Crock Pot Thai Chicken Curry is one of the easiest meals to make and is so tasty. Curry paste, coconut milk, and ginger add a ton of flavor to this healthy, low-cal, and naturally paleo + gluten-free dinner. Your family will LOVE it!
Friends! It's crockpot time again! This magical pot of cook-my-food-for-me has become a staple around here. Most days I wonder how the heck I lived without one for so long.
Remember back when I thought that crock pots were the domain of frazzled, minivan driving house moms? Boy, was I wrong! They belong to us all. Frazzled moms, cool moms, single dudes, suburban folks, city folks, country folks … crockpots are bringing us all together.
Seriously, what's not to love about quickly throwing a few ingredients in a pot and then coming back for dinner. It's. The. Best.
That's what this crock pot Thai chicken curry is all about. You literally put a couple ingredients into the pot then come back 4 hours later for dinner. Read: easiest dinner ever!
Video: How to make Thai Chicken Curry {1 min}
I have to tell you … making this crock pot Thai chicken curry was a little funny for me. I never put meat in Thai curry. Never ever. There're always lots of veggies, sometimes tofu, but never meat. This was a first.
The odd time when I've ordered curry with meat at a restaurant, the meat always ends up being kind of tough and disappointing. Not here. No way. The crockpot pulls a David Copperfield and turns the chicken into something super tender and delicious. Pure magic.
In this recipe, I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I find they have more flavor than breasts, and they're usually a lot more reasonably priced, too. If you have chicken breasts on hand, you can definitely use those instead.
I've made this recipe so many times now that it has become one of those recipes I don't need a recipe for. That might sound a little strange since I made the recipe. The thing is, after I make a recipe, I often reference it when I make it again.
I swear that's one of the biggest bonuses of having a blog. It's like my own personal recipe folder.
What I've found from making this so many times, is that it's a really flexible recipe. I no longer measure ingredients. I switch up the veggies. I leave the crock pot on a little longer or dig into dinner a little sooner. It always seems to work out.
Those are the best recipes, aren't they? The ones that are flexible enough that you can make on a whim and alter them as you go. They are always my favorite!
What I'm really saying is, “You have the freedom to play around with this recipe.” Or not, it's totally your choice.
Enjoy, my friends!
Video: How to make this Easy Crock Pot Thai Chicken Curry Recipe:
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Easy Family Dinner Recipes:
- Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts
- Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Saucy Peanut Chicken with Broccoli and Peppers
- Warm Caprese Pesto Pasta
- Italian Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives
- Easy Butter Chicken
- Cheesy Fajita Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Crock Pot Thai Chicken Curry
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Thai
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Crock Pot Thai Chicken Curry is one of the easiest meals to make and is so tasty. Curry paste, coconut milk, and ginger add a ton of flavor to this healthy, low-cal, and naturally paleo + gluten-free dinner. Your family will LOVE it!
| paleo + gluten-free + Whole30 adaptable|
Ingredients
- 1 – 14 ounce can coconut milk, plus 1 can of water (see notes)
- 2–4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten free, if needed. Sub coco aminos for paleo and Whole30)
- 1 tablespoon palm or coconut sugar (or sub maple syrup or brown sugar. Omit for Whole30)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (use Whole30 compliant, if needed)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2–3 pieces
- 1 large kabocha, cut into 1 – inch cubes (or 1 small butternut squash)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1–2 chili peppers, if you like extra heat
- 1 large bunch of kale, torn into small pieces (roughly 2 packed cups)
- Optional: cilantro, chili peppers, and lime to serve
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients, except for the kale, into your crock pot and stir together well. Set your crock pot to cook on high for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, stir in the kale and let it sit while you prepare the rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa to serve.
- Top with a little cilantro, lime, and, if you like it extra spicy, some chopped chili peppers.
Notes
Not all curry pastes are created equal. My favorite is Mae Ploy. If you are unfamiliar with the brand you're using make sure to taste it before adding it to the pot. Some pastes will be all heat and very little flavor. Make sure to read the labels if you're doing The Whole30 Program.
*I had a reader comment that she's experienced the coconut milk separating when she makes Thai curries in her crock pot. I've never had this happen to me before, but if you want to make sure this doesn't happen you can add water to the pot in the beginning and the coconut milk near the end. (Thank you for the tip, Lynda!)
