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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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
Hi Cait,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
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?
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
Another amazing HBH dinner. My family loved it! Do NOT skip the shallots-OMG
Hey Dana,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
This is way too good. Going to be a repeat meal!!
Hey Hope,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
Delicious!
Thanks so much Jylian!! Love to hear this! xx
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.
Oh and also mixed in a tbsp of flour to thicken the sauce which worked well
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
Best recipe I’ve made yet from your page!
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
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.
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
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!
Hey LeAnna,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
So so good! Super easy to make and those crispy shallots gave such a great texture and added flavour.
Thanks so much Lija!! Love to hear that this dish was enjoyed and I appreciate you making it! xx
So delicious! Really loved it. Perfect for a cold night.
Hey Ellen,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
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.
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
Soooo flavorful! You definitely will want the shallots and chili oil!
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
OMGOSH! Great dish!!
Hey Kim,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
Absolutely perfect! This recipe is so simple and yet so flavourful. Thank you.
Hey Sabrina,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT