Slow Cooker Chicken Curry is made with coconut milk, chicken breasts, an easy curry powder seasoning blend and sweet potatoes. This Crock-Pot Indian curry is healthy, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner when served with rice.
Want a few other easy curry recipes? You might also enjoy this Chickpea Curry, Salmon Curry, and Chicken Korma Curry
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
This chicken curry recipe was first created a few years ago for our annual Christmas party and has since become a family (and reader!) favorite.
It’s super quick to put together.
Easy to meal prep ahead of time.
And tastes JUST as good as your favorite Indian restaurant’s yellow curry dish.
I’m being for realz here.
Not only is the Indian-style creamy sauce FULL of curry and coriander flavor…
It’s loaded with big chunks of sweet potatoes…
But it is also made with =coconut milk and WITHOUT any dairy or heavy cream!
Yup! You can enjoy a big ole’ Crock-pot full of this soupy goodness without a lick of lactose guilt.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need are relatively simple to find at your local grocery store and include:
- Chicken – One pound of chicken breasts are used in this recipe. There is no need to pound them thin or tenderize them before cooking since the slow cooker does the work for you.
- See the section below if you would like to make this into a vegan yellow curry.
- Coconut Milk – Two cans of full-fat and lite coconut milk were both tested in this recipe. Using all full-fat milk will make the curry more creamy whereas two cans of lite milk will be lower in fat and calories but a bit runny. You can also choose to use a combination of the two.
- Sweet Potatoes – Unlike a traditional yellow curry recipe, this one uses sweet potatoes instead of Russet or Idaho potatoes. Feel free to substitute these orange beauties with their whiter cousins if that’s what you have on hand.
- Onion – A sweet onion was used to test this dish, but a white, yellow, or red onion can also be used.
- Garlic – Crushed garlic adds a nice flavor to the dish. Garlic powder can also be substituted.
- Yellow Curry Seasoning – A blend of a few simple Indian spices make up the bulk of the flavor in this recipe.
Yellow Curry Seasoning
While you can technically buy the yellow curry paste at your local grocery store, I much prefer to blend up my own curry spices at home.
To make a curry seasoning mix you will need:
- Curry Powder – These come in mild, medium, and hot when bought in the bulk section at grocery stores. Mild or medium is recommended for this recipe.
- Most commercial brands, such as McCormick, are a mild heat.
- Turmeric Powder – Watch out for this one as it definitely stains white countertops!
- Coriander – Please don’t leave this one out. It gives the dish a wonderful nuttiness.
- Sugar – Just a touch of white sugar is used to sweeten the sauce. Feel free to leave it out if you are on a Whole30 or Paleo diet.
- Salt and Pepper – Adjust these according to your taste preferences.
Preparing the Potatoes
An important step when making this Crock-pot curry is how big or small you cut your potatoes.
If you like super soft sweet potatoes, you’ll want to cut the potatoes close to 1/2-inch cubes.
However, if you prefer your potatoes on the firmer side, 1-inch cubes will cook completely while still holding their shape.
No matter what size, you’ll definitely want to peel the sweet potatoes before adding them to the slow cooker.
If not, the peel will start to separate from the potato while cooking.
How to Make
This chicken curry is a quick and easy meal that you can prep ahead for busy weeks.
Here is an overview of the step-by-step instructions you will need to follow.
- Pour all but 1 cup of coconut milk into the bottom of a 6-quart Crock-Pot.
- Add butter, garlic, and seasoning ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Place chicken into the slow cooker.
- Add sweet potatoes and onions. Stir to combine.
- Cover Crock-Pot with the lid and cook on High for 4-5 hours, or Low for 5-6 hours.
- Shred the chicken using two forks during the last 30 minutes of cooking. (Step 1 above.)
- Pour in remaining 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir until well combined. (Steps 2 and 3 above.)
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
What if you don’t have 5 or 6 hours to kill and want to make a chicken curry in a hurry?
If you have a pressure cooker, you’ll want to check out this Instant Pot Yellow Chicken Curry recipe.
It’s super similar to this one, except it uses white potatoes and carrots instead of sweet potatoes.
But you can always sub sweet potatoes instead!
Serving
Once the chicken is tender and shredded, the potatoes are soft, you’ll want to stir the curry and let it sit in the Crock-Pot for at least 20 minutes before serving.
This additional time allows the coconut milk to come back together if it separated while cooking and thicken up.
What to serve with chicken curry?
Traditionally, curry dishes are served with a side of basmati rice in Indian restaurants.
You can either make this Instant Pot Basmati Rice or serve it with a side of traditional white or brown rice.
If you want to limit your carbs, it would also taste great with cauliflower rice.
Storing
Chicken curry is much like soups and stews in that it refrigerates and freezes exceptionally well.
In fact, I often find that curry tastes even better after a few days of the flavors melding together.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze leftover yellow curry in a freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 months.
Vegetarian or Vegan Curry
A simple way to make this chicken curry fit for a vegetarian is to leave out the chicken and substitute it for 2 cans of drained chickpeas.
You can leave all of the other ingredients the same!
