February 13, 2014 (Updated December 28, 2023)

Ridiculously Easy Crockpot Chicken Curry

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

39 comments

Good morning from a very snowy DC! Let’s warm up with talk of something really delicious and ridiculously easy I made earlier this week: a Crockpot Chicken Curry of sorts!

easy crockpot chicken

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I’ve been loving our crockpot lately and had some butternut squash and chicken breast on hand to use up; a quick look in the pantry and I found some coconut milk, too. Perfect – I’d made some sort of curry type dish. I did a quick search for recipes using those ingredients, but to my dismay everything I found that claimed to be “quick and easy” involved multiple steps, sautéing things in pans, blending things , etc. What the heck? As far as I’m concerned, all crockpot recipes should say: “assemble ingredients, toss in crockpot, set temperature/time, go do other stuff.” Am I right?!

So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

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Into the crockpot, I threw (this makes enough for 4ish servings):

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 can chickpeas (drained/rinsed)
  • 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 2 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce 
  • 1 package fresh pre-cut butternut squash (no shame – I hate cutting butternut squash – if you are using fresh, it was equivalent of ~ 1 lb. whole squash, peeled/diced. Sweet potato would also be awesome in this dish!)
  • 4 raw chicken breasts

I stirred it all up, set it to “high” for 4.5 hours (anything from 4 to 6 hours should be fine), hoped for the best, and went about my workday. 

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By the time 8 p.m. rolled around and Matt and I were both home and finished with work for the day, it was ready! I decided to serve the dish atop some brown rice (90 second microwave plain brown rice, obvi) and spinach, to amp up the nutrients. A tip: to wilt spinach, place a huge handful on a plate and pop in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Voila! I love having baby spinach that’s been microwave-wilted as the base to meals. Such an easy way to add some green power!

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On top went 1 chicken breast each, plus some of the tasty sauce and butternut squash and chickpeas. I added a little cracked pepper to taste, too.

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I’m happy to say that Matt and I both LOVED this dish! It was so flavorful. I will absolutely make this again – and I’ve been loving the leftovers this week for lunch, too. Give it a shot yourself!

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Matt enjoyed his with a little extra hot sauce (Sriracha). Yum, yum!

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And now, back to work while we watch the snow fall. Matt is working from home with me today since the roads are too bad to go anywhere – I think we’re going to head out for a walking break in a bit to check it out in person!

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

What’s your favorite truly easy crockpot recipe? Links welcome!

