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 slow cooker chicken curry is everything I want in a comforting, flavor-packed dinner. It starts with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which stay juicy and tender as they simmer in a rich, coconut-based curry sauce. The sauce is built from classic Thai curry staples—red curry paste, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and coconut milk—with a touch of brown sugar (or palm or coconut sugar, if you have it) to round everything out.
Vegetables make this curry hearty and colorful. Sweet kombucha squash (or butternut squash), yellow onion, chili peppers, and kale soften into the sauce and soak up all that bold flavor. I like to finish each bowl with fresh cilantro, extra chili, and a squeeze of lime for brightness. Spoon it over rice, and you’ve got a cozy, satisfying meal that tastes deeply flavorful and completely complete.
Ingredients to gather
Most of these ingredients are items you likely have on hand. Just grab your chicken and veggies, throw everything in the crockpot, and you’re good to go! Gather these items:
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go.
- Chicken stock: Grab store-bought, or make your own. You can adjust the amount according to the consistency you like – check out the notes section under the recipe!
- Thai red curry paste: Not all curry pastes are created equal. Make your own, otherwise make sure to taste a little bit before adding it to assess the heat and flavor.
- Brown sugar: If you have palm sugar or coconut sugar on hand, both of those great options.
- Curry staples: Soy sauce, minced ginger, fish sauce, garlic, and coconut milk.
- Veggies: Kombucha squash (or butternut squash), yellow onion, chili peppers, and kale.
- To serve: I love to serve this with cilantro, chili peppers, and lime!
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!
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 tried this last week, and it was absolutely delicious. Thanks for putting it together!
Really good. Mine turned out slightly spicy which I like. Any ideas for a sweet curry with no spice at all?
The spice comes from the curry paste, so you could try to find a mild one. Green curry paste is typically the mildest, so that could be a good option. And sugar mellows out spiciness, so if you want a sweeter and milder tasting curry, you could add more sweetness.
Very easy, tasty and Outstanding recipe. We tried it for the very first time and everyone loved it in my family.
Will definitely make this again. I used red curry paste . Put frozen boneless/skinless chicken thighs in. When the were thawed enough, pulled them out and cubed them. I didn’t have the vegies called for, but used broccoli, red peppers and carrots. Probably any vegies would be great. The balance of flavours is so amazing. Thanks so much 💕
Very easy, tasty & versatile recipe.
Used Kumera and spinach (over squash and kale) and a green curry paste. Will definitely make this again.
This was REALLY good. I looked through the comments to see what could be tweaked. I definitely seasoned the chicken first. Let it sit in the crockpot for about 30 minutes while I prepped. I added some potatoes as well. It came out great! Thx!!
Hello!
Can I freeze this recipe?
Thanks
Yes! It freezes very well!
Since discovering this recipe, I have made it five times. It’s my single favorite slow cooker recipe.
I like a really thick curry so (while this may be sacrilegious in Thailand) I just thicken it with cornstarch at the end. Also, the last couple of times I’ve doubled the amount of meat just because I want to increase the protein. I’ve had house guests over while cooking it and everyone wanted to know why my house smelled so heavenly too!
The flavor of the freshly grated ginger came through wonderfully. Just the right amount. I was out of the dry mustard so just left it out. I had some freshly made chicken broth, so used that instead of the water.
Brilliant, delicious, and easy. My wife usually cooks dinner; when I have time off I try new dishes, but, in addition to making the kitchen look like a bomb went off, it also takes 3-4x longer than the stated estimated prep time. This recipe actually took me the stated time and I added baby carrots and chopped up leeks.
This meal was a heat for all 3 kids and their friends. As they said, “Wow, dad. This is actually bussing.”
Made this last night. Great flavor. We loved it!
Can you use the low setting for 7-8 hours on the crockpot to cook this?
The problem with cooking it on low for longer is the squash completely falls apart. It’s still tasty, but it’s better with a shorter cook time.
I want to try this recipe, what size slow cooker do you use? I have a small 4 qt and want to know if I should half the recipe.
I have made this successfully in a 4 qt!
I love Panang. How can I adjust this recipe to give it that flavor?
Panang curry is made with panang curry paste, so you could simply substitute that for the red curry paste. The main difference between the two is that there are peanuts in panang curry paste so you could also try finishing the curry with a little peanut butter to see if that gives it the flavor you’re looking for.
I’ve made this recipe many times! So delicious! This comment section is giving me ideas on how to try different variations.
Did you use fresh ginger or powdered?
Fresh!