Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry (Low Carb)
Jump to...
Introduction
One of the best things about a slow cooker dinner is being able to get everything going and leave it alone until it’s time to eat. This coconut chicken curry comes pretty close, although we do spend a few minutes at the skillet first. Browning the chicken thighs and cooking the onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder with a little butter helps build that rich curry flavor before everything goes into the slow cooker. From there, we add coconut milk and a handful of matchstick carrots, put the lid on, and let it cook until the chicken is tender.
We’re keeping the flavors simple with this Indian-inspired curry. There’s no need to pull out a dozen different spices or hunt down a special curry paste. A good curry powder, some ginger, and tomato paste give the coconut milk plenty of flavor. And because we’re skipping the potatoes and added sugar, it’s a lovely low-carb dinner, especially served over cauliflower rice to soak up all that sauce.
What Goes Into It
Chicken thighs: Boneless and skinless, cut into bite-size pieces. Thighs are the more forgiving cut for a few hours in a slow cooker, and small pieces brown quickly in the skillet.
Coconut milk: Use canned, unsweetened coconut milk, the kind sold in 13.5- to 14-ounce cans, not the coconut milk drink that comes in cartons for pouring over cereal. The carton kind is far thinner and would leave you with a watery curry. Full-fat coconut milk makes a richer curry, while light coconut milk leaves you with a thinner sauce.
Curry powder: This is where nearly all the flavor comes from, so use one you like. Blends differ a lot in heat and in salt, so taste a pinch of yours first, then use 2 tablespoons for a milder curry or 3 for a stronger one. It all goes into the skillet at once, so decide before you start cooking.
Onion, garlic, ginger paste and tomato paste: Nothing unusual here. They’re the base the curry powder gets cooked into, and the tomato paste adds a little depth and color to the sauce.
Carrots: Half a cup of matchstick carrots goes in with the coconut milk. It’s a small amount, enough for a bit of color and sweetness without turning the curry into a vegetable stew.
Olive oil and butter: The olive oil sears the chicken, and the butter gives the onion and spices a little richness.
Why the Chicken Goes in a Skillet First
The skillet step only takes a few minutes, but it’s where the curry gets most of its flavor.
Browning gives the chicken some color and flavor before it spends three hours in coconut milk. And the curry powder gets a short spell in hot fat before any liquid goes in, which takes the raw, dusty edge off it in a way that stirring it straight into the coconut milk wouldn’t.
What the Sauce Is Like
Two full cans of coconut milk to two pounds of chicken is a lot of liquid, and a slow cooker with its lid on doesn’t cook much of it away. So the sauce comes out loose and brothy rather than thick. It’s more of a curry you eat with a spoon than one that clings to the chicken.
So serve it in bowls, and if you’re spooning it over cauliflower rice, the rice soaks up some of that sauce. If you were picturing a thick, creamy curry, this isn’t that one, and it’s better to know that before you start.
How Long to Cook It
Plan on about 3 hours on HIGH. It’s ready when the chicken is cooked through and tender, and once the lid is on, there’s nothing to do but wait.
Turning the Heat Up or Down
Curry powder on its own tends to be warm rather than hot, although some blends carry a fair bit of pepper. The ground chili is optional and there for anyone who wants more heat. Cayenne or another ground red chili works. Add a pinch with the coconut milk, then taste at the end and add more if it needs it.
To keep it mild, leave the chili out and use the lower amount of curry powder.
Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
6 net carbsIngredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- A pinch of salt, to taste
- A pinch of pepper, black, to taste
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp curry powder, up to 3 tablespoons for a stronger curry
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup carrots, matchstick-cut
- 27 fl oz coconut milk, unsweetened, two 400 ml cans (13.5 fl oz, or 14 oz by weight)
- A pinch of pepper, cayenne, or another ground red chili, to taste (optional)
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per recipe| Per Serving 360 | Per Recipe 2870 | |||
| 1 tbsp of olive oil | 15 | 120 | ||
| 1 tbsp of butter, unsalted | 12.5 | 100 | ||
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 131.62 | 1052.98 | ||
| ½ onion | 6 | 48 | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 1.25 | 10 | ||
| 3 tsp of ginger paste | 3.75 | 30 | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 5.25 | 42 | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 5.63 | 45 | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 3.25 | 26 | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 174.67 | 1397.35 | ||
| 25g | 33% | 203g | 261% | |
| 1 tbsp of olive oil | 1.75 g | 14 g | ||
| 1 tbsp of butter, unsalted | 1.38 g | 11 g | ||
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 4.56 g | 36.45 g | ||
| ½ onion | 0.02 g | 0.12 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.23 g | 1.8 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.02 g | 0.15 g | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 17.47 g | 139.73 g | ||
| 18g | 92% | 147g | 736% | |
| 1 tbsp of olive oil | 0.25 g | 2 g | ||
| 1 tbsp of butter, unsalted | 0.88 g | 7 g | ||
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 1.01 g | 8.1 g | ||
| ½ onion | 0.01 g | 0.05 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.04 g | 0.3 g | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 16.22 g | 129.75 g | ||
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| 110mg | 37% | 880mg | 293% | |
| 1 tbsp of butter, unsalted | 3.75 mg | 30 mg | ||
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 106.31 mg | 850.49 mg | ||
| 135mg | 6% | 1090mg | 47% | |
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 106.31 mg | 850.49 mg | ||
| ½ onion | 0.6 mg | 4.8 mg | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 0.25 mg | 2 mg | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.75 mg | 6 mg | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 3.75 mg | 30 mg | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 5.5 mg | 44 mg | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 18.71 mg | 149.72 mg | ||
| 8g | 3% | 60g | 22% | |
| ½ onion | 1.31 g | 10.5 g | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 0.33 g | 2.6 g | ||
| 3 tsp of ginger paste | 0.75 g | 6 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.75 g | 6 g | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 1.13 g | 9 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.77 g | 6.15 g | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 2.5 g | 19.96 g | ||
| 1g | 4% | 10g | 35% | |
| ½ onion | 0.26 g | 2.1 g | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 0.03 g | 0.2 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.53 g | 4.2 g | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 0.19 g | 1.5 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.23 g | 1.8 g | ||
| 2g | 13g | |||
| ½ onion | 0.64 g | 5.09 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.08 g | 0.6 g | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 0.56 g | 4.5 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.38 g | 3.05 g | ||
| Sugar Alcohols | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| Allulose | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| 6g | 50g | |||
| ½ onion | 1.05 g | 8.4 g | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 0.3 g | 2.4 g | ||
| 3 tsp of ginger paste | 0.75 g | 6 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.23 g | 1.8 g | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 0.94 g | 7.5 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.54 g | 4.35 g | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 2.5 g | 19.96 g | ||
| 24g | 49% | 195g | 391% | |
| 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs | 22.27 g | 178.2 g | ||
| ½ onion | 0.17 g | 1.32 g | ||
| 2 tsp of garlic, minced | 0.08 g | 0.6 g | ||
| 2 tbsp of curry powder | 0.23 g | 1.8 g | ||
| 3 tbsp of tomato paste | 0.38 g | 3 g | ||
| ½ cup of carrots | 0.08 g | 0.6 g | ||
| 27 fl oz of coconut milk, unsweetened | 1.25 g | 9.98 g | ||
About these numbers: We are home cooks, not certified nutritionists. Nutrition is shared as a courtesy. We pick a representative product for each ingredient, and our recipe system works out the totals from the amounts in this recipe, so please treat them as a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee. The brands you buy, any swaps you make, and how generously you portion the recipe will all move these numbers.
Directions
-
Brown the chicken.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add it to the hot oil and sear until the pieces are browned on the outside.
-
Add the butter.
Add the butter to the skillet with the chicken and let it melt.
-
-
Soften the onion.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens.
-
-
Add the garlic and ginger.
Stir in the minced garlic and ginger paste and cook for 30 seconds.
-
-
Toast the curry powder.
Sprinkle in the curry powder and stir for 30 seconds, until the chicken and onion are coated.
-
-
Stir in the tomato paste.
Add the tomato paste and stir until it is well combined with the chicken.
-
-
Move it to the slow cooker.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the slow cooker in an even layer.
-
-
Add the carrots.
Scatter the matchstick carrots over the chicken.
-
-
Pour in the coconut milk.
Pour both cans of coconut milk over the chicken and carrots.
-
-
Add the chili and stir.
Sprinkle in ground chili to taste, if you're using it, and stir until the coconut milk and the curry mixture come together.
-
-
Cook on high.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Taste before serving and add more salt, pepper or chili if it needs it.
-
Notes
- Two full cans of coconut milk make a loose, brothy sauce rather than a thick one. Serve the curry in bowls.
- Curry powder blends vary in heat and salt, and all of it goes into the skillet at once. Taste a pinch before you start, then use 2 tablespoons for a milder curry or 3 for a stronger one.
- Nutrition is estimated for the curry alone, without rice or other sides.
Serving It
Spoon the curry over cauliflower rice, or serve it with roasted or steamed vegetables, to keep the whole meal low carb. Anyone at the table who isn’t eating low carb can have theirs over regular rice or with naan. The nutrition information is for the curry alone, without rice or other sides.
In the photos it’s finished with a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, which adds a bit of green to a very orange bowl. If you like this kind of coconut milk curry sauce, our keto butter chicken meatballs pair a similar sauce with baked meatballs. For another dinner that starts with browned chicken thighs and finishes in the slow cooker, try our creamy chicken stew.
Storing Leftovers
Get leftovers into the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, in a covered container. They’ll keep for 3 to 4 days, the USDA guideline for cooked poultry dishes. The coconut milk firms up as it chills and loosens again as it warms. Reheat the curry until it’s hot all the way through, to 165°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook it on low instead of high?
You can, but LOW runs cooler, so it will take longer than the 3 hours on HIGH. Keep cooking until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
You can. Cut them to the same bite-size pieces so they cook in the same 3 hours on HIGH. Breast meat is leaner than thigh and can dry out more easily in a slow cooker, so it comes out a little less tender.
Is this coconut chicken curry spicy?
Usually not very. Most curry powders are warm rather than hot, and the only other heat is the ground chili, which is optional.
Is this chicken curry keto?
It’s low in carbs: there are no potatoes, rice or sugar in the pot, and most of the carbs come from the coconut milk, onion and tomato paste. You’ll find the per-serving figures in the Nutrition Facts panel below the ingredients. Whether that fits your day depends on your own carb target and on what you serve the curry with.
If you make it, tell us in the comments which curry powder you used and how much heat you added.
