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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.
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.
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!
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
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.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
- kosher salt
- 2 cups sweet potato chunks, thicker is better
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Crispy Shallot Oil
- 1/2 cup sesame or peanut oil
- 3-4 shallots thinly sliced
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- chili flakes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai or regular basil
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.
If you’re making this for meal prep (like I did!) I’d recommend the following tweaks –
– omit the shallot oil
– only use one can of full fat coconut milk, then fill the empty can all the way with water and add that instead
– I used a bag of frozen sweet potato chunks and it was fine
– I used 2 tbsp. sesame oil instead of 3
– once done with cooking in instant pot, pull chicken out, shred, and return to pot and shred
This made six lunch-sized portions, and was 340 calories per portion according to MyFitnessPal.
Thanks so much for sharing Skylar!!
For the slow cooker method, should the chicken be cubed or thrown in as full chicken breasts?
Thanks!
Hey Jordan,
You can add the chicken as whole breasts into the crockpot. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Very good! Easy and so much flavor! I will definitely make this again!
Hi Laurie,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Crazy good and super easy! I will probably add additional vegetables next time.
Hi Djienne,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
This was absolutely amazing! Def some of the best curry I’ve eaten. Only change I made is I used like 1/4 tsp of ginger powder instead of fresh. I used the crockpot version and cooked until sweet potatoes were fork tender. Do yourself a favor and give this recipe a try! Love love love how it turned out!
Hey Krystal,
Fantastic!!🌺 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xT
This looks delicious? I’m wondering if I could add ramen-type noddles to this instead of rice? If so, would I just cook them separately and add them at the end? Thank you!
Opps, no question. It definitely looks delicious! 🤣
Hey Jessica,
Totally, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was so delicious! Made it in the Instant Pot last week, and added a can of chicken broth, a bag of broccoli/cauliflower florets, and some chopped zucchini. It fed us for days, and my husband and I couldn’t get enough. We loved the shallots in chili oil, but the dish was plenty flavorful without it later in the week. If I make it again and don’t want to make the shallot oil, I’ll probably just throw red curry paste into the whole mix. Making it again tomorrow in the Crock Pot this time. Thank you!
Hey Sam,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
SO good. I made the stovetop version. I could not believe how good it was especially for so little work. I added peas. The shallot oil is delicious. I should’ve made more.
Hey Amy,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
Wow! Really tasty, and I didn’t even have time to do the crispy shallot oil! I used low fat coconut milk and it was still fabulous. Having the sweet potato melt into the sauce gives it fantastic flavor. I cut the potato into 1″ chunks and they still mostly disappeared. I might add a bit more next time. Chicken thighs in the instant pot are (in our opinion) such a great option….much better than chicken breast. This was a great meal and made wonderful leftovers.
Hey Julie,
Happy Wednesday!❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT
This was so good! Don’t skip the shallot oil and crispy shallots. The add such great flavor. This recipe will go into regular rotation, and we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Hey Jan,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I don’t usually like curry dishes, but decided to try this one since it seemed like simple prep and all your recipes are amazing so far I’ve tried! This far exceeded my expectations. The shallots and oil definitely make this a super flavorful and cozy dish!
Hey Rachel,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
This is so delicious. I also added in cauliflower, asparagus and carrots in place of sweet potatoes. I also just seasoned the chicken with your suggested seasonings, browned it in the sesame oil. Added in the garlic, shallots, ginger. Stirred. Then I added the coconut milk, fish sauce, Thai red curry, stirred. Let simmer. Add in asparagus, cauliflower, carrots. So creamy and satisfying. Thank you
Hey Kim,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish and were able to use the ingredients of your choice! xT
sooo good! I actually added chickpeas and spinach to the stew portion!
Hey Rach,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
In the video you mention yogurt but it is not in the ingredient list. Is this something you decided was not needed? Add yogurt or keep it out?
Hey Ashlee,
So sorry for any confusion, for some reason this is the wrong video! Please follow the recipe as written:) xT
Hi there! Looking forward to making this! If I am making the meal for just two and adjusting the quantities as so, should I adjust slow cooker cooking time? Thanks!
Hey Jess,
I would keep the cook time the same:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xT
Thanks very much for the info! Ate this last night and really enjoyed it. I didn’t manage to get decent basil but the shallots and spicy oil still really added to the dish. I would say mine did curdle like a couple of other people but if that happens to anyone else, don’t fear! Whisked the sauce gently and it came back together. Would recommend!