Slow Cooker Spicy Curry (With Chicken)

Easy slow cooker spicy curry recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Tender boneless chicken cubes are coated in a thick Indian sauce of tomatoes, coconut and various spices.

This curry is an easy and delicious choice for any weeknight dinner at home or Slow Cooker Thaw Green Chicken Curry, Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken,

How to make slow cooker spicy curry recipe from scratch?

1. Saute- Chicken and cinnamon in half of the butter and oil.
2. Transfer mixture- To a large crockpot.
3. Saute- Onion, tomatoes, garlic, green chili, and spices in remaining butter and oil.
4. Add mixture- To the crockpot, too.
5. Mix in- Broth, tomato paste, coconut milk, and sugar.
6. Cover and cook– Until chicken is cooked through.
7. Remove lid– And mix everything together.
8. Garnish– With fresh cilantro and enjoy!

What to serve with crockpot spicy chicken curry?

I like to serve curry over rice–

• Steamed rice (jasmine, basmati, brown)
• Fried rice
• Quinoa (healthier alternative to rice)

Or pasta-

• Rice or Ramen noodles
• Egg noodles or whole wheat noodles
• Zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash for a healthier alternative

You can also add a side dish, such as a green salad, roasted vegetables, or a veggie tray

What is the main spice in curry?

The main spice that gives that nice unique curry flavor is garam masala. This is followed by red chili powder, especially the Kashmiri one. 

Variations for spicy Indian curry

• Make vegetarian curry– Omit the chicken and add in more vegetables of your choice.
• Use beef instead of chicken– But keep in mind, the cook time will be longer. However, you can use leftover Roast Beef or Barbacoa Beef to make it quick.
• Make chickpea curry– Simply add in some delicious chickpeas, but remember the cook time will be shorter if you are using canned chickpeas.
• Adjust spice factor– To your personal preference. Add a little more of this and take away a bit of that. It’s your choice!
• Use other cuts of chicken– Such as the thighs or wings. In fact, some think thigh meat is the best for curry recipes.
• Add some sugar– Traditionally not used in my Mom’s recipe but can help cut the spice a little…

Tips and techniques for hot curry

• Don’t skip the initial sautéing steps on stovetop– Because it adds a lot of flavor and also evaporates a lot of excess liquid.
• Highly recommend using multifunctional slow cooker– Because you can easily to do all these initial stovetop instructions in the crockpot without making another pot or pan or even your stovetop dirty.
• How to thicken curry? How to make curry thinner? To make it thicker, in a small mixing bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by dissolving cornstarch powder with some of the liquid and juices from the crockpot. Pour this slurry in the crockpot. Mix until combined. Cook uncovered on High heat for 15-20 minutes. To make it thinner, slowly add in more chicken broth or water until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Use full fat coconut milk– For the fullest, richest, and most delicious flavor.
• Use low sodium broth and unsalted butter– Because this cuts down on the salt factor, making the other spices and flavors stand out more.
• Don’t replace fresh ginger and fresh garlic with powders- Because they do not carry the same flavor or potency.

Storage of curry

Fridge- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave. 

Freezer- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month and reheated in the microwave.

More slow cooker chicken recipes

• Slow Cooker Tandoori Chicken
• Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
• Slow Cooker Asian Chicken (Shredded)
• Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
• Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

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Slow Cooker Spicy Curry (Chicken Curry)

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Easy slow cooker spicy curry recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Tender boneless chicken cubes are coated in a thick Indian sauce of tomatoes, coconut and various spices.

Yield: 4 People

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp Butter, Unsalted
• 1.5 tbsp Oil
• 3 Chicken breasts, Boneless, Cut into small 1.5 inch cubes
• 1 stick Cinnamon , About 2 inches big
• 1.5 cups Onion, Finely chopped
• 1 can Chopped tomatoes, 14.5 oz. can
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely minced
• 1.5 tbsp Ginger, Freshly grated
• Salt, To taste
• Pepper, To taste
• 3 tsp Red chili powder, Preferably Kashmiri red chili powder that can be found in Indian grocery stores. Do not use chili powder that's used to make Mexican chili because that's different than red chili powder
• 1.5 tsp Paprika
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 Green chili, Also known as Thai green chili or Bird's eye chili. It's thin and small. Washed. Patted dry. Cut in half
• 1 cup Chicken broth, Low sodium
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 3/4 cup Coconut milk, Full fat
• 1-2 tsp Granulated sugar, Optional, To cut the acidity and spice factor
• 1.5 tbsp Cornstarch, Dissolved in 2-3 tbsp of liquid curry from the crockpot to make a slurry
• 1-2 Tbsp Cilantro, Washed, Patted Dry, Finely chopped, For garnish

Instructions 

• Add half the butter and half the oil in a large nonstick pot over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, cinnamon stick and saute for a few minutes until light golden brown and no longer pink. It does not have to be fully cooked through.
• Transfer this to large crockpot (6 quart or larger).
• In the same nonstick pot, heat remaining butter and oil over medium-high heat.
• Add onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, red chili powder, paprika, coriander powder, cumin powder, curry powder, garam masala, green chili.
• Mix until combined.
• Saute for a few minutes until all spices are fragrant and onions are partially softened.
• Transfer this mixture to crockpot too.
• Note: I highly recommend using a multifunctional slow cooker because you can easily to do all these initial stovetop instructions in the crockpot without making another pot or pan or even your stovetop dirty.
• Add broth, tomato paste, coconut milk, sugar.
• Mix until combined.
• Cover and cook on High heat for 3 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
• Remove lid and mix everything together.
• Optional step if you prefer a very thick curry: In a small mixing bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by dissolving cornstarch powder with some of the liquid and juices from the crockpot. Pour this slurry in the crockpot. Mix until combined. Cook uncovered on High heat for 15-20 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Notes

• Read all my tips above.
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave. 

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 121mg, Sodium: 731mg, Potassium: 1185mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1272IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 5mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Calories: 434

Author: Abeer Rizvi