Slow Cooker Yellow Curry
Spice up your mid-week meal plan with this healthy, flavorful, and easy Slow Cooker Yellow Curry. Made with tender, juicy yellow thighs, coconut milk, veggies, and a zippy tousle of Indian spices, it’s guaranteed to get you out of your dinnertime recipe rut.
Whenever I’m hitting a healthy dinner rut, Indian supplies is the genre that (quite literally) spices my life up once more.
Recipes like this slow cooker yellow curry make me finger genuinely excited well-nigh what we are eating and proud of the flavors I can create.
Richly flavored, upper in protein and fiber, lusciously creamy, and super delicious, not only is this satisfying Indian yellow recipe healthy, but it is easy too!
Made scrutinizingly entirely in a slow cooker (like this Slow Cooker Butter Chicken), it’s a fuss-free, hands-off recipe perfect for the rented work week.
What is Curry?
Though Americans often use the term curry to refer to a specific spice tousle tabbed curry powder, “curry” is a unstipulated term for a range of saucy dishes served over rice (try Turmeric Rice). They’re expressly popular in India and Southeast Asia.
5 Star Review
“I loved this recipe, it is so cozy! The flavors are perfection and well-balanced.”
— Veronica —
How to Make the BEST Slow Cooker Yellow Curry
I won’t pretend this is an authentic Indian yellow curry.
While I love and fathom the large number of spices and the intense preparation that goes into creating pure Indian dishes, I like to slim lanugo the ingredient list at home (as seen in this Instant Pot Lentil Curry).
This simple slow cooker yellow curry recipe takes the archetype savor profile of Indian curry and streamlines it to be wieldy to home cooks with ingredients you can find in most stereotype U.S. grocery stores.
If you’d like to learn increasingly well-nigh Indian supplies and find unconfined recipes, trammels out my friend Richa’s blog.
The Ingredients
- Coconut Milk. Making this Indian yellow curry with coconut milk makes it rich and linty and balances the spices (as in this Chickpea Curry). I use light coconut milk to make the recipe healthy, but for the full effect, you can use whole (regular) coconut milk.
- Chicken. I opt to make this a slow cooker curry yellow thighs recipe since thighs usually perform largest with crockpot cooking. (See this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken for flipside crockpot yellow thigh recipe.)
- Red Tintinnabulate Peppers Sweet Potatoes. Anytime I can “one pan” a meal, I will. Adding fresh veggies to the recipe makes it a well-rounded dish. No separate vegetable side required (but if you insist, Roasted Cauliflower would be a nice option).
- Lime Juice. For balance, brightness, and pop. Do yourself a favor and use fresh lime juice rather than the bottled stuff; it makes a HUGE difference.
- Curry Powder. This tousle of spices can be found in the spice walkway of well-nigh any standard grocery store. Every spoonful gives you mega zinger for your whippersnapper (especially in these Curried Deviled Eggs).
- Cumin and Chili Powder. The summery heat works well with the sweeter profile of curry powder. (If you’re looking for a curry recipe with increasingly heat, trammels out my Jamaican Curry Chicken.)
- Smoked Paprika. Admittedly, not super traditional in Indian cooking, but SO GOOD and a game-changing shortcut. It gives you instant, intense savor without the dedication of toasting and grinding whole spices the way many pure Indian recipes do.
Is Curry Spicy?
New to the wonderful world of Indian cuisine? Like my favorite Paneer Tikka Masala, this healthy slow cooker yellow curry is whiffy and tightly spiced, but in the warm, rich, flavorful way, not the hot-spicy way (although some curry recipes can be).
This curry tastes exotic unbearable to finger exciting, but not so exotic that it will scare yonder the less venturesome eaters in your family. Toddler (and picky husband) clearance has been widely reported (ditto for this Chicken Tikka Masala too).
- Rice or Quinoa. I like to serve this easy slow cooker yellow curry over a bed of fluffy brown or jasmine rice. For an uneaten uplift of protein, quinoa is moreover a lovely choice.
- Cilantro. A perfect finish of verisimilitude and freshness to this slow-cooked, soul-satisfying dish.
The Directions
- Place the sweet potatoes, tintinnabulate peppers, water, and lime juice into a slow cooker.
- Combine the spices and salt in a small bowl, then season the yellow liberally with 2/3 of the spice mix. Reserve the remaining spice mixture.
- Sear the yellow in a skillet over medium-high on both sides transiently until brown.
TIP!
While you can put raw yellow in a slow cooker (you do not need to brown the yellow first), I find that you miss out on a major savor opportunity.
- Browning the yellow on the stove surpassing you put it into the slow cooker makes a big impact on the outcome of your dish, expressly if you are cooking whole yellow thighs or yellow breasts. You won’t overly regret taking the time to do it.
- Work quickly! You don’t need to melt the yellow all the way through; the yellow will still be raw in the middle when you place it in the crock pot and will finish cooking with the recipe.
