Indulge in the comforting warmth of this heavenly bowl of slow cooker chicken and sweet potato curry. This rich and creamy recipe has tender chicken chunks, sweet potatoes, and peas simmered in a mildly spiced Indian curry sauce made with coconut milk. The best part of this healthy and tasty one-pot meal is that everything slow cooks in the Crock-Pot, making it incredibly easy to prepare.
My vegan zucchini, potato, & chickpea curry recipe on this site is the inspiration for this new coconut milk curry recipe. I wanted to make another great curry recipe but this time with chicken & sweet potatoes. Both Indian curries are amazing and pair well with instant pot steamed broccoli.
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What to Love about this Recipe
- With our busy schedules, a slow cooker is a lifesaver for dinner.
- Only a few things need prepping and everything goes into the CrockPot.
- So easy & it tastes like you cooked all day.
- It's gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, & Whole30.
- Freezable & great for meal-planning.
Ingredients for Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
Here are the key ingredients in making a deliciously sweet, creamy, & mild curry dish. The star is a combination of spices that is warm, aromatic, & slightly sweet all in one.
The hearty ingredients in this recipe include chicken, sweet potatoes, & peas. These filling items make this a satisfying meal all in one pot.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Sweet Potatoes
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Chicken Broth
- Curry Powder
- Ground Turmeric
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cumin
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk
- Frozen Peas
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Curry in the Slow Cooker
Making curry in the slow cooker is crazy easy. Other than cutting up a few ingredients, the cooking is done with the CrockPot. It's a "dump & go" or "set-it-and-forget" recipe that should be part of your regular dinner rotation. You will need a 6-quart slow cooker or larger to hold all the ingredients for this recipe.
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this recipe followed by photos & details so you can follow along.
- Prep & cut ingredients.
- Add all ingredients except coconut milk & peas to the slow cooker.
- Set to cook for 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.
- Add coconut milk & peas & stir. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on High.
Prep, Cut, & Add Ingredients to CrockPot
Begin by cutting the boneless skinless chicken breasts & peeled sweet potatoes into small cubes. Then dice the onion and gather the rest of the ingredients. To save even more time you can buy these items precut from your local market.
Add the chicken, sweet potatoes, & onion to the CrockPot.
Top with broth, garlic, & all the spices. Stir to combine. Set to cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 Hours.
Hint: if you do not like the smell of curry in your home, plus your CrockPot outside or in the garage to cook.
Stir in Coconut Milk & Peas
After hours in the Crock-Pot, the chicken will be tender & reached an internal temperature of 165°. The carrots will be soft & cooked. There will be a small amount of liquid but it should not look like a soup.
Stir all the ingredients up to break apart any pieces that may be sticking together.
For the final step, add the canned coconut milk & frozen peas. Stir them into the curry and put the lid back on the slow cooker.
Continue to cook for another 30 minutes on high. Once the peas have defrosted and warmed through, the slow cooker chicken & sweet potato curry is ready.
Spoon into bowls. This curry recipe is delicious served with fluffy white rice, cauliflower rice, naan, or by itself (it's that good to eat alone!)
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the recipe. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- For even faster prep, buy precut chicken & sweet potatoes.
- If you don't like the smell of curry cooking all day in your house, plug in your CrockPot outside or in the garage if you have that option.
- Make this recipe for meal planning since it stores & reheats well.
Substitutions & Variations
Here are some great recipe variations & ingredient substitutions that can be made. Add, omit, or use one of these alternatives for other delicious recipe ideas. These may help you enjoy this recipe even with dietary, health, or personal nutritional preferences.
- Chicken Breasts - use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Coconut Milk - full-fat is best for a rich curry but fat-free can be substituted.
- Garlic Cloves - use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh
- Spicy - for a curry with more heat, double the amount of cayenne pepper in the spice blend used.
- Mild - for no heat but just Indian spices, omit the cayenne & cut the curry powder in ½.
- Vegetarian/Vegan - omit the chicken entirely, add beans instead.
This recipe is already gluten-free, grain-free, & dairy-free. There are no milk, wheat, or eggs in this recipe.
Equipment
The right ingredients, supplies, & equipment help recipes taste amazing & turn out well. Here are recommended products needed for making this slow cooker recipe. Shop this recipe & buy these top-rated items today; including my favorite programmable CrockPot that is a bargain.
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Storage
This curry is a fantastic make-ahead recipe that is freezer-friendly. It holds up really well when stored properly in the refrigerator or freezer. It also reheats beautifully to enjoy later. It is great as leftovers & an ideal meal-planning recipe.
To store leftover curry, place it in an air-tight container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 60 days. Reheat thawed & refrigerated curry in a pot on the stovetop or in the microwave.
FAQ
Here are answers to some common questions. I hope you find what you need but if not, you are always welcome to send me a comment and I will get back to you.
Since most commercially prepared curry pastes are geared toward Thai cooking, it would not be a good substitute for this Indian curry recipe.
Even though coconut milk is non-dairy, it is best to only add it at the end of the recipe. If it cooks for a long time, coconut milk can curdle which is not desirable. The curdling often happens due to the stabilizers or gums in many canned coconut milks. If you use an organic one without stabilizers, I still recommend using it at the end.
As the natural juices of the chicken & other ingredients are released, the curry sauce may become thin & watery. For a thicker curry sauce, add ¼ cup of the liquid to a small mixing bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and then stir the slurry back into the slow cooker. This will help thicken the curry.
Slow Cooker Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry
Equipment
- Slow Cooker Crock-Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
- 3 small sweet potatoes peeled & cut into ½# pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons red curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1" pieces. Peel the sweet potatoes & cut them into small ½" cubes. Try and make them the same size so they cook evenly.
- Then dice the onion, mince the garlic, and gather the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the chicken, sweet potatoes, & onion to the CrockPot. Top with broth, garlic, & all the spices. Stir to combine.
- Set your slow cooker to cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 Hours.
- After the cooking time is done, stir all the ingredients up to break apart any pieces that may be sticking together.
- For the final step, add the canned coconut milk & frozen peas. Stir them into the curry and put the lid back on the slow cooker
- Continue to cook for another 30 minutes on high. Once the peas have defrosted and warmed through, it is ready.
- Ladle into bowls to enjoy. Serve with rice, riced cauliflower, naan, or all by itself. Enjoy!
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 395 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 21.7g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat 15.6g | 78% |
| Cholesterol 67mg | 22% |
| Sodium 438mg | 19% |
| Total Carbohydrate 25.7g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 5.3g | 19% |
| Total Sugars 7.6g | |
| Protein 26.8g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 45mg | 3% |
| Iron 3mg | 16% |
| Potassium 449mg | 10% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Food safety
When cooking with raw meat, it is best to follow food safety handling rules. Here are some that will help ensure you are safe in the kitchen & have healthy delicious food.
- Cook the chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) - use an instant-read meat thermometer to be sure.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw chicken.
- Wash hands after touching any raw meat or surfaces that came in contact with raw chicken.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Use oven mitts when handling the hot lid on the CrockPot slow cooker.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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