an equal amount of red pepper flakes in place of the cayenne.
Variations
Try one of these variations of Slow Cooker Coconut Milk Chicken Curry:
- Spicy - add an extra ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to make the curry extra spicy.
- Vegan/ Vegetarian - replace the chicken with 2 cans of chickpeas, 5 sliced carrots and 2 diced sweet potatoes, then cook on low for 4 hours for a vegetarian curry.
- Low-carb/keto - replace the sugar with an equal amount of monk fruit sweetener.
- Paleo - replace the sugar with an equal amount of coconut sugar, raw honey, maple syrup or monk fruit sweetener.
- Whole 30 - omit the sugar for Whole 30.
Equipment
This equipment comes in handy when making Crockpot Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk:
Storage
Store cooled leftover cooked Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or, alternatively, in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Check out this article for more details on how to properly freeze and thaw cooked meat.)
Top tip
Alternatively, this same dish can be made in an instant pot by following the instructions for the slow cooker, then cooking on manual at high pressure for 20 minutes, doing a quick release for the pressure, and following the slow cooker instructions for shredding the chicken and returning it to the cooking juices.
FAQ
Coconut milk adds a creaminess to curry that balances out the spice and produces a thick and creamy sauce.
You can use liquid coconut milk from a carton in place of canned coconut milk but the results will not be the same. Since coconut milk from a carton is much thinner and less flavorful, it produces a lighter curry with a just subtle touch of creaminess.
Canned full-fat (not lite) unsweetened coconut milk is the best coconut milk for curry and will produce a curry that is thick, rich and creamy.
Related
Looking for other easy crock pot recipes like this Chicken Curry recipe? Try these:
Pairing
Serve Slow Cooker Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk with one of these vegetable dishes for a balanced meal:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Curry Chicken with Coconut Milk
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1" chunk ginger
- 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Use a knife and cutting board to mince the ginger and slice the onion.
- Add the coconut milk, curry powder, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne to a greased slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Add the chicken, sliced onion, minced ginger and minced garlic, giving everything an additional stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove the chunks of chicken to a separate place, then use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
- Return the chicken to the juices in the slow cooker, stir one last time, then serve or keep warm until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook chicken until a meat thermometer says a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- chicken curryslow cooker
Shannon
Easy peasy!