Crazy how easy this dump-and-cook actually is!
This chicken curry recipe was first created over 10 years ago for my annual Christmas party and has 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 (without a ton of weird or hard-to-find ingredients!)
Yup! You can enjoy a big ole’ Crockpot full of this soupy goodness with little effort. Just dump, slow cook, and sit down to a delicious dinner the whole family will love!
Want a few other easy curry recipes? You might also enjoy this Chickpea Curry, Salmon Curry, Pumpkin Curry, and Chicken Korma Curry.
OMGOONESS this is seriously delicious. I made it for my family recently & each one of the just LOVED it. This will be on the menu at our house at least every couple of months since it is so tasty and so very simple to make. Thank you for sharing 🙂
– Lynda
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Yellow Curry Seasoning. A blend of a few simple Indian spices make up the bulk of the flavor in this recipe.
- 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. You can swap this with 2 cans of drained chickpeas to make 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. Yams work too, but will have a starchier texture. (Here’s more on Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes.)
- 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.
The Slow Cooker I L❤️VE!
Not all slow cookers are created the same. I’ve used and loved my Crockpot 6-quart one for YEARS. It holds heat great, is easy to use, and the lock and carry lid is so handy!
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Make the seasoning.
To make a curry seasoning mix you will need to mix together in a small bowl the salt, pepper, curry powder, turmeric powder, coriander, and sugar.
Pro Tip: While you can technically buy the yellow curry paste (along with green curry paste or red curry sauce) at your local grocery store, I much prefer to blend up my own curry spice mix at home.
Prep the potatoes.
Cutting the sweet potatoes to the right size makes a big difference. For softer potatoes, cut them into ½-inch cubes; for firmer bites, go with 1-inch cubes. And always peel them first so the skins don’t separate during cooking.
Add everything to the slow cooker.
Pour all but 1 cup of the coconut milk into the bottom of the Crock-Pot bowl. Save the rest of the milk for when the curry is finished cooking. Carefully add the butter, garlic, and seasoning mix to the milk, then stir to combine.
Place the chicken breasts into the mixture. Be sure they are completely submerged in the liquid. Add the sweet potatoes and onions on top, and stir to combine.
Slow cook the curry.
Cover Crockpot 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.
Pour in the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir until well combined.
Pro Tip: 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 and you cook it on high pressure.
But you can always sub sweet potatoes instead!
Serve the curry.
Once the chicken is shredded and the potatoes are tender, let the curry rest in the Crockpot for about 20 minutes to thicken and bring the coconut milk back together. Serve with basmati or brown rice, fresh cilantro, and naan—or swap in cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option.
FAQs
Yes! It is definitely fine to put raw chicken in a slow cooker. The Crockpot is a great tool for tenderizing chicken and creating warming, easy dishes.
You can easily use coconut milk in the slow cooker. In fact, you can sub coconut milk for cream and other dairy in a variety of recipes.
To avoid a watery curry, be sure to pay attention to how much liquid you are adding before cooking. If you add too much water, milk, or broth, the end result will be loose.
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.
What to serve with it?
You just can’t beat a big scoop of this on a bed of rice. Try any of these recipes when you’re ready to dig in.
Stick with classic rice dishes like Basmati Rice or Jasmine Rice. Or, add some flavor with Coconut Rice or Mango Coconut Rice.
Keep it simple with Instant Pot White Rice or Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
Cauliflower Rice is the best when you’re going low-carb.
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Crockpot Curry Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons curry powder mild
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 15 ounce cans coconut milk lite or full fat
- 2 tablespoons 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
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 tablespoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 15 ounce 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 pound chicken breasts, 2 tablespoons 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.
- Coconut milk: For a creamier texture, go for the full-fat coconut milk.
- Cleanup: Use a liner to make cleaning a breeze.
- Veggies: This dish is delicious with sweet potatoes, but you can easily include more hearty vegetables.
