Spice Up Your Life: An Easy Indian Chicken Curry Recipe for Busy Moms
Looking for a flavorful weeknight dinner recipe the whole family will love? Try this simple and easy Indian chicken curry on a crockpot – it’s full of warm, fragrant spices but doesn’t require a ton of hard-to-find ingredients. Curry is one of those magical meals that somehow tastes even better the next day, so you’ll get some easy lunches or leftovers out of this batch too.
Chicken is a crowd-pleaser protein that kids and adults alike will dive into. The blend of turmeric, coriander, cumin and chili powder envelops each bite with deep flavor and just a touch of heat. Simmered with onions, garlic and tomatoes, it becomes a cozy, comfortingone-pot meal perfect for chilly nights. Best of all, once you master the basic techniques and spice combinations, the possibilities are endless – you can swap in different proteins like beef or shrimp or customize the veggie mix to your heart’s desire.
Getting food on the table after a long day shouldn’t involve starting from total scratch. Good thing there’s a hack for getting restaurant-quality curry flavors totally hands-free at home – your trusty slow cooker! With just a little prep to start, this slow-simmered chicken curry lets the stone-cold appliance do all the heavy liftings so you can kick back. With this recipe, you can have the Indian chicken curry simmering away while you tackle other tasks. Then it’s just a matter of steaming some rice and calling everyone to the table. No fuss, no stress – just delicious, satisfying food for your family.
Cook The Best Chicken Curry Recipe in the Slow Cooker
Few appliances in the kitchen lend themselves to chill, low-stress dinners quite like the automatic slow cooker. Simply dump in the ingredients and let it do its thing, allowing you to easily shift mental RAM to other tasks as is always recommended by Relax Lang Mom. Coming home to a house filled with the irresistible aroma of Indian spices is a real mood-setter.
This riff on the classic chicken curry swaps in the slow cooker for even less kitchen engagement. No constant monitoring or reducing means you’re liberated from hovering – it bubbly simmers away unsupervised for a perfect payoff. The chicken absorbs bright flavors as it tenderizes to shred-ability over hours of latent heat.
Taking this recipe hands-off results in overclocked succulence. Cooking ingredients bath together under dawdling temperature leads to chemical symphonies you just can’t achieve on the stovetop. Each morsel is exponentially more luscious, falling off the bone practically at the merest nudge of a spoon.
History of Chicken Curry
Chicken curry dates back to the Mughal era in India, where it was introduced by Persian invaders. They brought with them their signature blend of spices and cooking techniques, which were then adapted by the locals to create the dish we know today.
Over time, chicken curry has evolved and spread to other countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and even the Caribbean. Each region has its own unique take on this dish, incorporating local ingredients and flavors to make it their own.
When choosing your curry, make sure to choose the right one as the endless array of curry can get you dizzy. For this one, choose the one labeled as Indian Curry, which is totally different from Japanese Curry, Korean Curry, or even our own Philippine Curry.
Curious about giving Indian cooking a try but intimidated by unfamiliar ingredients? No need to be! Here at Relax Langmom, I always advocate using shortcuts and mixes, to the disgust of purists. Lol. On this one, I used a premix from Shoppee called Madras curry. The good thing with using a premix is that you wouldnt have to stock so many separate ingredients in bottles that you can hardly track.
Anyway, before I go off tangent again, let me walk you through unlocking this easy slow cooker curry bliss on autopilot mode:
Slow Cooker Chicken Indian Curry Recipe
Shopping List
Ingredients:
- 1 whole cut up chicken (about 1.2 kilos)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1” ginger
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Indian curry spice mix (or as instructed by the pre-mix you’re using. (Make sure not to use too much!
- Salt
Cooking Instructions:
- Pat chicken dry and season all over with salt
- Brown skin-side down in batches until brown.
- Dice and prep remaining ingredients
- Assemble in slow cooker: mix coconut milk and spices then layer the chicken on bottom, then other remaining ingrediets on top
- Cook on Low for 6-8 hours
- Shred chicken and serve curry over basmati rice
For those in the United States or other parts of the world, here are some of the top-rated Indian curry mixes available on Amazon for making easy restaurant-quality curries at home:
- Maya Kaimal Indian Curry Powder – They offer several blends like Chicken, Vegetable, and Madras varieties that each contain 8-10 spices. It’s designed to be added directly to simmering dishes and sauces for maximum flavor impact. Highly rated!
