The crockpot brings together this Coconut Curry Chicken, full of bold Thai-inspired flavors served over a bed of brown rice. It’s a creamy, simple dish that warms you from the inside out, bringing you all the comfort food feels without giving up whole, clean ingredients.
For a split second (all right, more like several minutes) I was really excited to call this recipe “C Cubed,” because there are four Cs and that’s a cube, right? Well, my excitement was short-lived, since mathematically I have one C too many. Technically it’s more of a square than a cube, except not like “be there or be square,” because this Crockpot Coconut Curry Chicken is always cool. You can tell because of the alliteration.
Despite my bad math with the title, I promise everything else about this dinner perfectly adds up. Throwing stuff into a crockpot is literally the easiest thing to do and still call it cooking. You can forget about it for hours, but unlike those time I’ve forgotten I had food in the oven and burnt it to a crisp (and I call myself a food blogger), this will still be edible! In fact, it’s better than edible, like the difference between surviving and thriving.
Major takeaway– crockpots help us thrive.
Since that’s the case, I must be doing really well, because I kid you not, my bowl featured a healthy dose of Coconut Curry Chicken a total of…. wait for it…. five times in the last week and a half. Some might call that overkill, but I prefer “edible hug.” It’s easy to appreciate coming home to a cozy dinner after a long day battling the freezing winds that force you to move at a snail’s pace, head bent down and arms shielding your body.
Or maybe you’re looking for a new Shabbat dish to serve because chulent is too old school for your young, hip fam-jam nowadays. Can we still call people hip, or is that way past its prime, too? Somebody please send me updates on the lingo! I pay in home-cooked meals.
Truthfully, there’s been a can of coconut milk (full fat for that über creamy texture) making a dent on my shelf for months. I just never got around to using it, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise when I madly threw ingredients into the crockpot, cranked it up, and left the apartment for the next several hours to play board games. The tiny voice in my head that likes to pop up every now and then, putting in her two cents to remind me she’s still around, was concerned.
Will it taste good? Is my kitchen going to explode? Will my roommates hate me for leaving them with this possible disaster?
You can rest assured, hungry people, that the minute I walked through the door I took the crockpot lid in hand and breathed in a whiff of curry that warmed me instantly from head to toe. I’d dare you to try to resist, but can’t bring myself to be so mean as to deprive you of such a gem. It’s like holding the golden ticket to a bold Thai-style dining experience.
Remember that can of full fat coconut milk? Imagine pairing it with smooth peanut butter, the sharp taste of garlic and ginger, fresh basil, and curry powder. Now multiply that by two chicken breasts, stir in a couple helpings of baby spinach leaves, put it all on top of brown rice. And there you go, the recipe in a coconut shell. Did I say it was easy or did I say it was easy?
Final pro-tip– if you double the recipe and feed your friends, then it’s a surefire way to curry some favor!
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 (13.5 oz) can full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp minced fresh basil
- 1½ tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp coarse kosher salt
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup brown rice, rinsed well
- Heat the coconut oil in your crockpot on low, then add the garlic and ginger. Let cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk, peanut butter, basil, curry, and salt. Whisk well to melt the coconut cream and break up any clumps, making sure all the ingredients are distributed evenly.
- Next, add in the chicken breasts and cover with the coconut mixture. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Meanwhile, boil 1 cup water in a small pot, then pour in the rice. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until water is completely absorbed.
- Once done, shred the chicken with a fork and stir in the spinach, until just wilted.
- Serve hot over brown rice. Best if eaten immediately, but can be stored in the fridge for 1 week.
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