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Spicy Indian Chicken Curry with basmati rice garnished with cilantro in a silver balti dish with a spoon resting in the bowl.

Spicy Indian Chicken Curry Slow Cooker Recipe

Grace Stewart
Enjoy this Spicy Indian Chicken Curry Slow Cooker Recipe as good as what you would get at your local Indian restaurant! Slow cookers and Indian curries are a match made in heaven!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people
Calories 575 kcal

Equipment

  • slow cooker
  • Food Processor optional but makes prep of garlic, onion, ginger, and chilies much easier

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb chicken thighs boneless and skinless, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 onion finely minced
  • 2 inch ginger peeled and finely minced (could sub 2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste for the ginger and garlic)
  • 12 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
  • 8 Thai chilies finely minced; you can adjust the amount of chilies to your liking
  • 1 Roma tomato diced; select a large Roma tomato (you could also add a little bit of tomato paste or sub tomato puree for the Roma tomato if you like)
  • ¾ cup plain yogurt

Ground Spices

  • 1 ts garam masala ground (could also sub regular curry powder)
  • 1 ts chili powder ground
  • 1 ts coriander ground
  • 1 ts turmeric ground
  • 1 ts cayenne ground (adjust the amount of cayenne to suit your tastes)
  • ½ tablespoon salt may add additional to taste
  • 1 ts black pepper may add additional to taste

Whole Spices

  • 2-3 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 each green cardamom pods
  • 2 each cloves
  • 3 each black peppercorns

Garnish

  • 1 cup cilantro chopped, for garnish
  • lemon squeeze of lemon

Instructions
 

  • Trim the fat from the chicken thighs and cut into bite sized pieces. Place the chicken into the slow cooker.
    Bite sized pieces of raw chicken thighs in a blue slow cooker.
  • Finely mince the onion, garlic, ginger, and Thai chilies (if using). This is easiest in a food processor. Place this mixture in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add the yogurt, and then the ground spices (garam masala, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper). Stir to combine well.
    A white mixing bowl filled with a yellow colored yogurt based seasoning paste. There is a yellow spoon with a wooden handle resting in the bowl.
  • Now add the diced tomato and the whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, green cardamom). Stir to combine well.
    A white mixing bowl filled with a yellow colored yogurt based seasoning paste, diced tomatoes, a cinnamon stick, green cardamom, cloves, and black peppercorns. There is a yellow spoon with a wooden handle resting in the bowl.
  • Pour this combined mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker, and stir to combine well.
    Raw chicken pieces coated with a yogurt based seasoning paste and tomatoes in a blue slow cooker with a yellow spoon with a wooden handle resting on the side.
  • Place the cover on the slow cooker and set it to cook for 5.5 hours on low. Have a look at your dish around 5 hrs in. If you would like more gravy, add a bit of water. If the gravy is too thin and you would like it thicker, remove the cover and cook without the cover for the last 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you desire by adding more salt, etc. If the spices are too strong for your liking, you can add a little water until it tastes perfect!
    Raw chicken pieces coated with a yogurt based seasoning paste and tomatoes in a blue slow cooker with a glass lid poised over the slow cooker.
  • Remove and place in your serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro and add a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness if you like!
    Spicy Indian Chicken Curry with basmati rice garnished with cilantro in a silver balti dish with a wedge of lemon poised over the chicken. There is a small blue bowl behind the balti dish.

Notes

This recipe uses a fresh Roma tomato.  You could also add a little bit of tomato paste or sub tomato puree for the Roma tomato if you like.
PLEASE NOTE: Using the quantities of ground and whole spices as stated in the recipe card will give you a BOLD and FIERY curry. If you prefer a less spicy hot and milder curry, I recommend you scale back the quantities by half. You can always add more to taste later if you like.
Have a look at your dish around 5 hrs in. If you would like more gravy, add a bit of water. If the gravy is too thin and you would like it thicker, remove the cover and cook without the cover for the last 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if you desire by adding more salt, etc. If the spices are too strong for your liking, you can add a little water until it tastes perfect to you!
A squeeze of lemon juice at the end gives the dish some extra brightness and is highly recommended. 

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 40gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 228mgSodium: 1093mgPotassium: 786mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1261IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 3mg
Keyword chicken curry, crock pot, Curry, indian curry, slow cooker
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