Slow cooker recipes are always a-okay by me. Especially on a busy day. Or a cold day. Or a lazy day. Nothing is as good as coming home to the aroma of food cooking all day in your kitchen. I almost don't care what it is — just the mere thought of dinner already cooking and the smells filling the house makes me excited to eat it.
That being said, I have always had a fondness for curries and am constantly amazed by how much flavor is packed into both curry powder and curry paste. This version is made even easier by cooking everything in the slow cooker, although you could make it stove top as well. For this particular recipe, I decided to go with an Indian curry and used a Madras curry powder but you could also use a Thai curry paste if you would prefer a Thai-inspired curry.
Since curry powders and pastes can vary greatly in flavor, I suggest starting with two tablespoons and adjusting up from there. You can always add more. You can also add some cayenne pepper to the mix if you likes things extra spicy. Again, just add a little extra at a time since you can always add more but it's impossible to remove it.
What Is Curry?
Defining curry is nearly impossible. It can mean a lot of things, and is sometimes referred to — incorrectly — as just any ole ethnic food. However, curry or curries generally originated in the Indian subcontinent and uses a really complex variety of spices and herbs. Curries can contain any variety of meats or seafood with or without the addition of vegetables. However, a lot of curries are vegetarian due to religious considerations. You can find it at your grocery store as a paste, a powder, a roux cube, or as curry leaves.
Curry Paste
Curry paste is made with fresher ingredients and can often be found in cute little jars in the ethnic or international aisle of your grocery store. These curries are made by grinding together fresh ingredients (ginger, galangal, chiles, lemongrass, and other herbs) until they form a paste. I used green curry paste in this recipe for Slow Cooker Thai Green Curry Chicken.
Curry Powder
Curry powder is made using dry spices instead of fresh, but the ingredients are largely the same. You can find these in the spice aisle, though if you can make your own curry powder that will taste even better. I used curry powder instead of paste for this Slow Cooker Curry Chicken and Vegetables.
Curry Roux Cubes
Curry roux cubes are harder to find and are often used in Japanese cooking. They are like throwing a bouillon cube into your dish, except they are made with curry spices and not a condensed chicken or beef stock.
Curry Leaves
You may also come across curry leaves in your grocery store. These look like bay leaves but are green and shiny, and taste both bitter and sweet. They are not "curries" on their own per say — you'll need to add other spices to these to make the curry paste but I wanted you to know what they are in case you come across them.
Can You Freeze this Dish?
Yes! In fact, this dish freezes quite well. You can freeze it one of two ways. The first way is to cook extra and freeze the leftovers. I like to double recipes often just for the sole purpose of having some to freeze (be careful, as not all slow cookers are big enough to hold a double batch). You can also prep it ahead of time and freeze it for cooking later. To do this, you should mix together the liquids and spices, and add it to a Ziploc bag with the raw chicken. I'd recommend cooking the veggies and onion first a bit to soften them (especially the broccoli and squash). Let them cool all the way before adding to the rest of the ingredients and freezing.
This will keep in a freezer for up to three months. Simply thaw and either reheat or cook in the slow cooker according to original directions.
Ways to Serve Slow Cooker Curry Chicken and Vegetables
I like to serve this dish over white or brown rice. But you can also serve it over another grain, like quinoa. A flat, wide egg noodle would work as a nice base as well. Or, put the dish in a bowl and serve with some nice crusty French bread or rolls and a side salad.
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