Crockpot

Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry: The Only Curry Recipe You’ll Ever Need

January 23, 2020 by Alyssa

Full of traditional Indian spices, this creamy slow cooker Indian Chicken Curry is so delicious, you’ll never want to make another curry recipe again.

This slow cooker Indian chicken curry recipe has quickly become a favorite meal for both Mayank and I. It’s not only easy to make but it’s flavorful, full of Indian spices like cumin, coriander, and garam masala and (I think) healthier than traditional stove-top curries because it’s made in a slow cooker with very little oil or cream.

I originally made this Indian Chicken Curry recipe for Mayank when I was traveling for work. Knowing I’d be gone for about four days, I wanted to give him something homemade to eat while I was away so he’d have a few healthy meals for dinner. Before heading to the airport one morning, I dumped all the Indian spices I could think of into a crockpot and crossed my fingers it would turn out.

When Mayank got home from work that evening, I had him add in some milk and cornstarch to thicken the curry and hoped for the best result. Mayank instantly loved Indian chicken curry recipe, texting me that evening that it was the best I had ever made.

The next time I traveled I made the curry again and officially dubbed it ‘Mayank’s Curry’. This pattern went on a few more times when I traveled for work with him raving about the recipe and me never having tasted it. A few months after making this recipe for Mayank, I finally decided to give it a try myself.

And it was delicious.

It really was the best Indian Chicken Curry I’ve ever made (and I’ve tried a LOT of chicken curry recipes at home). This Indian Chicken Curry recipe basically dumps what I consider to be the essential Indian spices into a slow cooker with the other traditional ingredients — tomatoes, onions, ginger, and garlic and together they marinate all day in the slow cooker resulting in a thick, rich, creamy curry sauce.

The non-Indian key ingredient in this recipe is Greek yogurt (do not use regular yogurt, you’ll end up with a soupy mess). The yogurt helps tenderize the chicken pieces as it cooks while giving a creamy tikka masala-like texture to the dish. I serve the Indian Chicken Curry over rice for Mayank or with naan. I like it with cauliflower rice for myself especially on days when I’m looking for an extra dose of veggies.

And the best part, there are leftovers for days!

This recipe makes a lot of curry which is why I’d make it for Mayank when I was traveling so he’d get multiple lunches and dinners out of it. The leftovers store for 2-3 days.

Enjoy what we call in our house, Mayank’s Curry or better known to you as The Only Indian Chicken Curry Recipe You’ll Ever Need.

The Only Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry Recipe You'll Ever Need

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 15 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ large yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp freshly, finely grated ginger
8 oz tomato puree
½ cup chicken stock
¾ cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice (~half lemon)
1 tbsp plus ½ teaspoon garam masala, separated
1½ tsp cumin
1½ tsp turmeric
¾ tsp paprika
¾ tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup half and half cream
½ tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp cayenne pepper*
Prepared Long Grain White Rice or Basma

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl stir together the onions, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, stock, yogurt, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon garam masala, cumin, turmeric, paprika, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, and black pepper.
Place the chicken pieces into the bottom of your slow cooker and pour the yogurt and spice mixture on top. Stir to combine. Add in the bay leaves and nestle them into the sauce. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours).
About 30-minutes before serving whisk together the half and half with the cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and vigorously stir to thicken the sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with the additional ½ teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired). Allow the mixture to cook an additional 30 minutes while you prepare the rice. Remove bay leaves and serve warm. Leftovers can be kept for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

*If the curry spice level is already to your liking, omit the cayenne pepper.

Slow Cooker Dal Makhni (Indian Butter Lentils)

November 30, 2016 by Alyssa

By utilizing the slow cooker, my Dal Makhni recipe packs in all the rich, creamy flavor of the traditional Indian recipe with an improved nutritional profile! It’s healthier Indian comfort food!

Dal Makhni is a traditional Indian dish consisting of black lentils, cream, butter, and spices. My version of Dal Makhni is authentic in flavor but cleaned up nutritionally. By utilizing the slow cooker, I’m able to pack in all the rich, creamy flavor of traditional Dal Makhni with only a margin of the butter and cream called for in traditional recipes.

