Thai Coconut Chicken Curry (made in your slow cooker)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Popular Thai Curry Recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our curry recipes!
This was delicious 😋. My 7-year-old liked also. the entire house smell sweet. I omitted the squash & peppers. Used brown sugar. I cooked the chicken thighs whole, & the meat was falling off the bone. Served with sticky rice, lime slices & Naan.
Delicious! Subbed red peppers green beans and sweet potato for kale. Chicken comes out perfect and cubes itself like magic. You’re right – any flavor paste works. Chefs kiss!
Hi, first crack at making this , love the ingredients, just would like some guidance with respects to leaving skin on kabocha ? Thanks for your wisdom and time , Doug
I personally like leaving the skin on kabocha squash!
this looks delicious! I have fresh cubed pumpkin (currently frozen). Can I use pumpkin instead of another squash?
We haven’t tried it with pumpkin but I think it should work. Let us know if you give it a go!
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.