Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken
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Saucy Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken with sweet red peppers, tender potatoes, and crunchy cashews make right in your crockpot! So easy and INSANELY delicious!
Love this recipe? Try these other Asian inspired recipes! Mango Chicken Curry, Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, and Slow Cooker Sesame Beef.
The way I see it, you’re either Type A, Type B, or Type C.
And no, I’m not talking about those relentless color-coded personality tests you took 173 times in school. I’m talking about your curry personality.
If you’re Type A – you love it. You think curry is the greatest thing since (before) sliced bread and you crave its presence in your life.
Type B – You haven’t tried curry and you’re kind of skeptical about the whole thing. Maybe it’s the smell, the blinding color, or just the fact that it’s not typically used in American Sunday potroast dinners so it sort of feels like an alien ingredient to you.
Let me put your mind at rest. Curry is a spice. Just like cumin in Mexican dishes or garlic in Italian dishes, curry is the salt and pepper of Indian food. And it’s crazy-amazingly-delicious.
Type C – You hate curry. (Do you people actually exist??)
If you’re already on board with curry – you Type As – good! Make this dish. That’s pretty much all I have to say to you.
If you are on the fence – stop giving it dirty looks and actually eat curry. You’ll feel much better just knowing that you’ve tried it and have a real, honest-to-goodness based-on-true-life opinion about the stuff. And I’m just going to say… I’ll be shocked if this slow cooker coconut cashew chicken version doesn’t turn you into a Type A prontissimo.
And for you Type Cs…. (hellooooo?? anybody out there….???) I think you should consider giving it another go. Or at least don’t leave my blog forever because I scare you off with one (freaking a-mazing) curry dish. Come back tomorrow – we’ll talk something a little closer to home.
Oh did I mention you can make this in your slow cooker?? Yeah, you crockpot addicts should be excited. And if you don’t have a slow cooker – not to worry! – you can whip up this heavenly stuff right on the stove. Just steam your potatoes (microwave works great) before tossing them into a pot with everything else and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through.
Bada-bing-bada-boom!
Coconut curry. Plus chicken. and cashews.
YUM.
What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken
“I LOVE CURRY!!! 
I never attempted to cook it until I saw this recipe… I loved the outcome even though I think I was being a little stingy with spices (given it was more first time I wasn’t too generous) I could have definitely added more” – Trudi
“I loved this!!! Turned out great! I followed directions completely and did the notes; the sludge to thicken and the paste to powder conversion. The paste I used was Thai and I felt it gave it a Thai taste instead of Indian curry. Still great! Cilantro really made a difference too, but cilantro and nuts I just added to individual servings. My chicken was really tender and perfect (the pounding it thin helps). Thanks keep your recipes coming!” – Susan
“Wow!!! Great recipe, I’ve made this twice now…My 3 year old daughter loves it!!! love this in the crock pot – Thanks again <3” – Renee
“Made this yesterday. It was amazing!!! I’ve been looking for a good curry recipe for a long time now and have found it. House smelled amazing, even the Google Fiber installer commented on it. Thanks!” – Stephanie
Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 small potatoes , (I used red), peeled and chopped
- ½ white or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk , (or one 14-ounce can + 1/2 cup chicken broth)
- 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder , (see note)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- optional: corn starch slurry , (see note)
- cashews, cilantro, cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Add chicken pieces, red peppers, potatoes, and onions to the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl whisk together chicken broth, curry powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into slow cooker and stir to coat chicken and veggies. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours.
- About 10-15 minutes before serving, stir in coconut milk. Stir just before serving and top with cashews and freshly chopped cilantro.
Notes
*If you prefer a little bit thicker curry (like I do) whisk together 3 tablespoons cold water and 2 tablespoons corn starch. Stir into crockpot about 30-45 minutes before serving and cook on high until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there, Have some guests coming for dinner and I am thinking about making this. Do you think there would be a problem do this in a Dutch Oven instead? Do you know what the low and high cooking temperatures would be?
Thanks looks good can’t wait to try it out.
Hi Phyllis, I actually have zero experience using a dutch oven so I’m not totally comfortable saying one way or the other! Your best bet is to try it out and see how it goes but that could be a little bit risky with guests coming. Have you tried any other slow cooker recipes in your dutch oven? If so you could probably make a judgement based on how those recipes have turned out. 🙂
Hi just wondering if you used salted or unsalted cashews? Thanks!!
I used salted but either will work!
I am positive there are no type C’s out there lol
Just wondering if you could substitute the breasts for thighs, as I prefer the tenderness of the thigh?
Of course!
I made this today and I find it is not as sweet as the curry I would have in a restaurant. Can it be the coconut milk? The container did not specificly say that the coconut milk was unsweetened or low fat.
Hi Danie, you can use sweetened coconut milk for a sweeter curry, or add a tablespoon + of brown sugar.
Try substituting half of the chicken broth with pineapple juice. It marries wonderfully with the other flavors and adds just enough delicious sweetness.
This looks so yummy can’t wait to make it! Just wondering why I have to pound out the chicken breast thinly then cut up bite size? If in the crock pot, won’t it be thoroughly cooked and thicker pieces ok to eat?
This method yields thinner/flatter pieces of chicken which are more common in authentic curry dishes. 🙂
Is this spicy? I can only tolerate very mild foods but would love to make this. Also what kind of cashews would you recommend and how much?
Hi Mel, I’d recommend about a 1/4-1/3 cup salted or roasted cashews. Also, I wouldn’t say this dish was spicy, yellow curry has a pretty mild flavor! It’s definitely more on the creamy side!
Followed the recipe exactly and chicken was dry like it stewed in the sauce? Should it be browned and sealed first or what do you think went wrong?
Hi Treacy! Gosh I’m sorry your chicken was dry, that’s the worst. I’m not sure what might have gone wrong, I have other readers write in saying it turned out great and no comments about dry chicken… The only thing I can think is that maybe your particular slow cooker gets hotter than some (this seems to be the case with a few varieties of slow cookers) and your dish may not have needed as much cooking time.
Look’s delicious but I currently do not have a crocpot. Any other possible way to cook this please?
Hi Samantha! No problem, I’ve made this on the stovetop before. Just add all ingredients (minus the corn starch slurry) to a large pan, stir, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Stir in corn starch slurry and stir until thickened, then serve. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight (added the 1tbsp red curry paste as recommended), it was really good! Love having a good slow cooker recommendation.