Let’s make Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry! This cozy pumpkin curry recipe has tender chicken, colorful veggies & a flavorful sauce to warm you up from the inside out. (Gluten-Free, Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
I’m HERE For pumpkin season, and this time of year, I’ll take my pumpkin any way I can get it. I feel like savory pumpkin recipes get overlooked, but they’re SO GOOD, whether it’s Pumpkin Taco Soup, a batch of Prize-Winning Pumpkin Chili, or this cozy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry.
This easy chicken curry recipe is pure, nourishing comfort food! It’s warm and cozy in all the best ways and filling to boot. Exactly the kind of recipe you need as we head into fall and winter!
Plus, it’s made from pretty simple ingredients. (Win!) Here’s how you’ll get started…
Gather Your Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree. Canned pumpkin puree is the base of our pumpkin curry sauce. For best results, make sure you’re buying unsweetened pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling!
- Coconut Milk. Creamy coconut milk adds richness and body to the curry sauce. I highly recommend full-fat coconut milk (canned coconut milk!) for this recipe. You’ll get the best flavor & creamy texture.
- Red Curry Paste. Red curry paste adds SO MUCH FLAVOR to this dish! It’s got lovely warmth and depth that’s just gorgeous with squash or pumpkin recipes like this one!
- Fresh Garlic & Fresh Ginger. Our curry paste will add great flavor on its own, but adding a bit of fresh garlic and ginger really pumps up the savory flavors!
- Tamari or Coconut Aminos. Umami is the name of the game, and a little gluten-free tamari or paleo/whole30-friendly coconut aminos makes this pumpkin chicken curry recipe SING. Don’t skip it!
- Peanut Butter or Cashew Butter. I love adding a tiny bit of peanut butter or cashew butter (paleo) to curries for the creaminess, umami, and flavor balance.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (Or Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs). Low in fat, high in protein, and perfect for chicken pumpkin curry.
- Bell Pepper. Just like in our Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup, I love adding bell peppers. The red bell pepper is gorgeous and the flavor it infuses the sauce with can’t be beat!
- Fresh Spinach. An easy way to squeeze in some greens! Spinach balances the colors, but also fills this out a bit more and adds a little extra nutrition to every bite. SO good.
- Cilantro + Lime Juice + Salt to Finish! Lastly, you’ll finish things off with some fresh cilantro leaves, fresh lime juice for brightness, and some salt to balance the flavors.
- Garnishes. If you want, you can garnish your pumpkin curry with some optional toppings, like crushed peanuts or cashews, some red pepper flakes, or more cilantro!
How To Make Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
- Combine Sauce Ingredients. Add coconut milk, pumpkin puree, curry paste, tamari/coconut aminos, peanut butter/cashew butter, garlic, and ginger into the crock of your slow cooker. Whisk until sauce is uniform and no large clumps remain. (This helps prevent burning)
- Add Chicken & Peppers. Next, add chopped bell pepper and chicken breast to the curry sauce and stir to coat evenly.
- Slow Cook. Cover and cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours, or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Finish. Shred the chicken with two forks (try to keep the pieces fairly large at first). Stir in spinach, cilantro, and lime juice and stir 1-2 minutes to coat. Cover 2-3 minutes or until spinach is fully wilted. Taste the curry and salt, to taste.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy with long grain white rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with crushed peanuts or cashews, more cilantro, or red pepper flakes, as desired. Store leftover curry in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.
Make It A Meal! Here’s What To Serve On The Side
What can you serve with this pumpkin chicken curry? SO MANY THINGS is my real answer, but here are a few of our faves:
- Instant Pot Coconut Rice, Instant Pot Brown Rice, or good old basmati rice. A bed of rice is the perfect way to soak up all the lovely curry sauce.
- Cauliflower Rice. If you’re grain-free, paleo, or in the middle of a Whole30, cauliflower rice is your best bet!
- Thai Cucumber Salad. I LOVE the light, fresh flavors of our Thai cucumber salad with heavier dishes, like curry. It’s such a nice balance + so refreshing!
- Steamed or Roasted Green Veggies. Keep things simple with some steamed broccoli, snow peas, or your favorite green veggies!
- Fresh Fruit. Something cool and refreshing, like pineapple or grapes can be lovely next to a warm, hearty pumpkin curry.
FAQ + Tips For The Best Pumpkin Chicken Curry
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Chicken Breast For Curry? You bet! Just make sure they’re skinless so you don’t add extra fat to the sauce (it’ll get greasy).
Can I Add Extra Veggies? You bet! Feel free to experiment with some diced butternut squash, some diced onion, a little cauliflower, or your favorite veggies.
Can You Make Dump And Go Pumpkin Chicken Curry? This pumpkin chicken curry recipe is (more or less) a dump-and-go recipe! I just recommend giving the sauce a stir before you add the chicken so you don’t have any clumps of curry paste or nut butter (which can sometimes scorch).
I like a thicker sauce. Can you thicken this? Yes! You can add a slurry of 1 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking to thicken the sauce more. Or, you can use coconut cream instead of coconut milk!
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chicken Curry (Paleo, Whole30-Friendly)
Ingredients
For The Pumpkin Chicken Curry:
- 1 (14 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree unsweetened–do not use pumpkin pie filling
- 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter or cashew butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1-1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs
- 3-4 cups fresh baby spinach roughly chopped or torn with your hands a bit
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 lime
- Salt to taste I like about 1/2 teaspoon
- Optional for garnish: crushed peanuts or cashews, red pepper flakes, additional cilantro.
Instructions
- Combine Sauce Ingredients. Add coconut milk, pumpkin puree, curry paste, tamari/coconut aminos, peanut butter/cashew butter, garlic, and ginger into the crock of your slow cooker. Whisk until sauce is uniform and no large clumps remain. (This helps prevent burning)
- Add Chicken & Peppers. Next, add chopped bell pepper and chicken breast to the curry sauce and stir to coat evenly.
- Slow Cook. Cover and cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours, or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Finish. Shred the chicken with two forks (try to keep the pieces fairly large at first). Stir in spinach, cilantro, and lime juice and stir 1-2 minutes to coat. Cover 2-3 minutes or until spinach is fully wilted. Taste the curry and salt, to taste.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy with white rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with crushed peanuts or cashews, more cilantro, or red pepper flakes, as desired. Store leftover pumpkin chicken curry in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.
Notes
- For thicker sauce, you can add a slurry of 1 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking to thicken the sauce more. Or, you can use a can of coconut cream instead of coconut milk!
- Paleo & Whole30 Notes. To keep this recipe compliant, use coconut aminos and cashew butter, and use compliant curry paste.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-chicken-curry/
This is a fun and flavorful way to use pumpkin. I love how it uses the savory side of pumpkin to make an absolutely cozy meal.
Can you make this and then freeze it?
Yes! You have two options:
One is to prep the ingredients and freeze before cooking. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then slow cook the next day.
Or, you can cook it completely and freeze. If you freeze it after cooking, you’ll want to give it a good stir after thawing, and know that the texture will not be exactly the same as fresh (it’ll be similar to anything else you’ve cooked, frozen, and thawed–slightly softer). Hope that helps!
Definitely will make again.
It’s a bit spicy, so add less curry if you want it to be a bit milder.
Thanks for sharing your tips! (I appreciate you!)
This was so delicious! I transferred to oven cooking – put everything in the pot at cooked in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Perfection!
Ooh yum! I’m so glad you liked it!
This sounds so good! Would it work if I used a mild yellow curry instead of the red?
I wouldn’t recommend that substitution. I’m using a mild red curry (Thai Kitchen brand), so if it’s heat you’re worried about, this stays mild!