Delicious and healthy chicken curry made easy by using a few staple ingredients in the slow cooker! Greek yogurt is used instead of coconut milk to keep this dish creamy without adding a whole lot of fat. Flavorful, creamy, warm, and with just the right amount of spices – this curry dish is sure to spice up your night!
I was craving some creamy chicken curry the other night and it got me thinking…I have yet to attempt any type of Indian dish before!
I told Simon recently that I wanted to expand my cooking skills beyond the same typical dishes I normally do. To experiment with different flavors and different types of cuisines. So, as soon as that craving hit, I knew what I had to do.
Insert this Indian chicken curry recipe! Friends, this is warm, cozy comfort food at its BEST!!
It has the most amazing flavor and the best part is it is SO easy! Seriously it just takes a couple of minutes to throw together. Then, the slow cooker does all the hard work!
I do think this dish can be made on the stovetop, I just don’t think the chicken and carrots will get as tender on the stovetop than they would in the slow cooker. I haven’t tried doing it this way, but if you do (or if you try using an Instant Pot, please let us all know how it goes in the comments!
Simon and I both really enjoyed this healthy curry recipe! It was fun and felt good to switch things up from our typical meals. It really is the most flavorful dish and tastes just like a traditional chicken curry. This delicious dish works perfect to meal prep as well. You will really look forward to these leftovers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS HEALTHY CHICKEN CURRY
- It is a different type of cuisine and it feels good fun to switch things up!
- So. Much. Flavor. The whole family will fall in love with it!
- High protein and packed with fiber from the vegetables
- Low in fat and calories – so more room for fun sides and bread!
- Comes together with simple pantry staples
- Super easy chicken curry recipe – just add everything to the slow cooker and let the magic happen!
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken – I used chicken breasts, but chicken thighs also work great!
- Chicken broth – or chicken stock.
- Carrots
- Onion
- Curry powder – I used yellow curry powder. You also use a red curry powder or your favorite curry blend. Curry paste also works!
- Turmeric
- Onion powder
- Greek yogurt – substitute a non-dairy yogurt to make it dairy free
- Cornstarch – this is used to thicken the curry sauce
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CHICKEN CURRY
- Add the chicken, onion and carrots and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
- Combine the curry powder, cornstarch, salt, pepper and turmeric in a small bowl. Toss with chicken mixture. Add the chicken broth and cover.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Ladle about 1 cup of the cooking liquid into a bowl and combine with the yogurt and cilantro; add mixture back to the slow cooker, stirring gently. Season with salt as needed.
- Serve over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice, or whatever suits your fancy!
Garnish with more cilantro on top and fresh lime juice or lime wedges if you wish. You could even sprinkle a little bit garam masala, ginger powder, or for an extra Indian flavor boost! Add some extra veggies on top for a super fresh flavor (Bell peppers and/or chopped tomatoes would be a really good option!)
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Chicken: I used chicken breast, but there are so many other delicious meats that would work for this Indian curry! You could use chicken thighs (or a combo of lean chicken breast and thighs), pork, or even turkey. You could also do ground chicken, ground turkey or ground beef. If vegetarian or vegan, you could even sub for white beans, chickpeas or your favorite meatless crumbles.
- Vegetables: Carrots and onions are the classic vegetables used in curry, but feel free to sub with other vegetables of your choice! I bet cauliflower florets, broccoli, sweet and russet potatoes would all be yummy!
- Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the curry sauce. If you need to replace, you could use all-purpose wheat flour or rice flour (estimate 2 tablespoons of flour for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch) or potato starch (estimate 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons potato starch for every 1 tablespoon cornstarch).
WHAT TO EAT WITH HEALTHY CHICKEN CURRY
- Rice: The classic choice! My favorite is plain Basmati rice. White rice or brown rice works great too!
- Cauliflower rice. A good idea for a delicious lower-carb option
- Toasted bread or naan bread.
- Over greens. To make a curry chicken salad!
- With any vegetable. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted bell peppers, green beans, spaghetti squash, etc.
HOW TO STORE
Store in an airtight container (I prefer to use a glass container) in the fridge for 6-7 days.
IS THIS CURRY SPICY?
If you don’t like spicy food, don’t worry, this curry is not spicy! If you wanted it to be more spicy you can sprinkle in some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. For little spice but not a lot, try chili powder.
SWITCH IT UP!
- Tomato based sauce: Add in tomato puree, tomato sauce or a small amount of tomato paste.
- Sweet potato curry: Add in diced sweet potatoes to make the most delicious sweet potato curry.
- Coconut chicken curry: Add in coconut milk instead of yogurt to make a creamy coconut chicken curry.
HEALTHY CHICKEN CURRY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Sure! You can also use chicken thighs if you’d like! Turkey, pork, or really any protein you like will work great. Make it your own!
Absolutely! This is a great recipe for meal prep! It can be prepared early in the week and then pull out for dinner. We do it often! It makes an easy lunch as well!
Yes. Just substitute the greek yogurt for a plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt. Such as coconut yogurt or a greek-style dairy-free yogurt.
I haven’t tried that cooking method, but I most definitely think you can just fine! I would just cook the chicken first in a large saucepan over medium heat until no longer pink. You may need some olive oil or vegetable oil for this part to prevent sticking/drying out of the chicken. Set the chicken aside on a separate plate. Then cook the carrots and onions. Combine the curry powder, cornstarch, salt, pepper and turmeric in a small bowl and toss with the carrots and onions in the saucepan. Add the chicken broth, give it a good stir then cover and cook until carrots are tender. The stir in the yogurt and cilantro.
Again, haven’t tried this method but definitely think this healthy chicken curry recipe will be great in the pressure cooker. If I were to try to make this an Instant pot meal, I would first select the saute setting and add some oil to prevent sticking. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in the rest of the ingredients (except the yogurt and cilantro) and set time to 8 minutes at hight pressure. Allow natural release for 10 minutes then use quick release to release any remaining pressure. The stir in the yogurt and cilantro.
MORE COMFORT FOOD STYLE HEALTHY RECIPES TO TRY
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Healthy Chicken Curry (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Delicious and healthy chicken curry made easy by using a few staple ingredients in the slow cooker! Greek yogurt is used instead of coconut milk to keep this dish creamy without adding a whole lot of fat. Flavorful, creamy, warm, and with just the right amount of spices – this curry dish is sure to spice up your night!
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 small onions, diced (270g)
- 4 carrots, sliced (280g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch (16g)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (227g)
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add the chicken, onion and carrots and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
- Combine the curry powder, cornstarch, salt, pepper and turmeric in a small bowl. Toss with chicken mixture. Add the chicken broth and cover.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Ladle about 1 cup of the cooking liquid into a bowl and combine with the yogurt and cilantro; add mixture back to the slow cooker, stirring gently. Season with salt as needed.
- Serve over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice, or whatever suits your fancy! Garnish with more cilantro on top.
Notes
MFP entry: LFF Healthy Chicken Curry
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1/6 of recipe (219g)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 2.6gSaturated Fat: 0.6gCarbohydrates: 12.4gFiber: 2.1gSugar: 5.4gProtein: 26.2g
Excited to make this!! Could I sub the same amount of arrowroot starch?
Yes! Arrowroot starch should work great! 🙂
How would I make this in the instant?? cant wait to try!!
Instapot***
I haven’t tried it in the instant pot yet but I would just adjust the setting to high pressure for 10 or so minutes, then allow steam to release naturally. You can ladle out the bit of liquid to combine with the yogurt at the end!
instapot*
This was amazing!!! I was worried there wasn’t enough liquid in the recipe but the chicken created lots of juices. This was soooo yummy thank you Lauren!
Really good! I added siracha to up the spice level. I also added cauliflower and orange bell pepper. I want to try again but add more veg volume and ginger!!! It was so tasty
LOVE your additions!! Cauliflower and orange bell pepper sound too perfect for this!
Could this be done with frozen chicken breast?
Can I use any curry powder in this, or does it have to be yellow?
Hey Sarah, I haven’t tried with any other curry powder but any curry should work fine!