This recipe was inspired by <3M’s love for Dal Makhni. To him, Dal Makhni is a signature dish. It’s the dish he judges all Indian restaurants by. He believes that the quality of a restaurant’s Dal Makhni resonates to the quality of the restaurant overall. It’s his favorite meal, his comfort food. To <3M, Dal Makhni is a BIG DEAL.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a bowl of Dal Makhni as well but I hate how creamy, fatty and buttery it is. It’s not a dish I like to eat on a regular basis nor can I feel good about putting it in my body. I also want<3M to enjoy his favorite foods on a regular basis while still giving his body nutritious food — which is why I was inspired to create a healthier version of Dal Makhni using my slow cooker.

When I told <3M I was going to make a more nutritious, healthier version of his favorite Indian dish, he was awfully skeptical. Traditionally, Dal Makhni is made with about a kilogram of butter. The name itself roughly translates to Butter Lentils — obviously making butter a prominent ingredient in this dish.

My version of Dal Makhni utilizes the slow cooker where a breadth of flavor is developed over a long period of time. At the very end of cooking, I stir in a few tablespoons of butter and cream. Served with fresh, homemade roti, warm rice, pickled onions, and raita, this becomes the perfect Indian comfort meal with only a smidgen of the calories and fat when compared to the original version.

When <3M tasted my healthier version of Dal Makhni for the first time, he were pleasantly surprised to find that I did in fact, achieve the flavors of a traditional Dal Makhni – maintaining its authentic buttery and creamy texture without all the butter and cream — reminding him of the dish he so enjoyed back home in India.

Now, it’s a dish I truly enjoy making and eating. Not only does it remind <3M of home and bring him comfort but it’s also a vegetarian friendly dish that’s healthy, filling and we both feel good about eating!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Slow Cooker Dal Makhni (Indian Butter Lentils)

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 30 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 cup tomato puree [2 large tomatoes, roasted & pureed or use canned]
2 cup urad saboot [black lentils]
2 dry, whole red chile
1 tbsp ginger
4 medium to large cloves garlic
15 oz red kidney beans, cooked [I use canned]
2 tbsp butter
1½ tsp salt
3 cups vegetable broth [or water]
¾ tsp nutmeg powder
½tsp garam masala
3 tsp roasted cumin powder
4 tbsp methi [dried fenugreek leaves]
1 tsp ground fenugreek powder
½ tsp red chile powder
1 ½ tsp aamchoor powder
1 tsp kati salt [black salt]
2 ½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
⅓ cup cream / half&half / fat-free half&half
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Make the tomato puree, if using, see Notes for instructions and set aside.
Par-cook the lentils by bringing a pot water to boil. Add lentils and boil 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for roughly 30 minutes. Drain lentils & set aside.
Prepare the chile-garlic-ginger paste by grinding together with a mortar & pestle. Set aside.
Once the above is prepped, add the par-cooked lentils & 3 cups vegetable broth [or water] to crockpot with first 2 tbsp butter, and the chile-garlic-ginger paste. Add in spices [salt, nutmeg, garam masala, cumin, fenugreek leaves & powder, chile powder, aamchoor powder, kati salt, coriander & cinnamon] and tomato puree.
Let everything cook on low for 8 hours.
Before serving, add the red kidney beans, half & half and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Salt to taste. Let cook an additional 30 minutes.
If you like your dal a little less thick, stir in an additional ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth [or water].
Serve over rice & garnish with cilantro.

Notes

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

May 3, 2016 by Alyssa

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, these Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos cook all day so you can enjoy a delish Mexican meal while kicking back with a margarita.

With these Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos, I’ve simplified the traditional, mole-making process while preserving all the mole flavor. These tacos also come together quickly in the morning then cook all day long in your slow-cooker so when dinner time rolls around, all you have to do is shred the chicken and add your favorite toppings.

This Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Taco recipe is definitely a go-to when I want an easy, flavorful yet healthy meal on a busy weekday. This recipe also results in a large portion and the leftovers freeze well. I often plan to make the chicken for dinner then freeze any extras in smaller portions, so I can enjoy a delicious, home-cooked meal when life becomes a little too busy.

I especially love the Mole Chicken because the chicken itself is so versatile — <3M and I not only enjoy the chicken as a taco but also in quesadillas, added into Mexican-inspired quinoa or rice bowls, and atop salads a la Chipotle Salad-style. Any way you serve it, this Mole Chicken is spectacularly delicious.

