It’s exactly one week before Christmas. If you’re like me, you’re probably busy with last minute shopping and attending holiday parties. You may be planning your holiday menu, and you don’t want to drain your culinary energies before the big day. Either way, you don’t have time to slave away in the kitchen every night making dinner. That’s where Crock Pot Chicken and Lentil Curry comes in.
Here are three reasons why you need to make this recipe now:
1. This curry is hearty but healthy so that you can stay on track with your diet this week and go crazy next week stuffing your face with casseroles and pie.
2. Crock Pots are amazing. They do the cooking for you. Set it and forget it is right.
3. The leftovers are even better than the original, which is important when you’re making a huge pot of food to last a few days. Seriously though, guys, this recipe makes a ton of food and you will be super happy about that. Eat half this week and put the other half in the freezer for the “I don’t feel like cooking” nights. Done and done.
Healthy Recipe Ecstasy? This is one of those amazing recipes that’s dairy-free and gluten-free, but so full of spice and flavor you don’t miss either. And, it got Alasdair’s curry stamp of approval, which is a tough stamp to get because he is a curry connoisseur. It also got my curry stamp of approval, which is tough to get because I’m not a huge curry fan. But, this one is so comforting and yummy on a cold winter night that even I love it!
You know when we both agree on a dish it must be a winner. Should I even say it? Can’t…help…myself… WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Ahhh, had to get that out. You know how it is.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken thighs (6-7 thighs)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
- 2 cloves
- 1.5 cups onion, chopped
- 3 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 Serrano pepper, minced (the Serrano pepper gives the dish a medium spicy kick. If you want a more mild curry, remove the pepper seeds)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups lentils
- 1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Mix all the spices — curry powder through the cloves — in a small bowl.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper and one teaspoon of the spice mixture.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the crock pot. Next, add the onion, ginger, pepper, garlic, chicken, lentils, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and spice mix.
- Mix everything together. Set the crock pot on high for four hours, cover it, and go watch a movie or wrap presents.
- After two hours, add one cup coconut milk to the crock pot and stir. Let it cook another two hours. Watch another movie. 🙂
- When the crock pot finishes cooking, give the curry a final mix, adjust any seasonings as necessary, garnish with cilantro and sit down in front of the fire with a big bowl of curry! You can also add a few more Serrano peppers as a garnish if you want a little more heat.
- NOTE: the chicken thighs should be tender enough to shred with a fork. I usually serve 1-2 chicken thighs on top of the bed of curry, and we shred them as we eat. But you can shred the chicken thighs right in the crock pot before serving if you like.
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Indian Racipes
This was our dinner tonight, and it was fabulous!! In my husband’s own words, “You can make this anytime. It’s crack!” 🙂 Even my 20-month-old enjoyed it, his first curry experience. 😉 Thank you for the recipe! This is my first time to your site, but I’m excited to take a look around now. Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much Colleen! That comment made my day. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. 🙂 My curry-obsessed fiance will be so excited to hear that my curry was your baby’s first curry experience!!
Yay, I’m so glad! And I’m making it again tonight for my hubby, son, and a best friend visiting from D.C. 😉 Thanks again!
You’re welcome! I hope it turns out well again. 🙂
I made this curry today – it was fabulous! Perfect amounts of everything – only problem was my crockpot is only 3.5L so wasn’t big enough so I had to bake some of the chicken instead, I will definitely remake but will have to halve the recipe! Thanks so much!
Hi Maggie – thanks for the comment! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It does end up making a lot of curry!
This is a wonderful recipe. Just a few changes due to hubbys health. 1, turkey breast, no skin. 2, tomato sauce instead of coconut milk.3, Just a little bit of water. 3. Jalapeno instead of something hotter. I put a large turkey breast in, and cooked it longer. and added more ginger. it turned out great. thanks. OH any idea what I can add to this instead of coconut milk?
Hi Karen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Good to know that it works well with turkey. Instead of regular coconut milk, you could use light coconut milk or regular cow’s milk. You could also try almond milk – not sure how it will taste though. Another option is just to leave the coconut milk out. The curry will be soupier and not quite as thick and creamy, but I think it might still work ok. If you try it, let me know!
Where are the lentils in recipe? How much to add and when?
Hi Shane, the lentils are listed right after the garlic cloves: 2 cups lentils. You should add them to the crockpot along with the chicken. This is an old recipe, and looking back, it’s not very clearly written. I’m hoping to update all my old recipes this summers with clearer instructions and pictures!
Thanks for showing me … trying this for dinner, with a few changes, but keeping it pretty much as recipe is … I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Great – definitely let me know!
I love this hearty crockpot meal. I love making dishes like this. They make work week lunches and dinners a whole lot easier.
Thanks so much Kristi! I totally agree. I definitely need to make more crockpot meals with the baby coming!!