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.

More Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala – tender chunks of spiced chicken simmered in a creamy, aromatic tomato curry sauce that comes together effortlessly in the pressure cooker.
- Easy Thai Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps – an easy, 20-minute low-carb dinner loaded with seasoned chicken and rich peanut drizzle.
- Indian Butter Chicken – an easy, cozy classic made with juicy chicken and a velvety, aromatic curry sauce.
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!

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.













I just made this last night and it ended up being way too runny even after adding the corn starch and the flavor was hotter yet very bland.
I have no luck with slow cookers. 🙁
Dang I’m sorry to hear that! I haven’t had those issues but upping the amount of salt would bring out more of the flavors in the dish and you could always transfer the dish to a pan before adding the corn starch slurry and bringing it to a boil – this will help it to thicken quicker!
Could I put in frozen chicken, if so do I need to add time to cooking; or do I need to thaw it first?
Hi Nicole, my instructions are for using thawed chicken, you could try it with frozen but yes you’ll need some extra cooking time!
Do I used cooked chicken breast or are you putting it in there raw?
Raw chicken – it gets cooked in the slow cooker.
Been looking for a good yellow chicken curry recipe. This looks like a winner. The one I like has a little bit of sweet on the heat. Just a touch. Does this have that? If not can I add sugar or use sweetened coconut milk?
Hi Nikole! If you like a bit more sweetness in your curry I would add a little brown sugar – I’d probably try a tablespoon!
Wow!!! Great recipe, I’ve made this twice now…My 3yr old daughter loves it!!! love this in the crock pot- Thanks again <3
*didnt have any peppers or cashews, so i added pea pods (a half hour before serving) and frozen peas (15min before serving). Also I use japanese sweet potatoes instead of russet or red…great flavor!
Ooh I definitely have to add peas next time that would be amazing! So glad this recipe was a winner for you and your daughter Renee! 🙂
This looked so good and tasted so blah. The proportions are off I think. 3 T of yellow curry with only 1 can of coconut milk made for a very curry dish that overpowered all of the coconut milk. That’s all I could taste. So maybe less yellow curry and more sweetened coconut milk would work.
Sorry you felt the curry was overpowering! I definitely like it that way but maybe an extra can of coconut milk or 1 tablespoon less curry would work better for you>!
Help! I have 2 small children and was distracted when putting everything in the crockpot and I added the coconut milk, it’s only been on high about an hour, what can I do so it won’t curdle 🙁 🙁
Hi there,
Want to make this however my grocery store only had curry powder, not specifically yellow curry powder. Are they the same?
Hi Shalini – I actually haven’t ever seen curry powder sold in your average grocery store that isn’t yellow so you should be just fine! 🙂
I always fry my nuts before adding. Ditto chicken pieces and onions. Chopped ginger and a few fried cloves give it extra sparkle.
Should the chicken be raw or cooked when put in the crockpot?
Hi Jessica, you should put the chicken in raw, it’ll get fully cooked in the crockpot.