Thai Coconut Chicken Curry (made in your slow cooker)
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We all love an easy, flavorful dinner – enter this crockpot Thai chicken curry. This is my go-to when I have a busy week, but don’t want to skimp on tasty, satisfying meals. I’ll show you how to prep everything so the crockpot does all the work, and you can come back to a winning dinner!
This Thai coconut chicken curry is one of my favorite curry recipes for busy days. Everything goes into the slow cooker, where the chicken becomes fall-apart tender, and the vegetables soak up the rich coconut curry sauce’s flavors. It’s the kind of meal that fills the house with the most incredible aroma and rewards you with a comforting dinner at the end of the day.
The sauce is built from classic Thai ingredients like red curry paste, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and soy sauce. A little brown sugar balances the savory and spicy flavors, while the coconut milk creates a rich, velvety broth that’s perfect for spooning over rice.
Sweet squash, onion, kale, and chili peppers make this curry hearty and colorful, while fresh cilantro, lime, and extra chili add brightness just before serving. It’s deeply flavorful, wonderfully cozy, and one of those recipes that tastes like it took far more effort than it actually did.
A few FAQs
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs? I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs as they’re more flavorful than breasts and usually more reasonably priced. But if you have chicken breasts on hand, you can definitely use those instead.
Can I cook this on low heat for 8-10 hours? Yes, but there’s a caveat. Cooking this curry for longer will make the squash very soft. At least half of it will disappear into the sauce, which isn’t a bad thing! The curry sauce will become thicker and sweeter, with a hint of squash, but it will still be delicious.
Can I make this Thai chicken curry on the stovetop? Yes! You’ll want to simmer the curry for no longer than 1 hour.
Can I use a different color curry paste? Yes! I’ve used red, green, and yellow in this recipe, and they all work well.
Store, reheat, and freeze
Store: First, let your Thai chicken curry cool to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. I think it tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had a chance to deepen!
Freeze: If you want to store it longer, freeze it for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat: Warm it on the stovetop or in the microwave. If it’s thickened in the fridge, you can add a splash of water to loosen things up.
Thai Coconut Chicken Curry (made in your slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups chicken stock (see notes)
- 2-4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (see notes)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 large kabocha squash (cut into 1-inch cubes – or 1 small butternut squash)
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 1-2 chili peppers (if you like extra heat)
- 14 ounce can coconut milk
- 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 coconut milk and kale, into your crockpot and stir together well. Set your crockpot to cook on high for 4 hours.1-2 cups chicken stock, 2-4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 large kabocha squash, 1 medium yellow onion, 1-2 chili peppers
- After 4 hours, stir in the coconut milk and kale and let it sit while you prepare the rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa to serve.14 ounce can coconut milk, 1 large bunch of kale
- Top with a little cilantro, lime, and, if you like it extra spicy, some chopped chili peppers.Optional: cilantro, chili peppers, and lime to serve
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Equipment Used
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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I’ve made this recipe a thousand times, and it’s a family fave. A couple things to note: 1.) We never add the chicken broth as it’s way too watery 2.) the recipe neglects to mention that you should season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper before adding to slow cooker. This is a MUST or else it is very bland 3.) I use Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk. Once I used the Goya Coconut Milk and it was a disaster. The Goy Coconut Milk curdles badly in this recipe, and it won’t come out creamy.
Thank you for sharing your tips and suggestions!
I read there’s already a lot of salt in the fish sauce and another ingredient. Due to taste, I will just stick to the regular recipe.
Yummy but wasn’t enough for 4 people! Will make again!
Sooo good. Took to my friends’ & they loved it too!
How the heck did anyone prepare this so quickly. It took me 15 minutes just to cut up the kobacha squash. And did cut up my chicken, just shredded it after the 4 hours and it was cooked through.
Can i use delicata squash in this? Also what would be a good sub for kale?
Yes, that should work well! Spinach is nice instead of the kale. 🙂
Can you store this in for how long?
This will keep for 3-4 days in a container in your fridge.
This looks real yummy. Can you use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead?
Absolutely!
Wouldn’t 4 hrs on high be too long for chicken breasts?
That’s what worked best for us in recipe testing!
Since finding this recipe post, I have made this twice already! It is so delicious and easy to prepare.
I opted out of using kale, and used green veggies that I like instead.
This also freezes well too. I froze half of each batch because I was the only person eating this in my house.
The second time I made this, I doubled the chicken stock to make it into a soup, and it was great as well! This seems like a pretty versatile dish 🙂
Can you do this in the Instapot?
I’ve never tried it, but it should work in an instant pot!
Yum! Needed 3 T of curry paste. I like the soupy result with 2 c broth. I added salt and pepper; lime, siracha, and sliced red chilies a must for toppings. I don’t think it needed the cilantro with the kale and squash. Great addition to my collection.
It took only 30 minutes to prepare. We used Thai Kitchen brand curry paste and served it over rice. I was very happy with it. Two thumbs up.
Can this recipe be frozen?
Yes! This freezes very well.
Can I cook this on the stove top instead of the crockpot?
Definitely! Simply follow the directions but cook everything in a pot until the chicken and squash are fully cooked.
Hello
I used coconut powder that I added water to. My curry split, any suggestions?
I’ve never used coconut powder that needs to be mixed with water so I can’t give suggestions or advice on how that may have affected the recipe. Sorry!
I am going to make this today. Do you recommend using sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
We use unsweetened!
I’m going to make this recipe tonight, it looks delicious. I’m wondering if you can sub the coconut milk with coconut cream for a creamier curry? Would that work?
That should work just fine!