If you aren’t familiar with mole sauce, it’s often referred to when speaking of a dark red or brown sauce typically served over meat. In the rest of the world, the word mole can simply be translated to mean sauce and can come in any color – brown, green, red, or even yellow.

The mole I know and love is the dark red sauce and is traditionally tomato-based with chili peppers and cocoa. I find mole sauce to be warming with a slight undertone of spice from the peppers. It has a great depth of flavor in part due to the cocoa and the heat of charred the peppers.

Traditionally, mole sauce takes time to make which allows flavor to develop. In most recipes, it begins by first roasting and grinding the peppers into a fine paste then simmering this paste with water or broth for hours which requires constant oversight and stirring to ensure it doesn’t brown. Although my Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Taco recipe does take time, it does not require constant attention as the flavor develops during the cooking process within your crockpot — it’s definitely a recipe made for those who would rather eat great food without slaving over the stove for hours on end.

To bring out the depth of flavor similar to a mole sauce that was stirred and cooked on the stovetop all day, I start with a few base Mexican ingredients and spices — tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, cumin, chili powder and coriander. To help add a bit of warmth there’s cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and peanut butter. (Now, I’m not sure if the traditional mole recipe has peanut butter but I wouldn’t make mine without it! I truly think peanut butter adds this roasted nutty flavor to the sauce that brings it to the next level!) To help balance some of the spice from the adobo sauce and chipotle peppers, there’s a handful of raisins and a bit of sugar added, which also helps balance the acidity from the tomatoes.

Although it might be a lengthy ingredient list, my recipe begins simply enough, with a food processor and pureeing all the ingredients. Once everything is combined, I place the chicken breasts in the crockpot, cover them with the mole sauce and let it all cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking for so long on low heat, the chicken will be ready to simply fall apart when it comes time to eat. Just before serving, I shred the chicken with a pair of metal tongs or two forks, add the meat and a bit of sauce to a toasted taco shell and top them off!

My favorite way to enjoy Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos is very simply. I serve mine on a toasted corn taco shell topped with a few slices of ripe avocado, a sprinkle of cotija cheese, and a couple thin slices of red onion. Since the mole sauce itself has so much flavor, these tacos don’t need much more. They themselves are the star of the show and the perfect accompaniment to a Cinco de Mayo margarita, a side of roasted corn, refried black beans or my Honey Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 5 mins

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

1 large onion, roughly chopped
½ cup golden raisins
3 cloves garlic, peels removed & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle chile)
3 heaping tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added tomato puree
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ - 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
For serving: corn tortillas, cotija cheese, avocaod, and red onions

Instructions

Place all the ingredients with the exception of the chicken breasts in a food processor.
Pureer the ingredients until a thick, rich sauce is formed.
Place the whole chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and pour the sauce from the food processor on top, covering the chicken completely.
Cover your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Once cooked, turn off the crockpot and with the chicken still in your slow cooker, use a pair of metal tongs or two forks to shred the chicken, stirring it into the extra sauce.
As you shred and combine the chicken and sauce, you'll notice the chicken begins to soak up any additional sauce in the crockpot.
To serve, place shredded chicken and sauce on top of a tortilla and top with avocado, cheese, and a bit of onion.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos - Pinterest

Crockpot Spicy Chicken & Corn Chili

March 21, 2016 by Alyssa

As much as I love cooking, on the weeknights after I get home from work, I honestly hate making dinner — which is why I often turn to my crockpot to do the work for me.

I feel as if crockpots were wildly popular while I was growing up but they took a bit of a dip in popularity during my college days. It seemed as if crockpots got a bad rep’ during that time as they were viewed as a cop-out to ‘real home cooking.’

In reality, it takes a bit of talent to cook with a crockpot, especially as of late now that the blogworld has figured out how to utilize the crockpot for baking cinnamon rolls or mass cooking sweet potatoes to assist in weekly meal prep.

Personally, I like to rely on my crockpot for weeknight meals as it relieves me of the stress of cooking along the clean-up mess that comes at dinnertime. I’m also much more of a morning person so it’s easy for me to work an extra 10 minutes into my morning to prep my evening crockpot meal. I especially love using my crockpot in the warm Texas Spring and Summer months when it’s much too hot to turn on the stove or heat up the oven.

