Home Recipes Slow cook Slow-cooker chicken curry
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Chicken curry

Slow-cooker chicken curry
  • Portion size: Serves 8 (2 meals for 4)
  • Hands-on time 10 min. Simmering time 5 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
  • Difficulty: easy
Dairy-free Gluten-free
Jess Meyer

Our slow-cooker chicken curry is packed with flavour. Chicken thighs, coconut, ginger and spices simmer together in the slow cooker for delicious results. Freeze half for another no-fuss cooking day.

For more stress-free meal ideas, take a look through our slow cooker recipes.

 

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Ingredients

  • 1kg free-range skinless, boneless chicken thighs (see Easy Swaps)
  • 750g new potatoes, halved if large
  • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 5cm piece ginger, grated
  • 400g tin coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp good quality mango chutney, plus extra to serve
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 250g baby spinach leaves
  • Natural yogurt, basmati rice and poppadums to serve

For the spice mix

  • 2 tbsp masala powder (we used Bart Roasted Raj blend)
  • 2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (kashmiri)

You’ll also need

  • Slow cooker or hob-safe cast iron casserole
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Method

  1. Combine all the spice mix ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Put in a slow cooker (see Flavour Boost) with the remaining curry ingredients except the spinach and serving suggestions. Add half a tin of water, stir well, then put on the lid and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours until the potatoes and chicken are tender. Alternatively, combine the chicken and remaining ingredients in a casserole (see Flavour Boost) with a whole tin of water. Cover with damp baking paper and a lid, then cook in a 130°C fan/gas 2 oven for 3-4 hours.
  2. Shred the chicken into chunks using 2 forks, then stir in the spinach to wilt and season to taste. Serve with the yogurt, rice and poppadums, with extra mango chutney on the side.
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    • Nutrition

    • 339kcals Calories
    • 13.2g fat (8.5g saturated) Fat
    • 30.6g Protein
    • 22.7g (6.5g sugars) Carbs
    • 3.7g Fibre
    • 1.1g Salt

    Quick wins & tips

    Easy swaps: Use bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks if you prefer – you’ll need about 1.8kg chicken to account for the bone. If using skin-on chicken, brown it first, skin-side down, in a pan for 6-8 minutes.

    Flavour boost: If you like, fry the onion in a little veg oil or ghee for 10-12 minutes until softened and starting to brown before adding to the pot.

    If you’ve batch cooked this recipe (see Make Ahead), here are three ways to serve it: Bunny chow (South African rolls): Slice the tops off crusty bread rolls and hollow out the middle to form a bowl. Brush with oil, then bake in a medium oven for 6-8 minutes until crisp. Fill with hot chicken curry and top with a salsa of chopped tomato, onion and coriander in a splash of wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar.

    Cheat’s biryani: Layer the curry in a heavy-based pan with freshly cooked basmati rice. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over a very low heat for 20-30 minutes until piping hot. Top with shop-bought crispy fried onions or broken poppadums for some crunch, then sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve.

    Curry chicken soup: Shred the chicken and chop the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Reheat the curry in a pan with chicken stock and a tin of drained lentils. Stir in the spinach (or any leafy green), some chopped coriander and a good squeeze of lime juice, then season. Serve with yogurt and crusty bread.

    Make Ahead

    Batch cook: Cool the curry (without the spinach), then portion into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for 3-6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then gently reheat until piping hot. Stir in the spinach, then serve.

    Cook smarter

    If the sauce is a little thin once cooked, remove the chicken and potatoes, then bubble it in a pan over a medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until thickened. Return the chicken and potatoes to the sauce and continue with step 2.

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