Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry Recipe – Crock Pot Recipe

Name: Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry aka Crock Pot Chicken Curry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 190 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg Chicken (thighs//legs with bones); 300 grams Canned cherry tomatoes (1 can); 240 ml Yogurt; 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped; 1 cup Onion (chopped); 2 tbsp Garlic (minced); 2 tbsp Ginger (grated); 3 tbsp Canola oil; 1 tbsp Lemon juice; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Pepper; 2 tbsp Coriander powder; 1 tbsp Cumin powder; 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp Garam masala; 1 tsp Chilly powder; 2 tbsp Smoked sweet paprika

June 26, 2017 *Updated* October 7, 2019 By Veena Azmanov 36 Comments

Recipe Video Print

Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry Recipe – Crock Pot Chicken Curry

This slow cooker Indian chicken curry recipe, aka crockpot chicken curry, is a simple, easy and effortless recipe with only ten minutes of hands-on work and a few hours of slow cooking. This beautiful deep red curry is flavored with exotic Indian spices and can be served over a bowl of rice or with a simple crusty bread.

This slow cooker Indian chicken curry recipe will surprise you because it's so simple, easy and effortless. Ten minutes of hands-on work and three hours unsupervised slow cooking will give you this beautiful deep red curry you can enjoy over a bowl of rice or just simple crusty bread. — Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry – Crock Pot Indian Chicken Curry

The Secret to a Great Indian Curry

Good chicken curry is like an amazing treat!! My kid’s favorite. It’s the color, the flavor, the aroma, it’s …. well everything.

I have a few friends who love Indian food and have been asking me to make a slow cooker version. So this post is especially for those who love the slow cooker.

The secret to Indian cooking is not just in the spices but how you bring life into those spices. The right blend and the right cooking technique can make a huge difference from curry to curry.

Many people associate the slow cooker with throwing ingredients into the pot and let it cook itself out.

Nah!! With me, it’s always about taking it a step further. So, that’s what I’m going to show you with this slow cooker Indian chicken curry. Can you see that color? That comes from using this method. I think you will love it. After all, we eat with our eyes first – don’t we? It’s probably that color that got you to this post. And it will the be the aroma that will have you making this over and over again – I promise.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

Chicken Thighs/Legs – when cooking in a slow cooker it’s best to use cuts that will endure the long cooking. Personally, I do not like using breasts for curries or slow cooking. And yet, you can use chicken breast and reduce the cooking time to 2 hours on high.
Spice mix – coriander, cumin, garam masala have become common spices to have in every kitchen. These can be used in Asian, middle eastern and sometimes even Mediterranean cooking. Curry powder is usually a blend of common Indian spices and can be used as a substitute. So if you have curry powder and prefer to use that instead of buying any of these then…. add 2 tbsp of curry powder and 1 tsp of smoked sweet paprika instead of the spices mix.
Yogurt – I love adding yogurt to my chicken curry but if you need a non-dairy or parve’ chicken curry -please substitute the yogurt with the same amount coconut milk.
Cherry tomatoes – You can use regular chopped tomatoes of course – I love the sweetness and color that cherry tomatoes add to the curry.

Shred the chicken – Slow-cooked Indian Chicken Curry

Often cooking in a slow cooker means the chicken will fall off the bones. To make it more easy for the kids and us to eat. I usually pick each piece out, use two forks to take the bone which usually just falls off very easily. That way the kids get only chicken and gravy, no bones. The bones do add so much more in terms of flavor; just not fun when you get them in the fork. I know!

Don’t have a slow cooker? Not a problem!! Try stovetop.

I am showing you this recipe with the slow cooker. And yet, it is not absolutely necessary that you cook it in a slow cooker. I’ve been using my slow cooker for less than a year now. Before then I made this on the stovetop. And it’s much quicker too!

Below I have given you the alternate method which is stovetop cooking. If you cook it on the stovetop on medium heat you will need only 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thru.

Useful Tips and Tools

Use a heavy bottom pot when cooking with spices. This helps prevent the spices from burning. Spices need to be cooked well in a little water and the heavy bottom skillet also works best to maintain even heat.
A sharp knife and chopping board for cutting the chicken. Always use a separate chopping board just for meat or poultry, and another for vegetables.
Also, a wooden spoon works best to stir curries. And yet, avoid using your favorite wooden spoon as some spices may lend their natural dye to the wooden spoons. Wooden spoons are porous.
And a food processor or hand blender is what you will need to blend everything. Avoid adding too much water when blending because onions have lots of natural juices that work almost enough.

