Dinner · Tested at home
Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry
This is the kind of recipe that's perfect when you want something homemade but don't feel like spending the evening standing over the stove.
Everything starts in the slow cooker, where the chicken and vegetables cook with red curry paste, ginger, garlic, and a few other simple ingredients.
Then you stir in the coconut milk and kale toward the end.
Red curry has a brighter, more aromatic flavor than Massaman. Depending on the paste, it can also have quite a bit more heat.
I also like how flexible this recipe is. Potatoes and carrots make it hearty enough for a cold winter evening, but you can easily work in other vegetables you enjoy.
Source: On Your Table – Big Flavors for Cold Winters: Two Thai Curries Absolutely Worth Making
My potato-and-carrot variation of The Endless Meal – Thai Coconut Chicken Curry by Kristen Stevens.
Get everything ready
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient as you use it to keep your place.
Turn up the heat
Let’s cook.
- Add the chicken stock, red curry paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, fish sauce, and garlic to your slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Add the chicken, potatoes, carrots, chopped onion, and optional chile peppers. Stir again to distribute the sauce throughout.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for approximately 4 hours, until the chicken has reached 165°F and the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Cover and allow the kale to wilt and the coconut milk to heat through while you prepare your rice.
- Serve over rice with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and additional chile peppers if you'd like more heat.
Options & Variations
Recipe Notes
Speaking of ingredients, I have to mention one of my favorite places to shop when I'm making dishes like these.
If you live in the Bismarck-Mandan area and haven't visited Asian Gourmet Market at 800 E. Bowen Avenue in Bismarck, you're really missing out.
Seriously, this place is fantastic.
Don't let the name fool you into thinking it's just for Asian cooking, either. They have an incredible variety of ingredients from cuisines around the world. Whether you're making Thai, Chinese, Indian, or exploring an entirely different cuisine, it's worth taking a look around.
And their produce section is especially amazing. Every time I go I pick up something I've never tried before.
One of my favorite things about cooking different cuisines is discovering ingredients that you simply don't come across in a typical grocery store. This is the kind of place where you can find an ingredient you've been looking for, then end up discovering three more things you want to try.
When it comes to curry, it's a great place to look for curry pastes, coconut milk, fresh herbs, interesting vegetables, rice, noodles, spices, and all those little extras that make exploring international cooking so much fun.
If you've ever avoided trying a recipe because you figured there was no way you'd find the ingredients here in North Dakota, I would definitely recommend checking them out.
You might be surprised by just how much is available in Bismarck.
Next time you're thinking about making a big pot of stew, maybe make one of these instead!
If you've never made Thai curry at home, I would probably start with the Massaman. It's familiar enough to feel like comfort food, but the flavor is something completely different.
And if you already enjoy curries, the slow cooker red curry is a great one to add to your winter rotation.
Happy cooking!
I love finishing red curry with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. It's amazing what a difference those fresh flavors make.