Need a Crock-Pot?
Slow cookers are an extremely affordable kitchen appliance that are well worth the space they take up in your kitchen. They come in various sizes, but I would highly encourage you to get at least a 6-QT Crock-Pot
Sometimes your slow cooker can be a bit of a hassle to clean-up. If you want to save even more time, these Slow Cooker Liners
Other Easy Curry Recipes
You might also enjoy these other healthy curry recipes:
Salmon Curry with Coconut Milk
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Crockpot Curry Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 3 Tbsp. curry powder mild
- 1 tsp. turmeric powder
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 2 15-oz. cans coconut milk lite or full fat
- 2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 cups sweet potatoes peeled, cut into ½ to 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet onion finely diced
- Rice cooked
- Cilantro optional
- See this recipe in Meal Plan #6
Instructions
- Combine seasonings and coconut milk: Whisk together curry powder, turmeric, coriander, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Pour all but 1 cup of coconut milk into the bottom of a 6-quart Crock-Pot. Reserve remaining coconut milk until after curry is done cooking.3 Tbsp. curry powder, 1 tsp. turmeric powder, ½ tsp. ground coriander, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 15-oz. cans coconut milk
- Add butter, chicken, and veggies: Add butter, garlic, and the seasoning ingredients. Stir to incorporate the seasonings. Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker, making sure to submerge them in the liquid. Add sweet potatoes and onions. Stir to combine.1 lb. chicken breasts, 2 Tbsp. butter, 2 cloves garlic, 4 cups sweet potatoes, 1 medium sweet onion
- Cook in crockpot: Cover slow cooker and set to Low for 5-6 hours, or High for 4-5 hours. Check on curry during the last hour of cooking and stir the ingredients if the curry is starting to stick to the sides.
- Shred and serve: Shred chicken using two forks during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Pour in reserved 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir until well combined. Turn off slow cooker and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. This will help thicken up the sauce. Serve chicken curry with basmati rice and additional cilantro, if desired, and enjoy! See this recipe in Meal Plan #6.Rice, Cilantro
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Video
Notes
- Nutritional info is calculated with "lite" coconut milk and no rice.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Chicken curry is much like soups and stews in that it refrigerates and freezes exceptionally well. In fact, I often find that curry tastes even better after a few days of the flavors melding together.
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Freeze leftover yellow curry in a freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 months.
- To Reheat: Allow the curry to thaw in the fridge for 1 to 2 days, then warm up in a skillet or the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would be nice in the ingredients list was at the start rather than the end of this article
Hi Chris! There’s a jump to recipe button that’s at the top of the screen that allows you to skip right to the recipe.
I have made this twice in the past two weeks in my crockpot. It’s absolutely delicious!! My husband loved it too!!
Yay, Toni! So happy to hear you and the hubby enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
This was so delicious, a real keeper. And easy too. Unequivocally the best homemade curry I have found so far.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the comment and rating 🙂
Soooo good!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Bre. Thanks so much for the comment and rating 🙂
I like to add the zuccini and carrots to the slow cooker . The meal is very delish.
What a great idea, Sanja! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the comment and rating 🙂
Umm – this recipe is not dairy free as it includes butter,
You can easily swap it out for oil with no impact on flavor!
Recipe looks good. I’m nervous to try it, because I believe the coconut milk will curdle,
You should be good to go, Helen! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
This is the first comment I’ve ever left on a recipe! It was THAT good!!!! 😀 I have now made this over 5 times for family and friends and everyone raves about it! I can’t believe how easy but incredibly tasty the recipe is! I’ve made a handful of slow cooked curries that were ok, but I’ll forever go back to this one as it truely is the best! The only thing I did differently was add in one tablespoon of cornflour to help thicken it. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!!!! 😀
Yay, Nicole! So happy to hear you enjoyed the curry so much. It’s definitely a family favorite around here too! Thanks so much for your comment and rating!
My husband and I are planning on making this dish tomorrow and can’t wait to try it. My husband likes his curry on the thicker side, do you have any recommendations on how to thicken it? Based on the video you provided it might turn out a little too soupy for his liking. Would adding some cornstarch be ok or would that ruin the texture of the dish?
Cornstarch is always a great idea! Also, you can always decrease the amount of liquid added to make it thicker. Hope you enjoy the recipe, Jasmin!
It actually turned out the perfect thickness no cornstarch needed, thanks for the reply. Makes great leftovers and so much food!!!
I’m fairly new to cooking Indian food, are there other traditional Indian spices that would go well with this recipe if I wanted to add a little more depth in flavor to the dish?
Yay!! So happy to hear it turned out great for you, Jasmin! This recipe is a pretty simplified version of curry – this Instant Pot Chicken Curry recipe I have on the side has a bit more flavor to it (using garam masala and even a bit of paprika or cayenne pepper for a kick!) Would love to know what you try out!
I’m making this tomorrow for the first time and I’m trying 1 can each of the lite and full fat coconut milk. Which do you recommend waving a cup of to add at the end?
Great question! I think you’ll be good either way, but might opt to add the full-fat at the end :). Can’t wait to hear what you think!