A mild and creamy family friendly curry and it's all cooked in the slow cooker. This Slow Cooker Chicken Korma is the perfect lazy and budget friendly takeaway alternative, with just a touch of spice making it great for people that don't like spicy food.
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About this Slow Cooker Chicken Korma
Personally, we love a spicy curry. However, if you want something mild, a chicken korma in the slow cooker is the way to go. It has a slightly sweet coconut flavour, and then some extra sweetness from the mango chutney. It's an easy and cheaper alternative to a takeaway and easy to adapt with whatever you have.
Originally a South Asian dish that is made with yogurt, this is our twist of a version that you would find in a British Indian restaurant. If you want something more traditional, then why not try this one from Easy Indian Cookbook?
It is seen as a "beginners curry" because of the mild flavour, but that doesn't mean it should be written off by those that already love curries. It has a lovely creaminess to it, and without the spice it allows all the other flavours to shine through.
Looking for some other slow cooker curries to try? Why not try our delicious Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, comforting Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh, our popular Slow Cooker Beef Curry or for a veggie option, our Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken - We used boneless and skinless chicken thighs because we find they have the most flavour and they are really juicy. However, if you wanted to make this a leaner curry, then you can use diced chicken breasts - these are more expensive though.
- Shallots, garlic and ginger - Save yourself some time and use frozen garlic and ginger or a paste made of them both.
- Spice blend - We made our own with a mixture of paprika, cumin, garam masala, coriander, chilli and turmeric. However, you could use the same amount of curry powder instead or even use a korma paste.
- Coconut milk - We used full fat, as it is much creamier. However, you could swap it for reduced fat if you wanted, but it wouldn't have the same flavour.
- Stock - We used a good quality chicken stock, however vegetable stock would work too. You could even use a homemade chicken stock.
- Ground almonds - This helps to thicken the curry up, but also adds that lovely nutty flavour that you get in a korma.
- Desiccated coconut - This helps to boost the coconut flavour and adds a really nice texture too.
- Mango chutney - Our "secret" ingredient in all curries, as it adds so much flavour and a little sweetness too, which balances out the spice. Use store bought or make your own homemade mango chutney.
Variations
Vegetables - Give this a green veggie boost by stirring in some spinach about 15 minutes before serving. You could use kale or chard too. Chunks of cauliflower are also good with this, as they kind of disguise themselves amongst the chicken.
Less meat - Swap some of the chicken for canned chickpeas. The creaminess of the chickpeas are perfect with the creaminess of the curry sauce.
Bulk - If you didn't want to serve this curry with rice, then you could add some cubes of sweet potato or butternut squash directly to the curry to make it more filling. Butternut squash would work well too. This is also a good way to bulk it out and make it go further - great if you are on a budget.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Korma
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a pan and add the chicken thighs (a). Brown for one minute each side (b) then put in the slow cooker.
- Step 2: To the frying pan, add the shallots, garlic and ginger (a) and cook on a low heat for 2 minutes (b).
- Step 3: Add all the spices and the tomato puree to the pan (a). Remove from the heat and mix well (b).
- Step 4: Add the shallot mix to the slow cooker (a). Add the coconut milk and stock (b).
- Step 5: Add the ground almonds, desiccated coconut and mango chutney (a). Mix well (b) and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Step 6: Serve with rice, flaked almonds, sultanas and chopped coriander.
Serving Suggestions
Curry goes perfectly with rice, which soaks up all that incredible creamy sauce. You could just go with plain basmati rice, or why not try our Turmeric Rice for something a little different?
You could swap rice for quinoa for a protein boost. For a lower carb alternative, cook some grated cauliflower at the same time as the rice and mix it all together.
Soft and fluffy bread is always a good option with curry too, so why not try making our Homemade Flatbreads or Easy Naan Bread - they are so simple. And then dip them in some of our homemade cucumber raita. If you want lots of flavour, then try our Peshwari Naan.
Using Leftovers
In the fridge - This is a great batch cook meal, so make extra and keep it in the freezer for those buy nights. Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 days.
In the freezer - Once you have let the curry fully cool, you can transfer it into a freezable container and then it will keep for 3 months.
Reheat - Make sure to fully defrost the curry in the fridge overnight and then you can reheat the curry in a saucepan over a medium heat until piping hot all the way through. You could also reheat it in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every slow cooker cooks differently, so if you find that your sauce is too thin, then you can cook it for an hour longer with the lid off. You could also add a cornflour slurry, but we find that changes the flavour too much.
There really is no rule here. We use a Morphy Richards Slow Cooker and we love it. What I love most about it is that you can put the bowl insert on the hob too. I also love that it has a clear lid, as I am so impatient that I want to keep looking and seeing what it is doing. If you don't have a clear lid, then lifting it to see will release lots of the heat and add to the cooking time.
The chicken should be perfectly cooked in the slow cooker after 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. However, we always like to use a food thermometer to check. The cooked temperature of chicken is 75°C/165°F. However, if you don't have a food thermometer, then it is best to use your judgement and stick a knife in it. It shouldn't be pink inside.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
If you've tried this slow cooker chicken korma recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 650 g (1.5 lb) Chicken thighs
- 3 Garlic clove - crushed
- 30 g (1 oz) Fresh ginger - peeled and grated
- 4 Shallots - diced
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 400 ml (1.66 cups) Coconut milk
- 100 ml (0.5 cups) Chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon Ground almonds
- 2 tablespoon Desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon Mango chutney
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon Olive oil in a pan and add 650 g Chicken thighs. Brown for one minute each side then put in the slow cooker.
- To the frying pan, add 4 Shallots, 3 Garlic clove and 30 g Fresh ginger and cook on a low heat for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon Paprika, 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon Ground coriander 1 teaspoon Garam masala0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder and 1 tablespoon Tomato puree to the pan. Remove from the heat and mix well.
- Add the shallot mix to the slow cooker. Add 400 ml Coconut milk and 100 ml Chicken stock.
- Add 3 tablespoon Ground almonds, 2 tablespoon Desiccated coconut and 1 tablespoon Mango chutney. Mix well and cook on high for 3 hours.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure the spices you are using haven't been sat in your cupboard for years. If you are using really old spices, they won't have much flavour and you will really notice a lack of flavour in the dish. Opened spices should be used within 6 months ideally.
- You can use light coconut milk instead of full fat in this curry, but you won't get the same creamy flavour.
- You can give this an extra protein boost by adding some quick cook lentils at the same time as the coconut milk.
- Add some fresh coriander (cilantro) before serving to lighten it up a little.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Annette McLellan says
Another great slow cooker recipe ! Full of flavour and family loved it . This is the 3rd slow cooker recipe I’ve tried , and all are really good. I usually dislike most slow cooker recipes I’ve tried except yours! Well done x
Lisa says
We are making this tonight...would you roast the cauliflower first??
Dannii Martin says
No, just chop it up small and mix it in.
Ned says
My wife loves korma so I had to make it for her. She totally loved the flavor of this recipe. Thank you!
Beth Sachs says
Chicken korma is always a win in this house because I know the kids will eat it! I love that this one is made in the slow cooker.
Katherine says
Got to love a korma! Such a great idea to make it in the slow cooker. I bet the house smelled amazing!
Jessica Stroup says
Healthy slow-cooker budget meal...I'm all in! This was perfect to come home to after Thursday night soccer games. So good!
Seema Sriram says
This is going in tonight with tofu as my dinner. Looks incredibly comforting.
Eva says
I love coconut milk-based gravies and I still have to try a korma. Heard (and read) so much about this dish and yet never tried myself. You may be the one to finally convince me to give it a try.