Slow-cooker chicken curry

delicious. tips

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.