Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

Obviously, I love food but I really, really LOVE curry!

It was raining like crazy this past Friday, so I decided to whip out my trusty crock-pot my Mom gave me and make a comfort food craving, Coconut Curry Chicken. There are many variations for Curry Chicken and a favorite of mine is the Caribbean version but my taste buds were craving something sweeter so the coconut was the ultimate fix. 

It was the perfect rainy, Friday. I stopped by my local Whole Foods (I live above a Whole Foods and they take all of my money) to pick up the ingredients and put everything in the crock pot and let everything cook for around 4-5 hours! It turned out so good. Adding coconut & ginger to the dish was the perfect combination and it really enhanced the flavors of the curry. I highly recommend trying this out if you are craving some good ole' comfort food. 

This dish was taken from a great food blog that I follow, The Food Charlatan 

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed* (about 2 and 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon oil

2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk (lite coconut milk is great too)

2 tablespoons dried basil leaves

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 and 1/2 tablespoons yellow curry powder

1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 large red onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or minced

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Of course, I flipped the dish slightly because no one recipe is alike. I'm also not a big fan of chicken thighs so I threw in some chicken breasts to make it more meaty. Also, to thicken up the dish you can combine flour & water to make a little roux and pour into the crock pot when the dish is almost done. 

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken thighs & breasts with salt & pepper and any seasoning that you may like

2. Sear the chicken breasts & thighs (skin down) for about 3 minutes each side. Make sure they are golden brown. Set aside. 

3. In the crock pot, combine coconut milk, curry, chili powder, basil and salt & pepper (stir to combine and make sure to taste it along the way to your liking) 

4. Add in the garlic, jalapenos, red onions (stir to combine) 

5. Add in the chicken and let the coconut curry sauce get allllll over the chicken. Cook on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. 

6. Remove chicken and shred it (remove skin as well). Transfer it back to the crock pot

7. Add in the minced ginger and cilantro (add this at the end so you can taste the ginger in it. Ginger can burn easily).

Note: remember to season with salt & pepper along the way and if you want a thicker sauce add in alittle flour & water combo to the dish.

8. Serve over white rice and lick the bowl!

Cheers to eating!