- Bolst Live Natural Hara Masala – This garam masala style blend contains the classic warming spices like coriander, cumin, cloves and cardamom. Use a teaspoon or two to wow guests with takeout-level curries. Their jars have an authentic look.
- Savory Spice Shop Indian Curry Powder – Spicehead chefs love this very comprehensive mix containing 12 different herbs and spices. It effortlessly recreates complex heat and depth when cooking meat/veggie curries. Great for kicking dishes up a notch.
- Burlap & Barrel Mild Madras Curry Powder – As the name implies, this one delivers milder curry aromas and flavors perfect for easing curry newbies in gently. High quality and very affordable for the amount you receive.
- Simply Organic Turmeric Masala Blend – For a simpler weeknight curry, I love this pre-mixed combo of just 5 key spices. It really lets the natural flavors of chicken or cauliflower pop through. Easy one-ingredient magic.
Always check the ingredient lists for allergies! With any of these shortcut mixes, you’re just one step away from takeout-restaurant results. Pair with basmati rice or naan and call everyone to the table – they’re in for a delicious surprise.
Can I use bone-in chicken instead of boneless chicken in this recipe?
You can definitely use bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of boneless pieces in this Indian curry recipe. Here are a few tips for cooking it:
- The cooking time will be a bit longer, usually up to 6 hours total oin high, to allow the bone-in chicken to become fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Brown the chicken pieces skin-side down first in a single layer until nice and brown. This helps render some of the fat and adds deep flavor.
- Shredding or cutting the cooked chicken off the bone before serving is recommended. This allows the rich, curry-infused meat to blend harmoniously with each bite of rice.
Do you have any tips for cooking bone-in chicken in a slow cooker?
Absolutely, using a slow cooker is an even easier way to prepare bone-in chicken curry when you’re short on time! Here are my top tips:
- Season and browned the bone-in chicken pieces first on the stovetop before adding to the slow cooker. This extra step builds so much flavor.
- Assemble the liquid curry ingredients on the crackpot. You can use either full cans of tomatoes/coconut milk or portions with some liquid mixed in.
- Nestle the browned pieces into the slow cooker insert skin-side up. Pour any pan drippings over top.
- Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-5 hours, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. The slow, moist heat allows it to surreptitiously assimilate peak juiciness.
- For extra security, lay a piece of parchment paper over the chicken before securing the lid. This prevents any meat from sticking while slow-simmering.
- Shred or cut the chicken right in the cooker before serving over rice to soak up every iota of flavor essence.
Slow cooking seriously amplifies hands-off ease for busy households. Cleanup is also a cinch since everything cooks together. I hope these tips help you incorporate more nourishing slow-cooked meals! Let me know if any other questions arise.
Tips for the Best Indian Chicken Curry
Go even further. Use fresh spices To achieve maximum flavor, it’s best to use freshly ground spices instead of pre-packaged ones. They gives your chicken curry a better, vibrant. and aromatic curry taste.
Marinate the chicken. It is best that before cooking, you marinate the chicken in yogurt or buttermilk to make it tender, creamier, and add depth to the flavors.
Adjust seasoning. Taste your curry as it cooks and adjust the amount of spices according to your preference. Always remember, you can always add more curry and spices, but you can’t take it out once it’s been added. Hehe,
Let it rest. Make sure to allow the chicken curry to rest for a few minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to fully meld and develop and result in a more flavorful dish.
So there you have it – an easy homemade but delicious chicken curry using just a handful of pantry ingredients and a secret technique of curry mix. Each batch makes plenty for leftovers too. Let me know if you give this recipe a try! Tag me @relaxlangmom on social media so I can see your creations.
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Ingredients
- 1 whole cut up chicken (about 1.2 kilos)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1” ginger
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Indian curry spice mix (or as instructed by the pre-mix you’re using. (Make sure not to use too much!
- Salt
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry and season all over with salt
- Saute onion, garlic and ginger in a little oil then set aside.
- Brown skin-side down in batches in the same pan.
- Dice and prep remaining ingredients.
- Assemble in slow cooker: mix coconut milk and spices then layer the chicken on bottom, then other remaining ingrediets on top.
- Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred chicken and serve curry over basmati rice or naan bread.