My Spicy Chicken & Corn Chili recipe was originally a one-pot stovetop recipe that I converted to the crockpot. The idea struck me on a Sunday morning when we had plans to be out all afternoon and I realized I would not have the energy to stand over a stove and cook dinner once we got home — similar to how I feel after work!

Rather than nixing our meal plan and opting to eat out that night, I decided to modify my original recipe a bit, adjusting ingredients for the all-day cook time in the crockpot.

Thankfully, the recipe turned out just as fabulous in the crockpot as it did on the stovetop. After converting this recipe to the crockpot, I’ve yet to go back to making it on the stovetop. It’s saves me time, dishes, and overall effort and the meal is just as delicious — which is most important!

<3M and I both love this chili for a few reasons. We love that it’s super chunky in part to the addition of ground chicken, sweet corn, and black beans while also being spicy and smokey thanks to a hefty dose of chili powder and hot smoked paprika. If you’re not into spicy, regular paprika would also work just fine! Diced avocado, shredded cheese and a bit of sour cream usually top our chili before serving. These toppings add great texture and bit of coolness to the spicy, smokey chili.

Since converting my Spicy Chicken & Corn Chili recipe to the crockpot, I also eliminated any extra fat or oils from the recipe, making this chili low fat but high in protein & fiber (nutrition included in below recipe). It’s super filling without leaving you feeling heavy after eating. This recipe also makes a ton of chili, so it’s great for a healthy leftover lunch later in the week.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Crockpot Spicy Chicken & Corn Chili

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A healthy, spicy chili fit for a weeknight meal that's low fat while high in protein & fiber to leave you feeling full and with plenty of leftovers for lunch later in the week.

Serves: 6 bowls

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika*
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 cup mild or medium salsa*
1 15oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 can no salt added black beans, drained & rinsed
1-2 teaspoons salt, divided
Optional for serving: chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot with the exception of the corn and black beans.
Add in 1 teaspoon salt (additional salt can be added prior to serving)
Stir all crockpot ingredients, breaking up the ground chicken the best you can.
Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
A half hour before serving, scrape down the sides of the crockpot and stir in the drained black beans, frozen corn and adjust salt to your liking.
Place lid back on the crockpot and cook on low an additional 30 minutes until everything is heated through again.
Serve with chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese and avocado.

Notes

*If you prefer less spicy, use a mild sauce and omit the hot smoked paprika in favor of traditional paprika.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙th of recipe Calories: 215 Fat: 3 Saturated fat: 1 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 28 Sugar: 7 Sodium: 775 Fiber: 6 Protein: 24 Cholesterol: 53

Dal Makhni (Indian Black Lentils)

March 24, 2014 by Alyssa

So I’ve been gone for a few weeks but as I mentioned earlier, it’s because I was in India getting married – no big deal.

We had a great wedding, my parents thoroughly enjoyed all the Indian wedding traditions, we were able to visit with some of my new Arora family members, and were even swept away for a mini honeymoon to Udaipur – where we got to ride a camel and relax a bit, just the two of us, before heading back to the States!

Ramu the Camel

In India, after the marriage, it’s tradition for the new wife to cook for her husband’s family for the first time. Which isn’t a problem, because obviously, I love to cook! But prior to our travels, <3M had mentioned to his family that I had made a healthified version of Dal Makhni and THIS was the meal they requested me to make. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but I had only made it once before…in the States…using a crockpot…with proper measuring tools.

My first time making healthified Dal Makhni, <3M doubted my ability to make the traditional, creamy dish – as Dal Makhni translates to Butter Lentils. He even refused to call it Dal Makhni when I told him I was making it, saying lets just call it “dal” [aka lentils] so I didn’t set false expectations.

M<3 was skeptical because to him, Dal Makhni is a signature dish. It’s the dish that he judges all Indian restaurants on. He believes that the quality of a restaurant’s Dal resonates to the quality of the restaurant overall. So for him – Dal Makhni is a BIG DEAL.

So when he tasted my healthier version of Dal Makhni, he [and our friend Punit who also came to judge] were pleasently surprised to find that I did in fact make a traditional Dal Makhni – maintaining its authentic buttery and creamy flavor without all the actual butter and cream. To them, that night, I was a food hero – making them homemade Dal Makhni – the same Dal which they recalled eating at home in India.