Nothing beats a good chicken curry over a bowl of steaming hot rice. And yet, I also love dipping my crusty bread in a good bowl of curry! YUP! You can keep the chicken just given me my curry and crusty bread and I’m in heaven.

How to Make A Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry, Crock Pot Indian Chicken Curry (Save/Pin)

Prepare

Clean, wash and drain chicken.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Blend the marinade

In a food processor grind onions, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste.
Add 1/4 cup water and spice mix powders and blend some more.

Saute the marinade

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.
Add the spice marinade and cook on medium to low for about 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant.

Slow cooker

Place seasoned chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Pour the sauteed marinade over it.
Add yogurt and the can of cherry tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Give it a good stir.

Cook chicken in the slow cooker/crockpot

On low for 5 hours.
Or on high for 3 hours.
Lastly, add chopped cilantro and lemon juice – Stir.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Cook chicken on the stovetop

Alternatively, cook chicken on medium heat for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thru.
Lastly, add chopped cilantro and lemon juice.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

What do you serve with this slow-cooker Indian Chicken Curry?

This curry goes well with any Indian bread, such as chapati or naan. Our family’s favorite is garlic butter naan or vegetable pilaf. And when I’m looking for a low carb option, I eat cauliflower rice. Since the no-fuss cauliflower rice works great for me in place of steamed rice. My kids also love the turmeric cauliflower rice or my mustard dill cauliflower rice.

A garlic butter naan is a variation on the classic Indian naan recipe that is often accompanied with an Indian meal. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes a deliciously soft and chewy garlic butter naan that just melts in the mouth.

Nigella Garlic Butter Naan Recipe

This whole wheat sweet potato chapati or flatbread is so versatile you can have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes the softest sweet potato flatbread ever. Combined with onions and herbs means you can have it on its own or as a bread with your main course.

Sweet potato chapati, sweet potato paratha

Cauliflower rice is the recent trend in the low crab and gluten free diet. These three simple, easy and effortless methods to making your own will have you addicted to healthy and nutritious homemade cauliflower rice even if you are not on any particular diet. Making homemade takes no more than five minutes.

Homemade Cauliflower Rice Steamed Cauliflower Rice (18)

This one pot vegetable rice is kids absolute favorite dish because it's lightly flavored with just the right amount of vegetables. This simple, easy and effortless recipe can be served as a main course on its own for a light meal or as an accompaniment to the main course. The best part is, it takes only 15 minutes to cook so quick one pot meal is a possibility.

Quick One Pot Vegetable Rice Recipe

Frequently asked questions

Can I use curry powder instead of this spice mix?

Yes, you sure can. If you don’t have the spices on hand, you can use about 2 tbsp of curry powder and 1 tsp of smoked paprika. The smoked sweet paprika will give a beautiful color to this quick chicken curry.

Can I use beef instead of chicken for this recipe?

Absolutely. This recipe will also work with 800 grams (approx 2 lbs) of beef. See my recipe for slow-cooked Indian Beef Curry

Can I make this curry on the stovetop?

Yes, you can. In fact, I do have a few chicken curry recipes that you can try. Quick chicken curry in 15 minutes or Chicken curry with just 6 ingredients.

Can I make this in an instant pot? Can I make this in a pressure cooker?

Yes, I have shown you how to make an Instant Pot chicken curry or Pressure Cooker chicken curry.

Can I omit the yogurt in this chicken curry?

Absolutely, you can make this without the yogurt or you can use coconut milk instead as well.

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Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry aka Crock Pot Chicken Curry

Author: Veena Azmanov

4.94 from 33 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins

Calories: 237kcal

$10

Adjust Servings Here: 6 servings

Description

Equipment /Tools

Ingredients

1 kg (2.2 lb) Chicken thighs//legs with bones
300 grams (2.01 cups) Canned cherry tomatoes 1 can
240 ml (0.98 cups) Yogurt
1/4 cup (0.25 cup) Cilantro chopped
1 cup (1 ) Onion chopped
2 tbsp (3 cloves) Garlic minced
2 tbsp (0.5 inch) Ginger grated
3 tbsp (3 tbsp) Canola oil
1 tbsp (1 tbsp) Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Spice Mix – (see note above to use curry powder as a substitute)

2 tbsp (1 tbsp) Coriander powder
1 tbsp (1 tsp) Cumin powder
1/2 tsp (1 tsp) Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Garam masala
1 tsp (1 tsp) Chilly powder
2 tbsp (2 tsp) Smoked sweet paprika

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 6 servings