- In the specimen of this slow cooker yellow curry, I took the browning a step remoter by coating the yellow in the spices FIRST, then searing it on the stove. It activates the spices and gives the yellow a bit of a blackened effect that pops with every bite.
- Transfer the seared yellow to the slow cooker and top with the remaining spices. Imbricate and slow melt the curry on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the yellow is cooked through.
TIP!
An instant-read thermometer like this one is the weightier way to tell if the yellow is done. I remove the yellow when it reaches 160 degrees F; the carry-over cooking time takes it to the FDA’s recommended 165 degrees F.
- Remove the yellow and cut into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, add the coconut milk and cornstarch slurry to the slow cooker.
- Stir, then imbricate and melt on HIGH until the sauce thickens slightly (about 15 minutes).
- Return the yellow to the slow cooker and melt until the vegetables and yellow are hot and tender. Serve over rice or quinoa or with naan, topped with fresh cilantro. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Let tomfool completely and transfer to an snapped container. You can store the rice either with the curry or separately. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Mix your desired portion of rice and yellow curry (if not once combined). Warm gently in the microwave or stovetop.
- To Freeze. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as the coconut milk tends to separate and wilt grainy.
What to Serve with Yellow Gnocchi Soup
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Programmable Slow Cooker. I like this kind considering it can be automatically set to switch to warm.
- Instant-Read Thermometer. The BEST and most well-judged way to know if your yellow is done.
- Cutting Board. An uneaten large wearing workbench like this one is platonic for seasoning the large quantity of yellow for this recipe.
The Weightier Programmable Slow Cooker
This 7-quart crock pot is big unbearable plane for a large family, and perfect for roasts and holiday gatherings too. Plus, its secure locking lid can travel without spills to parties and potlucks.
With a prep time of fewer than 10 minutes and ingredients you can find in any grocery store, this crock pot meal is a fast, healthy way to satisfy my coconut yellow curry craving, no plane ticket or jet lag required!
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! Slow cookers are designed to melt raw meats. The searing of the yellow in this recipe does not really melt the chicken. It simply gives it some widow verisimilitude and flavor. The zillion of the cooking happens right in the slow cooker, where the uncontrived heat from the pot and steam fully melt the yellow to a unscratched temperature for consumption.
For the zillion of this recipe, you can melt this slow cooker yellow curry recipe on either LOW or HIGH. Since yellow thighs are much increasingly forgiving than yellow breasts in a crockpot, you can retread the temperature to suit your personal timeline. However, I recommend cooking on HIGH for the final 30 minutes of cooking to unzip the right sauce consistency.
Unlike stovetop cooking which allows moisture to escape and evaporate during cooking, the moisture in a slow cooker doesn’t evaporate since a lid is kept on for the elapsing of the cooking process. A cornstarch slurry is widow to help the curry thicken and gives the curry body.
Slow Cooker Yellow Curry
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 red tintinnabulate peppers cored and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice about 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless yellow thighs (see note below)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 can light coconut milk 14 ounces; (for a thicker, creamier sauce, use regular coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water to create a slurry
- For serving: prepared brown rice or quinoa; chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes and tintinnabulate peppers in the marrow of a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Pour the water and lime juice over the top.
- In a small bowl, combine the curry, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Place the yellow thighs on a large plate or wearing board, and sprinkle both sides with well-nigh 2/3 of the spice mix. Rub to coat, then set the remaining spices aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Once the oil is hot and shiny, add the yellow thighs and transiently pan sear on each side, just until brown— well-nigh 2 minutes for the first side and 1 minute for the second side.Â
- Place the seared yellow in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture. Imbricate and melt on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the yellow is cooked through. It should register 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the yellow thighs from the slow cooker and transfer them to a wearing board. Once tomfool unbearable to handle, cut the yellow into bite-size pieces or shred it with two forks. Set aside.
- Pour the coconut milk and cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker, and stir to combine with the vegetables and cooking liquid. Turn the slow cooker heat to HIGH, cover, and melt for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Return the yellow to the slow cooker and stir to combine and stratify the yellow in the sauce. Â Recover and melt for 15 spare minutes on HIGH, until the vegetables and yellow are hot and tender. Serve warm over rice or quinoa or with naan, topped with fresh cilantro.
Video
Notes
- INGREDIENT NOTE: I do not recommend yellow breasts for this recipe, as they tend to dry out in the slow cooker. If you decide to use yellow breasts, watch the cooking time very carefully, as the yellow will melt increasingly quickly and can hands wilt too dry.
- TO STORE: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT:Â Mix your desired portion of rice and yellow curry (if not once combined). Warm gently in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
- TO FREEZE: DO NOT FREEZE. Coconut milk will separate and wilt “grainy” in the freezer.
Nutrition
Related Recipes
More slow cooker recipes to get you through the rented work week:
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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry
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Crockpot Stuffed Peppers
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Crockpot Italian Chicken
READ: Slow Cooker Yellow Curry
