Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry and Indian Red Curry Paste
Submitted By: Taz
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
2 lbs Boneless/Skinless Chicken (Murgh)*
- cut into 1 ½ - 2 inch 'cubes'
4 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun) - crushed
½ inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak) - rough chopped
1 Medium Onion (Pyaz) - rough chopped
1 (15 oz) Can Tomato Purée (Tamatar)
1 Medium Red Onion (Pyaz) - quartered and sliced thin
1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock - can substitute vegetable stock or water if desired
¼ Cup Indian Red Curry Paste - recipe follows
1 ½ tsp
Garam Masala
1 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
½ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi) - amount to taste
¼ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)
Juice of 1 Lemon (Nimbu Ras)
2 Tbs Oil - can use ghee, olive, canola, vegetable, grape seed, or safflower oil
Kosher Salt (Namak) to taste
Preparation:
- Place the rough chopped onion in the work bowl of a small food processor or blender - Add garlic and ginger and purée into a smooth paste
- Heat oil in a medium/large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering - Add sliced onion and sauté until just colored (apx 7-9 minutes) - Set aside until needed
- Add the tomato purée, chicken stock, curry paste, turmeric, red chile powder, pepper, and salt to taste (apx 1 tsp) to the crock of a 5 quart slow cooker (Crock-Pot®) - Thoroughly combine
- Add the chicken making sure it is fully submerged (if not, add a little water)
- Spread the sautéed onion over the top
- Cover the slow cooker and allow to cook on low for 6-7 hours (high for 3-4) until chicken is cooked through and tender - Stir once or twice while cooking after the first hour
- After appropriate cooking time, increase heat to high (if not already)
- Add lemon juice and garam masala - Stir to combine
- Allow to cook (uncovered) for 30-45 minutes to thicken gravy
- Adjust seasoning
- Serve hot along with basmati rice, chapatti, or naan, raita or plain yogurt, salad and chutney(s) of choice
* Can Use Either Breast or Thigh Meat
Indian Red Curry Paste
Ingredients:
4 Tbs Olive or Canola Oil
1 Small Onion (Pyaz) - finely diced
5 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun) - grated into a paste
1 ½ inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak) – grated into a paste
4 Roma Tomatoes (Tamatar) = 1 Cup - finely chopped
4 tsp Ground Coriander (Dhania)
1-4+ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi)*
1 tsp Dried Mango Powder (Amchoor)
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Namak)
¾ tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
½ tsp
Garam Masala
* Add 1 tsp for Mild, 2-3 tsp for Medium, 4+ tsp for Hot curry paste - adjust to personal taste
Preparation:
- Heat oil until shimmering in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat - Reduce heat to medium and add onion to pan and allow to cook until golden brown (apx 6-8 minutes)
- Add garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and continue to cook for 1 minute
- Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, ground coriander, red chile powder, and turmeric powder - Allow to cook (stirring regularly) until the oil begins to separate from the mix (can be seen 'pooling' around the edges) - This process will take 10 to 15 minutes DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP (if you begin to see sticking, add a little water [apx a teaspoon at a time] to the pan making sure to cook out all added water by the end) the slow cooking allows the curry paste to develop its flavor and to acquire its rich, deep, red-brown coloring
- Once the oil has separated and the paste has reduced down - Remove from heat and add the garam masala, dried mango powder, and salt - Mix to thoroughly combine
- Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and use immediately or transfer to container(s) for storage - Can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months
