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.ย
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.
Reasons you'll love this recipe
- 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
- The perfect recipe to alleviate weeknight dinners and serve something that's truly delicious but low-effort
Quick Walk Through: 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 ยผ teaspoon
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
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)
- 8 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
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Tomato Puree
- ยฝ 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
- 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.
- Butter:ย 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.
- 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.
Anu says
Hi Richa, this recipe looks amazing and I will try it.
But I do have some friends that prefer a milder curry, would this be classed mild or medium hot?
Thanks.
Richa says
Hey Anu, this would be medium hot. You can scale down the spice a bit to suit your taste
Maryanne Cave says
Hi Richa. Your recipe sounds great. One question: should the chicken be browned as well as the onion and garlic before the slow cooking process?
Richa says
Hey Maryanne - there is no need for that. You can add the chicken pieces straight to the slow cooker and they'll cook in the sauce.
Darren says
First curry I have ever done
In a slow cooker it was very tasty and easy to cook Thank You.
Richa says
So glad you liked it Darren!
Maria says
Dear Richa, how many grams of chicken does the recipe call for?
Kathleen says
This was extremely well flavored. Very delicious. I used the spices as recommended in the recipe. I used a medium jalapeno including the pith and seeds. It was a little bit spicier than I prefer, but definitely tolerable. Husband loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Richa says
Maybe you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno the next time and that'll help reduce the spice levels. So glad you and the hubs liked it.
Jasmeen says
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
Richa says
Hey Jasmeen, I used Dabur Homemade's tomato puree. Store bought is thicker and works better in this recipe
Rob Taylor says
Hi, love the video. The curry looks amazing. I have attempted myself but canโt match the colour you have produced. Mine come out very yellow. How much or what ratio did you use with the tomato purรฉe ?
Many thanks
Rob
Richa says
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
Srirup Mazumdar says
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!
Richa says
Thanks so much Srirup!
Grace says
What can I substitute for tomato puree?
Richa says
You can use a smaller quantity of tomato paste instead
Ketaki Misra says
Could this be made in the instant pot too? Using the saute function and then slow cooking
Richa says
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.
Gayathri says
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 โบ๏ธ
Richa says
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.
Amanda says
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
Richa says
Thats awesome Amanda! So glad both of you liked it!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Looks like a perfect meal for fall nights!
Richa says
Thanks Toni, its pure comfort food!
diane says
Love all the wonderful spices, especially the coriander! YUM.
Richa says
Thanks Diane!
Diana says
Can I use a whole chicken instead for this recipe?
Richa says
Sure thing!
Marjory says
Fantastic flavors. I bet the house smells amazing too!
Richa says
It does Marjory! We love the flavours of this curry
sheenam | thetwincookingproject.net says
Absolutely love chicken curry. This looks so so good!!
Richa says
Thanks Sheenam!
Yvonne says
Hi when you say tomato purรฉe. Is that purรฉe or passata?
Richa says
Hey Yvonne, its called puree in India and passata outside India. Please use passata.