Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

By Richa

4.84 from 131 votes

on Sep 17, 2018, Updated Oct 19, 2020

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This Slow Cooker Chicken Curry is perfect in every way – juicy pieces of chicken and a spicy, flavorful gravy that has the right consistency. This is the perfect dinner to come home to ❤️

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Slow cooker chicken curry served over steamed rice in a black bowl with lemon wedges

Alright! So who is with me when I say slow cookers are awesome? Especially when you have recipes where you can dump a whole lotta stuff in and after a few hours, you are left with plain deliciousness. Enter: Slow Cooker Chicken Curry.

This recipe took a few tries but I’ve got it exactly the way we like it – tender, juicy chicken, a gravy that coats each piece of chicken instead of pooling at the bottom, and so much flavor that you would think we marinated the chicken for a few hours!

  • A really simple dump-and-go recipe that yields a really flavorful chicken curry
  • Most of the recipe is hands-off. The only real cooking you’ll do here is to cook the onions and garlic together in a little oil before adding it to the slow cooker
  • Can be made in a large batch and stored for later

Jump to section: Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Step by step directions to make slow cooker chicken curry

Top tips to cooking juicy chicken in a slow cooker

To cook really juicy chicken in the slow cooker, here are my top tips:

  • Use chicken thighs because they have more fat than breasts so they remain tender when cooked for long periods and don’t get stringy or dry out
  • Don’t add too much liquid because you are locking in the steam in a slow cooker so the water in the recipe does not have room to evaporate as much as it does in a pot. The chicken also leaves a fair amount of water so you are actually left with more liquid than you started with in the beginning
  • Cutting chicken into the desired size right in the beginning will save you the time and effort to shred it or chop it later. It will also ensure that the flavors coat and seep through every piece right from the beginning
  • Don’t cook it for longer than 6-7 hours because really, chicken cooks pretty fast compared to lamb or beef and that’s all the time it needs if you are cooking it on low sitting. When you slow cook it on high, the chicken only needs 3.5-4 hours
  • If you don’t have whole spices, feel free to skip them and increase the garam masala by 1/4 teaspoon
Slow cooker chicken curry served in a slow cooker with chopped coriander sprinkled on top

This slow cooker chicken curry uses simple ingredients but is really high on flavour. Plus you’re going to love just how simple it is to put together. I usually serve this with some plain steamed rice and a lemon wedge for weeknight dinners. But you can easily alleviate the recipe by serving with some butter garlic naan for weekend lunch or if you’re making this for guests.

Watch Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Recipe Video

Slow cooker chicken curry served over steamed rice in a black bowl with lemon wedges.
4.84 from 131 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

By: Richa
This slow cooker chicken curry is inspired by Indian flavours and is the perfect dinner recipe. The chicken is juicy, the gravy is luscious and not watery, and its fantastic served with rice or naan bread. It's incredibly easy, with minimal prep, while being gluten free and kid friendly too. Watch Recipe Video above.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 portions
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Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • 1 cup Onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
  • 7-8 Baby Potatoes, cut into half (or 2 large potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces)
  • 685 grams Chicken Thighs, skinless and boneless , cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Bayleaf
  • 2-3 Cloves
  • 6-8 Peppercorns, whole
  • 1 Green Chilli, finely chopped (or Serrano Pepper)
  • 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, or chilli flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Tomato Puree
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1 tablespoon Butter
  • Chopped coriander for topping

Instructions 

  • Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and minced garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes till the onions soften. Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients. Mix well.
  • Cover and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours or low for 6 hours. Once the chicken curry is cooked, mix in the chopped coriander and serve hot on top of steamed rice or with some butter naan.

Video

Notes

  1. Chicken Thighs vs. Breasts: I recommend chicken thighs for this recipe because they don’t dry out and retain their juiciness in the slow cooker. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. If you insist on using chicken breasts, keep them whole and once the curry is cooked, use a fork to shred the chicken in the slow cooker.
  2. Butter: Butter adds an extra layer of flavor and the fat keeps the chicken curry from drying out. You can also stir in some cream or coconut milk in the end in this recipe.
  3. Spices: The blend of coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala is powerful, and adds tons of flavor. Chilli powder can be swapped with paprika or cayenne pepper in this recipe. You can also swap these spices for two tablespoons generic curry powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 117mg, Sodium: 540mg, Potassium: 771mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 474IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 2mg
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4.84 from 131 votes (91 ratings without comment)

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198 Comments

  1. Hello Richa,

    What kind if tomato puree did u use. Fresh or store bought if store bought could u tell brand or what kind?

    Thanks

    Reply

      1. Hi, love the video. The curry looks amazing. I have attempted myself but can’t match the colour you have produced. Mine come out very yellow. How much or what ratio did you use with the tomato purée ?

        Many thanks
        Rob

      2. Hey Rob, the colour difference could be because of the spices and tomato puree. I use spices that are ground at home and they have a richer colour. But as long as it tastes good, the colour shouldn’t matter

  2. 5 stars
    Really loved your recipe. I am a huge fan of chicken and am always in the lookout for such toothsome chicken recipes. Your just made my day. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    1. The slow cooker function on the instant pot doesn’t work very well. If you want to try this in the IP, just pressure cook it for 10 minutes.

      Reply

  5. Hey, I love your blog.
    I have a personal questions. I have seen so many slow cooker in Amazon. Any suggestions on buying one in India. Like brand and model. I hope you can answer me ☺️

    Reply

    1. Hey Gayathri, the ‘crockpot’ brand is really good and is available on Amazon. You can check that out. I personally have a basic Russell Hobbs.

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    First time doing a curry in the slow cooker, thought this recipe was really tasty and quite easy, husband actually ate all the leftovers and he is not normally that in to leftovers

    Reply