- Serving: Scoop this on a bed of rice for the perfect dinner. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro or even some fresh lime juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other Easy Curry Recipes
You might also enjoy these other tasty curry recipes:
Chicken Korma Curry
45 mins
Salmon Curry in Coconut Milk
30 mins
Thai Green Chicken Curry
30 mins
Massaman Chicken Curry
45 mins
Can’t wait to make this! but can I use coconut milk from the carton?
Hi Ashley!! Honestly, I would only advise using the canned coconut milk in this recipe! The carton has a much more liquidy consistency and it may not come out quite like it should 🙂
I didn’t have ground coriander but substituted a tsp. garam masala (which has coriander but it’s combined with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin). It smelled and turned out amazing! Garam masala is used in Indian cooking which do make all the time in our house. Perfect for this recipe!!!
Yay Laura!! So so happy it turned out well for you. Garam masala is an incredible Indian spice! Thanks for your review!
Loved this recipe! Will definitely make it again. I used cauliflower rice in plsce of regular rice.
Yay, yay!! So happy you enjoyed it, Sharon! Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂
I’ve made this recipe about 8x and it is absolutely my fiancé’s favorite chicken curry recipe I’ve made. Winner in my books! I’ve added a little bit of cumin because I like that spice on every curry dish I make. And it’s always consistent with the flavors it brings. Thank you for sharing! I might not be a great cook but easy to follow recipes like this makes me a decent cook. LOL. Absolutely tasty!
Lol… I love it, Anna!! So happy to help you find your inner awesome chef self! I love your idea to add cumin… might have to try that out next time! Thanks so much for your comment and your rating!
i made this. I changed two cans of coconut milk to 1 can and it was still REALLY REALLY soup-y. I can’t imagine what it would have been like with two cans. I think i would recommend 1/2 can.The flavor was really good — and you can throw it other veggies, like I added cauliflower and cherry tomatoes, so it’s really flexible. I think it needed a bit more fire, but that might be down to the kind of curry i used (vindaloo). Will try it again!
Hi! Adding the extra vegetables might have been a slight cause for the soupy-ness. Also, once you shred the chicken, let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, the curry will thicken up. I love your addition to add extra vegetables for nutrition, though! Thanks so much for the comment and the rating!
Can I leave out the sugar and could I replace coriander with somthing else?
Hi Jess! Yes, feel free to leave out the sugar and swap out the coriander for a hint of cinnamon and more curry powder!
HI, was just wondering if it is able to be cooked with chicken peices cut up first instead of shredding? and will that effect the cooking time?
very excited to try this!
Hi Emily! You definitely want to start off with raw chicken. You can either use whole chicken breasts or cubed. If you use cubed, it will probably speed up the cooking time by about 30-60 minutes! Hope this helps!
Very easy to make, but came out a bit bland for my taste. Smelled wonderful but lacked the wonderful spice taste I normally enjoy from restaurant coconut curry chicken. I added more salt and pepper, which helped, but still missing something… I also may not have used the full 4 c of sweet potatoes because it also seemed like it needed more veggies. Might add more potatoes and cauliflower next time I try it. Otherwise a great recipe.
Flavour is amazing and love the simplicity of the recipe. I found it a bit runny, do you thicken it at all or let it stand for a bit before serving? Have you tried leaving out the water? I added a bunch of veggies in mine, maybe that added moisture…
Hi Liz! Feel free to leave out the water next time. I tend to let mine stand for a bit to come to room temperature and shred up the chicken really well to increase the thickness of the curry. Veggies could definitely add a bit of water since they lose a lot of it during the cooking process! Thanks for the comment and rating!
The chicken curry was delicious! I kind of want to freeze half of it for an easy meal for later. How long would it stay “fresh” if I froze it?
Hi Kelly! So happy you enjoyed it! I normally give most frozen foods 3-6 months. Of course, it depends on how well/tightly sealed you freeze it, too. Thanks so much for the comment/question!