Poultry
- anne

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39 comments
  • Lou Madden
    That looks AMAZING! I will definitely be trying this. I love the crockpot!
    Reply
  • Laura Podrasky
    This looks awesome. I will be trying it for sure. I saw your guest post on Kath Eats and will now be following you as well. Can't wait to explore your site, it looks awesome!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Thank you for stopping by!
      Reply
  • Aishah @ Coffee, Love, Health
    That looks so good but the chick peas scare me because I'm allergic to them- the only Arab girl allergic to hummus! lol I love crock pot ideas though, I know they help a lot of busy families out there make warm and healthy meals daily and I love that :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      You could definitely use another bean - or leave them out altogether!
      Reply
  • Shannon
    Do you find that the chicken breast gets dry in the crock pot? I have a bunch in the freezer and look for crock pot recipes but they usually say to use thighs so that it doesn't get dry.
    Reply
    • Anne
      They didn't in this recipe! It was really saucy so maybe that helped?
      Reply
  • Ashley
    I love using my crockpot! However, I leave at 6:30am and my fiance doesnt get home until 4:30pm. I have no problems cooking beef, pork, or chicken thighs but chicken breasts just always burn on me. 10 hours is just too long for them even at low. I've even tried saucier recipes but I just don't have good luck. I just bought an outlet timer off of amazon so hopefully it will solve that problem. I noticed you said "set at high and hoped for the best" so maybe an outlet timer could help relieve some of your worries too and they're less than $10! Keep the crockpot recipes coming please :)
    Reply
  • JoLynn
    I use my crock pot once or twice a week. I’ve found that while some “dump it all in” recipes turn out great, others miss the mark on the flavor scale. If you’ve ever ended up with a bland, watery sauce, you know what I mean. Investing a little time up front is all you need—for instance, microwaving aromatics (onions, garlic, etc.) with herbs or spices can add a lot of flavor to a crock pot dish. Don’t be turned off by prep time--your efforts will be rewarded in the end(most of the time). :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      I'd never though to microwave aromatics! Would love a brief how to?
      Reply
      • Jo Lynn
        If you’re doing a Mexican-themed meal, you might mix the following in a bowl and microwave about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are softened: 1 chopped onion, 1 minced jalapeno, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1-2 T. vegetable oil—along with whatever amounts of chili powder, cumin, and coriander you might like. Transfer to your slow cooker and add in the liquids you're using (eg., tomato sauce, broth, etc.).
        Reply
        • Anne
          Such a good idea. Thanks!
          Reply
  • Lea
    That looks great, I'll have to give it a try. I agree, crockpot recipes really should be "set it and forget it". Sometimes I barely even want to chop an onion to throw in. Despite the deep snow, the temperature really isn't too bad. I went out for a walk this morning and even saw people out running. I'm sure loving the day off work to catch up on stuff around the house.
    Reply
  • Roadrunner
    Yup! Looking for our crockpot!
    Reply
  • Stephanie
    Agreed! I hate when crockpot recipes involve prep work, set it and forget it right?
    Reply
  • Kristel
    Is this very spicy?
    Reply
  • Amy
    I think you forgot to list the curry powder in your ingredients! I don't see it there I saw your post today on KERF- I wish you'd do posts like that on here! It was a real treat, but made me sad since you never write posts like that on this blog
    Reply
    • Anne
      I didn't use curry powder! I just called it a curry because of the coconut milk + chili garlic sauce - and it tasted curry-ish. :) I'm so glad you enjoyed my post on Kath's blog! I have been wanting to do more posts like that over here as well, and plan on it! Just need to find the time between my 100 jobs at this point. ;) I've actually been working on one about coconut oil with one of my interns... I also want to do a post about which oils to use when. What other topics would you like to see me share more insight on? Thanks for reading!
      Reply
      • Amy
        I'd love both of the oil posts! I get confused about which oils to use when, and I study nutrition! I'd love a research posts that focus on the research on dairy products and soy products to start- thanks!
        Reply
  • Ellie@Fit for the soul
    Oh my goodness, I seriously love the crockpot soooo much! It's such a great tool to make healthy eating EASY. This looks delicious, and I'd definitely top it with sriracha since uhhhh I put that stuff on everything--except my breakfast. ;) My favorite easy crockpot recipe is my Kauai BBQ Pulled Chicken, which was inspired by our honeymoon in Kauai in 2012. I use a lot of spices to flavor my food so that I don't have to add too much other stuff--makes the food flavorful but healthier! http://www.fitforthesoul.com/2012/04/kauais-pulled-chicken-quesadilla/
    Reply
    • Anne
      That sounds amazing - thank you for sharing!
      Reply
  • Jackie
    Love simple recipes like this! Thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  • Mandi
    I feel the same way about the crockpot, you should never have to use a pan before you use the crockpot. Your recipes looks delicious, I'll definitely be trying it out. Thanks so much!
    Reply
  • Linda
    Made this yesterday but used chicken thighs. It is amazing! Served over the brown rice and spinach!!! So delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Yay glad it was a hit!
      Reply
  • Sally
    I loved this recipe, Anne. I had all of the ingredients already and I thought, why not? and made it that night for my husband and I. He thought it was spectacular! So easy, too. Thanks. Your creativity is really showing!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Hooray! I'm so glad you liked it!
      Reply
  • april
    i've been searching for a delicious & easy curry recipe and this looks like a winner. :) do you think i could use unsweetened cashew milk instead of coconut milk (it's what i have on hand at the moment)?
    Reply
    • Anne
      I don't think it would be as good - the coconut milk is much creamier!
      Reply
  • salley
    Where did you find the Chili Garlic Sauce??
    Reply
    • Anne
      Just at the normal grocery store in the Asian aisle!
      Reply
  • Kelela
    This is my 1st time checking out this site... AMAZING!! Thank you. Like how the recipes are easy enough and quick, not so many steps to follow and other prep work as you stated. I will definitely be forwarding this link to my daughter and daughter-in-law. I've only checked out the recipe page so far but see there is some very interesting topics on here. Again thank you for sharing everything with us.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Welcome to the blog and enjoy!
      Reply
  • Frances
    I had some chicken thawed that I had not used in a previous recipe and started looking at recipes for something new to do with it, too late in day to slow cook. I landed on this that I have been wanting to do, so improvised with it as a guide. No chili paste in house, so using another recipe added curry powder, cumin, coriander, cilantro, paprika, and red curry paste. I used very light coconut milk to keep calories low and cooked in a dutch oven at 375 covered for an hour. I probably could have thickened it up a bit at the end but didn't this time. Served over spaghetti squash. Liked the addition of spinach and butternut. I had some butternut left over that I had roasted earlier, so didn't cook it in with chicken and beans. I followed recipe in spirit! Will make again and do it in slow cooker earlier in the day. I did like the spices I added so may do that again. Flavorful, and tender chicken. Great not to have to brown anything before putting it all together. Good one!
    Reply
    • Anne
      Glad you enjoyed your variation - sounds creative!
      Reply