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Chicken and vegetables slow simmered in a rich, aromatic red curry sauce served over a bed of rice with plenty of fresh herbs. This dish includes everything you love about Thai takeout for only a fraction of the fat and sodium.
I’ve officially inaugurated a new policy to use the slow cooker at least once a week, whether it be for steel cut oats, soup, or my current obsession: THIS Thai Curry! I’m tellin’ ya, it’s another surefire way to stick to your New Years Resolution of cooking more meals at home.
I absolutely love the complexity of flavors in curry dishes. The secret to making amazing Thai curries at home is to include plenty of aromatics (such as ginger, garlic, and onion), loads of fresh herbs (basil and cilantro are personal favs) and a readily available store-bought Thai curry paste to add all of the authentic Thai flavors.
Red curry paste is always my go-to, as I love the combination of red chili peppers with lemongrass, coriander and cumin. There is just something so incredibly satisfying and comforting about it. It does have a hint of spice, but after being simmered in coconut milk, the heat is diminished quite a bit.
If you prefer a little heat, I would either add extra curry paste, or finish off the final product with a drizzle of Sriracha.
Red curry paste also serves as a fantastic rub on both salmon and pork chops. Served with a side of bok choy and some brown rice, you are in for such a delicious treat! But, I digress. We will save that meal for another post!
This was my first time making a curry dish in the slow cooker. I originally thought my preference would have been for the chicken to be cubed (as opposed to shredded), but as any slow cooker enthusiast knows, it is nearly impossible to keep any lean cut of meat intact after being slow cooked for 7+ hours. Though that is the beauty of it, right? Juicy, tender meat that you can cut with a fork.
After mixing everything together, I actually really enjoyed the shredded chicken. Curry dishes are normally soup-like in consistency, but shredding the chicken allowed it soak up more of the sauce and remain incredibly moist and flavorful. Even after being reheated the next day!
You could substitute the chicken for pork or beef, or leave the meat out entirely. You could switch up the vegetables and perhaps add mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini or squash. The dish is yours to customize and, as always, yours to devour! Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Eggplant Red Curry
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice rinsed
- 3 cups diced eggplant ~1 small eggplant
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 bell peppers of choice sliced into thin strips (I used yellow and red)
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger or 1/2 tsp ground
- 1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
- 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp +1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste found in the International Isle of most grocery stores
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- ~3 tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
- Garnishes optional: additional fresh basil, cilantro, Sriracha
Instructions
- Spray sides of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Add prepared vegetables: eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, ginger.
- In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, chicken broth and curry paste. Whisk to combine. Pour over vegetables in slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place on top of vegetables and coat with a little sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
- After 7 hours, remove chicken breasts and place on a cutting board. Using two forks, gently shred chicken into small pieces. Place shredded chicken back in slow cooker, add chopped basil and stir all contents to combine.
- Prepare rice according to package instructions. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
- To assemble curry bowls, place ~1/2 cup of cooked rice in a bowl. Using a ladle, spoon out curry contents on top of rice and add a little extra sauce. Top with fresh herbs and serve!
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
I loved the simplicity of this dish. It was really easy to prep, and even easier to cook and clean up!
The end product was pretty flavorless and more like a soup than a curry. Next time I would reduce the amount of chicken broth by half and use full fat coconut milk rather than lite coconut milk or maybe a combo of both. I would also dry seasonings (like cumin) and basil before cooking.