You can make delicious Chicken Korma in your slow cooker, its so easy!
Many of my curries on this blog can be prepared in a slow cooker without compromising on flavour. Here is my Chicken Korma in the slow cooker recipe. This Chicken Korma in the slow cooker can be prepared in the morning and be left to gently cook whilst you are at work or away from the kitchen.
This recipe replicates the one pot Chicken Korma from scratch recipe but in the slow cooker, developing in flavour as it cooks. For best results and to make sure no flavour is compromised you should sauté the cinnamon stick, onions, carrot, garlic and spices before adding the remaining ingredients. Most slow cookers have this function but if yours does not, you can use the stove. This process is optional but you will get better results if you take the time to do it. 
What is Chicken Korma?
Chicken korma is a popular dish in South Asian cuisine, particularly in Indian and Pakistani cooking. It typically consists of tender pieces of chicken cooked in a creamy, mildly spiced sauce. The result is a rich, flavourful dish with a creamy texture and a hint of sweetness from the spices and almonds.
This Chicken Korma is closer to the kormas you find at curry houses in the UK and can be served with rice or naan bread.
Do I need to sauté first or can I just throw it in?
To make sure that no flavours are compromised, I recommend sautéing/frying the onions, garlic and spices before you start.
Most new slow cookers have a sauté function and this is why I have included this step in this recipe. If yours does not, I recommend you do sauté/fry the onions, garlic and spices before transferring to the slow cooker.
Alternatively, you can just throw the ingredients in and turn it on. You will still get delicious flavour but it will not be as good as it could be.
How long does it take to make Chicken Korma in the slow cooker? Can it be sped up?
After spending 5 minutes preparing your ingredients, you can leave it to cook all day on low for 6-8 hours or you can speed up the process and leave it for just 4 hours on medium. This is up to you. Both options still gives time for the flavours in the spices to develop, it depends on how long you have.
Does this Chicken Korma in the slow cooker need a base sauce?
This recipe replicates this one pot Chicken Korma from scratch recipe that does not require any base sauce! It still has all the delicious flavours and spices that go into a British Indian Restaurant style Korma which means you end up making the base sauce as you go.
The only difference with this Chicken Korma in the slow cooker is that you don’t need to blend the sauce, the onion and carrot will break down slowly over the hours of cooking. If you prefer a smoother Chicken Korma, you could add the extra step of removing the chicken and spices at the end of the slow cooking process and blending the sauce, but this isn’t necessary.
You could of course also blend the sauce before adding the chicken. It really isn’t necessary though.
When should you add the dairy ingredients to the Chicken Korma in the slow cooker?
To avoid the dairy from curdling or separating, you should add the double cream at the end of the cooking process. You can still add the coconut cream with the rest of the ingredients at the start.
How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. In fact, as it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better!
To heat it up, just pour it into a saucepan over a medium heat and cook until hot.
Can you freeze this curry?
You can but for best results, freeze it before adding the cream. Then add the cream when you reheat it.
You can freeze this curry for up to three months with little loss of flavour.
Should you use chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this Chicken Korma in the Slow Cooker recipe?
You can use either. In this recipe specifically I have used chicken breast but I have made it with chicken thigh as well. They both work.
I actually prefer to use boneless chicken thighs in this recipe as it gives off more flavour, even better if you were to use chicken thighs on the bone, as the flavours release over the time in the slow cooker.
What can you serve with this Chicken Korma?
You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice or if you like to make naans, why not try one of these? Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans.
How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you’re feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.
Step by step photographs
If your slow cooker has a sauté/fry function, then melt the ghee and add the whole spices. You can do this in a frying pan if not. You can skip this step but for best results do not skip. These ingredients will still need to be added later if this step is skipped.
Sauté the onions for best results or add them to the slow cooker right away. My slow cooker has a sauté function but you can use the stove.
Saute/fry the garlic and ginger paste with the onions for an additional minute.
If you have time and have chosen to saute/fry the previous ingredients, stir in the ground spices for one minute. If you would prefer to add all your ingredients in one go, and skip the sautéing, you can simply add the spices and stir.
Add your diced chicken breast (or thigh if your prefer) to your slow cooker.
Now its time to add your coconut cream, this will give your curry the rich, creamy consistency you need. Remember, don’t add the single cream in this step as it will curdle, wait until the very end.
Give your ingredients a good mix to marry all of the flavours together. Place the lid on your slow cooker and set to medium for 4 hours if you’re in a hurry or low for 7 hours if you have the time.
When your delicious Chicken Korma has finished cooking, open the lid and garnish it with a generous drizzle of single cream, a handful of flaked almonds, a pinch of garam masala and a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh coriander.
If you enjoy this chicken korma in a slow cooker, you might like to try some of these recipes too.
Marry Me Chicken
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Soto Ayam – Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup
White Lamb Curry – Restaurant (Hotel) style
Moroccan Beef Stew (tagine)
Beef Tibs – A delicious Ethiopian beef stew
Chinese Pork Noodle Soup
Vegetarian Spicy Naan Pizza
Spicy Stuffed Green Chilli Curry
Japanese Beef Curry
Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry
Beef Chow Fun
Beef in Oyster Sauce
Roast Top Round (top side)
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Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Total Time
6 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods, bruised
- 700g (1 1/2 lbs) chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- ½ carrot, grated
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 tbsp coconut milk powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste stirred into 3 tbsp water
- 250ml (1 cup) water or chicken stock
- 125ml coconut cream
- 125ml (1/2 cup) single cream
- 1 tso garam masala
- Salt to taste
- A drop of rosewater
- Coriander (cilantro) to garnish
- Garam masala to garnish
Instructions
- Put your slow cooker on the sauté function and heat up the ghee. When bubbly hot, add the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to infuse for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chopped onions and grated carrot and fry for about five minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. If time allows, you could cook these veggies even longer over a low heat. See note.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about a minute. Then stir in the ground almonds, coconut milk powder, sugar, tomato paste and 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock/water.
- Add your diced chicken and coconut cream to your slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 -8 hours or medium for 4 hours depending on how much time you have.
- To finish, add the garam masala and cream and season with salt to taste. If using rose water, stir it in now. You could also make it sweeter by adding more sugar if you like. Garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro) and/or garam masala to serve.
Notes
If your slow cooker does not have a sauté function then I strongly recommend you fry the whole spices and vegetables in a pan so you don’t compromise flavour or texture however, for ease, you could just put all the ingredients in step 1 and 2 in the slow cooker but it won’t be as good.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 347Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 343mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