Kristen Stevens
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Hi, I’m Kristen! 
Octavia says
May 1, 2019 at 12:47 pmCan I use chicken breast instead<
Kristen Stevens says
May 1, 2019 at 5:39 pmYou can!
Maddie says
April 30, 2019 at 11:57 amDo you know the time conversions if you wanted to make this in an instant pot?
Kristen Stevens says
May 2, 2019 at 4:43 pmI don’t but I would guess about 15 mins.
Sarah says
April 29, 2019 at 7:14 pmI made this for dinner tonight in my Dutch oven rather than a crock pot (cooked for about 30 minutes) and it was SO GOOD. I’m not a fan of squash, so I left that out and added some green peppers. Seriously I could have drank the sauce. A go-to from now on!
★★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
May 2, 2019 at 4:43 pmI’m so happy you liked it! Hooray!
Brianna says
April 25, 2019 at 2:51 pmMade this for dinner tonight – WOW! So good!
Kristen Stevens says
April 25, 2019 at 6:06 pmHooray! So happy it was a hit!
BillieJean says
April 13, 2019 at 7:36 pmStepped outside the box and fixed this for my hubs. I chose to use sliced carrots instead of squash since he’s not a fan, and it came out quite good! Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe! Next time I’m adding the chili’s too!
★★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
May 2, 2019 at 5:00 pmThat makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!
Tee says
March 12, 2019 at 4:37 amCould I sub the kale with broccoli?
Kristen Stevens says
March 22, 2019 at 5:39 pmI think that would be great! You might want to put it in a few minutes earlier to give it a little extra time to cook. 5-10 extra minutes should do it. 🙂
Christine says
February 28, 2019 at 7:16 amIf you were going to add Currie powder to this recipe, how much would you add? Thank you!
Kristen Stevens says
February 28, 2019 at 8:31 amCurry powder (which is an Indian spice) is very different from Thai curry paste and using it will completely change the taste of the recipe. But Indian curry is delicious so it should still taste good. I would start with 2 tablespoons, although you may need to add more at the end.
sarah says
February 26, 2019 at 6:19 pmDo you think I could sub sweet potato for kabocha? Thanks!
Kristen Stevens says
February 28, 2019 at 8:20 amThat would work!
Alex says
March 31, 2019 at 9:43 pmI work all day, would putting this recipe on low work alright? I haven’t worked with curry paste before so I don’t want to ruin it! Lol
Kristen Stevens says
April 2, 2019 at 11:29 amWhile you could do that, the squash will be very cooked after that long and mostly fall apart. 🙂
Emily says
February 23, 2019 at 3:04 amHi – do you know what the conversion is if you were to cool this on low instead of high? 8 hours?
Kristen Stevens says
February 23, 2019 at 8:13 amThis recipe is really best only cooked for 4 hours. When I’ve tried to cook it longer, the squash gets too soft.
Alicia says
February 21, 2019 at 9:33 amCan this cook on low for 8 hours instead?
Kristen Stevens says
February 28, 2019 at 8:25 amI find that the squash doesn’t hold up well after 8 hours. So technically you could cook it for 8 hours, but the squash will pretty much disappear into the sauce after that time.
Christina STone says
February 17, 2019 at 3:20 pmMy family liked it.
Kristen Stevens says
February 19, 2019 at 6:56 amI’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
Zoe says
February 13, 2019 at 3:14 amCan you freeze this?
Kristen Stevens says
February 13, 2019 at 7:58 amThis freezes well!
Nena Brus says
February 12, 2019 at 6:35 pmCurious, never used squash before..do I Cook it first before chopping it and throwing it in ? Thanks.
Kristen Stevens says
February 19, 2019 at 7:54 amNope! Simply peel it, chop it, and pop it in the pot. 🙂
Brandi says
January 26, 2019 at 8:14 pmThis is a hit. Just use the tips from the reviews and add some salt! Sooo good and sauce is perfect after you smash a few of the squash. I will be making this again! Thanks!!!
★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
February 4, 2019 at 7:29 amSo happy to heat you like the recipe!
Kathryn says
January 26, 2019 at 3:34 pmI forgot to say I did add half a can of water😊