So really, making my healthier Dal Makhni is truly no big deal but having to make it in India WAS a big deal. Not only was I cooking in a kitchen I wasn’t quite used to, I’d be making this meal without measuring tools, hoping the ingredients in America translate to the same thing in India, cooking it on a stovetop rather than a crockpot, and on top of everything else – when we arrived, I found out that the family had a professional chef cooking for them that week to lessen the household chores.

This was just the icing on the cake – not only was I cooking for the family for the first time but I had to do it in front of a professional chef who would undoubtedly be watching me and judging my Indian cooking skills with skepticism.

The Professional Chef

In my family, my Mother, Grandmothers, and Aunts are all wonderful cooks. Cooking is our thing. It’s how we show our love to the people close to us. It’s how we show we’re the caretakers. To me, cooking a wonderful dish for <3M’s family for the first time was significant. It was proof to them that I’d take care of him forever and always, and that he’d be well fed and forever loved. Because as I mentioned, to me, in my family, Food = Love.

Since failure was not an option, I prepared for my cooking adventure prior to packing for India – by ensuring I packed two basic measuring tools that I knew could get me through cooking for the family the first time. My tools of choice were a measuring cup – a bright orange, Tupperware quarter cup and a stainless steel measuring spoon – the 1 teaspoon to be exact [both belonged to my Grandma Greene – so I was stacking the the deck by bringing good cooking ju-ju with me]! With these two tools, my knowledge of cooking, and by writing a detailed grocery list, I set out to cook Healthified Dal Makhni for the family!

And it was a success [or at least they told me it was!].

Everyone said they loved it, the professional chef even signed off on my Dal Makhni, complimenting me saying even home cooks and Indian chefs have trouble making an authentic Dal Makhni the way I did.

So here it is, here’s healthified Dal Makhni [the crockpot version]. It has the same creamy, buttery, rich, savory flavors as traditional Dal Makhni but with less than a quarter of the fat and calories of the original [I ran the nutritionals!]. It’s the perfect comfort food served atop some rice [I prefer brown]!

Crockpot Dal Makhni

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

6 hours

Total time

6 hours 30 mins

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup tomato puree [2 large tomatoes, roasted & pureed or use canned]
2 cup urad saboot [black lentils]
2 dry, whole red chile
1 tbsp ginger
4 medium to large cloves garlic
15 oz red kidney beans, cooked [I use canned]
2 tbsp butter
1½ tsp salt
3 cups vegetable broth [or water]
¾ tsp nutmeg powder
½tsp garam masala
3 tsp roasted cumin powder
4 tbsp kasoori methi [dried fenugreek leaves]
1 tsp ground fenugreek powder
½ tsp red chile powder
1 ½ tsp aamchoor powder
1 tsp kati salt [black salt]
2 ½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
⅓ cup fat free half and half
2-3 tbsp more unsalted butter

Instructions

Make the tomato puree, if using, see Notes for instructions and set aside.
Par-cook the lentils by bringing a pot water to boil. Add lentils and boil 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for roughly 30 minutes. Drain lentils & set aside.
Prepare the chile-garlic-ginger paste by grinding together with a mortar & pestle. Set aside.
Once the above is prepped, add the par-cooked lentils & 3 cups vegetable broth [or water] to crockpot with first 2 tbsp butter, and the chile-garlic-ginger paste. Add in spices [salt, nutmeg, garam masala, cumin,fenugreek leaves & powder, chile powder, aamchoor powder, kati salt, coriander & cinnamon] and tomato puree.
Let everything cook on high for 4 hours [or on low for 6-8 hours].
Before serving, add red kidney beans, half & half and additional butter.
If you like your dal a little less thick, stir in an additional ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth [or water].
Let cook another 20-30 minutes before serving.
Serve over rice & garnish with cilantro and a cool size of yogurt.

Notes

*If roasting your own tomatoes, pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes upside down on a baking sheet and score and "x" on the bottom of both. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Let cool, peel away skin, and puree until smooth.

Adapted from: http://www.novicehousewife.com/2013/10/22/garam-
masala-tuesdays-slow-cooker-dal-makhani/