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Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil. A cozy Thai-inspired chicken curry for cold winter days. Made in the crockpot by mixing chicken with ground turmeric, ginger, and spices, then adding coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and a splash of fish sauce for a Thai-inspired curry. It’s perfectly creamy, spicy, and warming. Serve over rice with crispy shallot oil and fresh herbs. Looks fancy, but is so easy!

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

The very first recipe of 2023 and it’s such is a cozy one. Oh, how I love this curry. It’s a reflection of how I cook today, simple, but with plenty of flavor and one special element (the shallots you all!). I am so excited to share!

With the short, cold January days, my plan is to share only cozy, yet wholesome recipes. We may all be doing a January reset, but our food should still warm us up inside!

This curry is that perfect dish! And I love how simple it is to create.

My family has all been here in Colorado for the holidays. New Year’s Eve was filled with snow, it was very pretty and so cozy.

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

The only thing I wanted to cook was soup or curry. Since everyone had been outside in the snow all day, I thought a creamy curry could be perfect. Especially one with some spice to help keep the winter cold away!

I wanted this dish to have flavor, so I used a mix of turmeric, ginger, shallots, and garlic. A touch of fish sauce and lime helped to tie in the Thai flavors even more.

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are the details

There’s really nothing fancy about this dish. Everything is put together in the crockpot. Mix the chicken (I use a mix of breast and thighs) with ground turmeric, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper. Use the cayenne to your taste.

Then, the fresh ingredients: shallots, garlic, and a handful of ginger slices. Pour over a couple cans of coconut milk and add the sweet potatoes and fish sauce. If you don’t enjoy fish sauce, use a touch of tamari or soy sauce.

Let everything slow cook and allow the crockpot to do its thing. If you’re cooking longer than 4-5 hours, I recommend adding the sweet potatoes about 3 hours before serving. The sweet potatoes get really soft and fall apart the longer you cook. They end up melting into the coconut sauce, which actually makes it even creamier.

So it’s up to you! Just a heads up that they will break up the longer you cook them.

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

The shallot oil

Technically, this step makes this a 2-3 step cooking process, which I know is annoying when using the crockpot. But the oil is worth it.

First, fry the shallots in sesame or peanut oil. This only takes a few minutes. Next, remove the heat and add Thai red curry paste and lots of fresh basil. I used regular Italian basil since it’s all my grocery had, but if you have access, use Thai basil.

Fry the shallots before serving. Then make a big pot of rice. Enjoy the chicken and curry sauce over the rice with lots of chili oil and shallots. Oh, and be sure to find some naan or your favorite flatbread to really sop up all the sauce.

I always add fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime too. Such a flavorful, colorful dinner to start off the New Year. Fresh, but cozy! Exactly how I want 2023 to feel!

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other cozy, wholesome dinners? Here are some favorites:

Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Chinese Mushroom Dumplings with Sweet Chili Ginger Sesame Sauce

Easiest Coconut Cauliflower Adobo

Sheet Pan Salmon with Citrus Avocado Salsa and Potatoes

Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing

Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 472 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Instructions

Crockpot

  • 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, toss the chicken with the turmeric, ground ginger, cayenne, and sesame oil. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and fish sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.
    2. Remove the lid, cook 30 minutes on high to thicken the sauce. Stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
    3. To make the shallot oil. In a skillet, cook the sesame oil and shallots over medium heat until they begin turning golden and crisp, 5 minutes. Using a fork, remove the shallots from the oil. Set aside.
    4. Turn the heat off, stir in the red curry paste, basil, and chili flakes. Season with salt.
    5. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Drizzle with oil and top with shallots.

Instant Pot – done in 30 minutes

  • 1. In the bowl of the instant pot, toss the chicken with the turmeric, ground ginger, cayenne, and sesame oil. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and fish sauce. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes.
    2. Release the steam, switch the instant pot to sauté, and cook 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
    3. Finish as directed above.

Stove – 45 minutes or so

  • 1. In a Dutch oven, combine the chicken with the turmeric, ground ginger, cayenne, and sesame oil. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and fish sauce. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and falling apart.
    2. Remove the lid, and simmer over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt.
    3. Finish as directed above.
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Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry with Crispy Shallot Basil Oil | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. 2 stars
    I should’ve went with my gut and just used heavy cream and chicken stock especially once I saw how much fat is in coconut milk but I was hoping it would give coconut flavor, it did not even a little bit. I think you need to add sugar to bring it out but the last thing I wanted was sweet curry. Was very bland. The coconut milk has 3x more fat than heavy cream so I’m not sure why anyone would use it and it never got “creamy” and I used full fat and let it cook foreverrrrrr. Ended up adding an entire cup of low fat yogurt to make it creamy because the coconut milk already had so much fat in it, and Sriracha otherwise it was very plain.

    1. Hi Cait,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx

  2. 4 stars
    I used unsweetened coconut milk as the recipe doesn’t specify and I want it to be a tad bit sweeter. What would u suggest I add to it?

    1. Hi Kristi,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try! I like to use unsweetened coconut milk, but next time I would use sweetened if you want something on the sweeter side:) I hope this helps! xT

  3. Great recipe — so full of flavor! I chopped the chicken before adding to the first step, stovetop and added two teaspoons of salt to the chicken and then an additional two liberal “sprinklings” after adding the sweet potatoes and the seasoning was perfect.

    1. Hey Mona,
      Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT

    1. Hey Kerry,
      Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT

  4. 3 stars
    The recipe was OK. I did the crockpot version and the soup was great but the crispy shallot oil was not to my liking. Maybe because I prepared it when I started the crockpot? I would add bamboo shoots and some cashews next time. It was tastier the next day. Will try again.

    1. Hey Ashley,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Let me know if you give it another try! xT

  5. 5 stars
    This was amazing! It made me feel like such a good cook! 😂 the shallot oil tops off this dish perfectly! Adding this into my rotation. Thank you so much Tieghan!

    1. Hey LeAnna,
      Happy Tuesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx

    1. Hey Ellen,
      Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx

  6. 2 stars
    I just made this as instructions read. After 3 hours on low in the crockpot the coconut milk curdled. The flavor was odd and bland. Super disappointed in this one. I have enjoyed several of your other recipes. Idk what happened.

    1. Hi Samantha,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx

    1. Hey Brooke,
      Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT