Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry
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Crockpot 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 dinner recipe. Put everything into your crockpot then walk away until dinner!
Complete the meal with a side of perfect basmati rice or cauliflower rice. Also make sure to check out our favorite crockpot Thai chicken soup!
Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry
Friends! It's crockpot time again! This magical pot of cook-my-food-for-me has become a staple around here. Most days we wonder how the heck we lived without one for so long.
Remember back when we thought that crockpots were the domain of frazzled, minivan-driving moms? Boy, were we wrong! They belong to us all. Frazzled moms, cool moms, single dudes, suburban folks, city folks, country folks ā¦ 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 crockpot Thai chicken curry is all about. You literally put a couple of 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}
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
We like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as they're more flavor than breasts, and they're usually a lot more reasonably priced, too. But if you have chicken breasts on hand, you can definitely use those instead.
Can I cook this on low heat 8-10 hours?
Yes, but there's a caveat. Cooking this curry for a longer time means that the squash will be very soft. At least half of it will disappear into the sauce ā which isn't a bad thing!
The curry sauce will become thicker, sweeter, and taste a little like squash, but it will still be very tasty.
Is this chicken curry thick or thin?
We prefer our curry to be more like a traditional Thai curry, which is on the thin side.
But most Thai restaurants here in North America cater to our tastes and make their curries thicker and creamier, more like traditional Indian curry.
So if you would like yours thicker, all you have to do it reduce the water. (So easy!) There is a note about the exact amount in the recipe card.
Can I make this Thai chicken curry on the stovetop?
Yes! You'll want to simmer the curry for no longer than 1 hour.
What kind of curry paste should I use?
Not all curry paste is created equally. And since the curry paste is the base of the flavor in this recipe, the better the curry paste you can find, the more flavorful the dish will be.
We like Mae Ploy curry paste. When in doubt, look for where the curry paste is made and choose one that is made in Thailand; it's your best bet.
Another option is to make your own curry paste.
Can I use a different color curry paste?
Yes! We've used red, green, and yellow in this recipe and they all work well.
Can I use curry powder?
No, curry powder won't work in this recipe. Curry powder is an Indian spice mix made from ground turmeric, coriander, cumin, and other spices and is very different than Thai curry paste.
Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups chicken stock (see notes)
- 2-4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten-free, if needed. Coco aminos for paleo and Whole30)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or sub maple syrup or brown sugar. Omit for Whole30)
- 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 crockpotĀ 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 coconut 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,Ā 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our curry recipes!
Loved the flavor. I think maybe less water would make it less watery or pre cooking the chicken? I actually added both thighs and breasts-about 1 1/2 lbs. Thanks for sharing!
This was easy and absolutely delicious!! I doubled it, and put half the water. It was amazing! I will definitely be making this often!!
I’m so happy you liked the recipe!!
Nice crock recipe, had never thought about curry in a crock but it’s ideal! Thank you for putting this recipe together!
I’m so happy you liked the recipe!!
Aw I wished I had listened to my own instinct, I wasn’t going to add that much much water as usually 1/2 a cup is sufficient. Plus the fact that I usually add the coconut milk/cream at the end.
I followed the recipe and it turned out so watery and curdled, was so bad but I have managed to save the dish by adding more red curry paste, coconut cream, more fish sauce and some lime juice to make it tasty.
I didn’t dice the chicken at all but they are still too shredded so next time I will try it at Slow for 6 hours.
Mine turned out so watery!!! I followed the directions exactly. No coconut flavor whatsoever. Really disappointed, as I was craving coconut curry…I’ll just add no water and 2 cans coconut milk instead next time I suppose.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love it.
This is my family’s go to chicken curry. We love it!
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe. It’s my family’s fav as well!
I always wanted to try some crock pot so I’ll probably try this within the week.
great recipe but extremely watery. Not nearly thick enough.
Thank you for your feedback. If you prefer your Thai curry a little thicker you can try using a little less water next time. Hope that helps!
I had such high hopes for this recipe. It looks so creamy and yummy in the video. The ingredients were all so great and it was so easy. Sadly, my coconut milk separated (I didn’t read the comment about adding it at the end until after I had put it in) and my squash (butternut) did not hold up very well. Also, as mentioned in some of the other comments, I found it to be very watery. I used the Thai kitchen red curry paste, but it was way too hot.
I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you. I would really recommend trying to find one of the two curry pastes I recommend in the recipe. I’ve had the same experience as you had with Thai Kitchen so I steer clear of that one now. The other two are really flavorful but mild. I’m going to make the note about the coconut milk a little more prominent so no one misses it.
Awesome recipe. You earned me huge brownie points tonight!
I’m so happy to hear that! Yay for brownie points!!
How many kale do you use? I am Trying This for the first time with a slow-cooker. Pictures look great
About 2 packed cups, or about 4 large stems of kale. š
I am excited to try this recipe. My family can eat quite a bit and I’m thinking of doubling the recipe. This will also be my first ever crock-pot-meal! Should I be concerned with doubling the recipe and having everything fit in the crock-pot? I’m 90% positive I have the same brand crock=pot as you just have to check on the size of it. But, is it reasonable to double the recipe, or would it create issues in the cooking time/overflow etc.
I actually had to pour water into my crock pot to measure how big it is. Ha! You’d think they would write that on it somewhere! It’s 12 cups, so about 3 quarts.
It honestly makes quite a bit. Remember that you serve it with rice so the portion sizes can be very generous. It does fill the crock pot so I wouldn’t double it. If you’re feeling concerned you could try adding an extra piece of chicken as I’m sure that would fit. š
Great recipe!!! Thai is always a hard cuisine to make and my husband normally hates it when I attempt it…. this one is an exception, he had multiple servings!!
One thing that I Did differently was blend all of the butternut squash right before putting the kale in. It made it much creamier! Next time, I’m going to try shrimp instead of chicken to shake it up!!!
Again, thanks for a great recipe!!!
I love your idea about blending the squash! I’m stealing that one next time I make this. š
How do you blend the squash without blending the chicken if its all mixed together in the crock pot?
Yes I was wondering that too…
I’m not sure how Kelsey did it but I would probably just a fork or potato masher to break up the squash. It is very soft so (I think) it would be pretty easy to mash that way.
I’m worried about the coconut milk separating like the one reader said. Can you tell me which coconut milk you use that way I can avoid this problem?
I always use Aroy-D. It’s full fat and does not have any additives. You can always mix the coconut milk in at the end and just let it warm before you serve it. š
Was quite disapointed with this recipe. I am an experienced cook. I used organic coconut milk, Mae Poy curry paste, and 1/3 less water and followed everything else, and it was a big pot of wateryness (the “sauce” consistency and look was like water), the taste was watered down too. Too bad.
I;m so sorry to hear you are disappointed with the recipe.
What brand of coconut milk do you use?
I always use Aroy-D full fat (60%) coconut milk in the cans. š
How many does this serve?
This makes 4 generous servings. ?