Recipe for slow cooker Thai green curry chicken with broccoli and mushrooms
When I was a little girl, I smeared everything I didn't like (liver, turkey, broccoli) with ketchup to cover up the taste. In my grown-up kitchen Thai curry paste often replaces the ketchup, not for its masking qualities but because I love almost anything cooked with it. Yes, I'll even lap up broccoli when it's cooked in a curry and coconut milk sauce. This Thai green curry chicken adapts to any vegetables you have on hand: asparagus, cauliflower, butternut squash, sweet potato. I'm partial to the Maesri and Mae Ploy brands of store-bought green curry paste, because they don't contain cilantro; both are widely available in Asian markets (they come in identical 14-ounce green tubs). Fresh basil is essential in this dish. Out-of-season Genovese basil from the supermarket tastes fine here, and Thai basil from your summer garden -- or from your local Asian grocery -- would be even better.
Slow cooker Thai green curry chicken with broccoli and mushrooms
From the pantry, you'll need: chicken breast, green curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime, cornstarch.
Serves 8-10, with rice.
Ingredients
2-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup Thai green curry paste
2-1/4 cups coconut milk
24 oz broccoli florets (store-bought), or 2 large bunches of broccoli, trimmed, stems peeled, and roughly chopped
12 oz mushrooms, sliced (I use cremini or baby bella)
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tsp cornstarch
Directions
In a 6- or 7-quart slow cooker, place the chicken, curry paste and coconut milk. Stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Turn the cooker to HIGH, and add the broccoli and mushrooms (the cooker will seem very full, but the vegetables will cook down quickly). In a small measuring cup, whisk together the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, and add this mixture to the slow cooker.
Cook for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for 30 minutes more. Stir in the basil. In a small measuring cup, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and add this mixture to the slow cooker. Stir, and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes, until the liquid has thickened slightly.
Serve hot, over brown or white rice, or rolled up in a lettuce leaf.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Green shrimp or fish curry
Vegan red curry tofu with spinach and mushrooms
Green chicken curry with eggplant
Red curry beef with mushrooms, red bell peppers and cilantro
Potato and broccoli samosas
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
In a hurry green curry, from 101 Cookbooks
Peanut chicken stir-fry, from Gluten-Free Goddess
Thai green curry, from David Lebovitz
Coconut green curry mussels, from Sassy Radish
Green curry turkey burgers with Asian-style cucumber relish, from One Perfect Bite
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This sounds just great; I'm also a fan of Thai curries of any type!
I love Thai curries and bought that paste the other day. Unfortunately I can't use it as it contains shrimp and my husband has a deadly allergy to it.
If anyone knows of a curry paste that does not contain shrimp I would love to know !
Thanks
Jemma
Kalyn, I use red curry paste much more often than green, and I always forget how wonderful the green curry is (even if the color isn't spectacular!).
Jemma, you can make your own curry paste (not too hard once you've collected all of the ingredients), to ensure there are no allergens in it.
Why have I never thought of cooking a curry in the CrockPot? Brilliant! This looks so delicious, Lydia. Thanks for sharing. You have a lovely blog and I'm glad to have found you!
Georgia, the curry works really well in the slow cooker. The longer cooking time gives the flavors a chance to mellow.
I'm trying to think of a time when I've come to your blog and have not said, "Oh my, that looks good!" Seriously, you tickle my fancy with every recipe you post, Lydia. And I completely agree that coconut and curry sauce can make anything taste good.
Mmmmm - lovely flavours and ingredients. Such a good way to enjoy chicken breast which I usually avoid as I find a flavourless. I prefer to use chicken thighs.
Now, have I found another cilantro loather? It is such a completely love or loathe flavour and I'm in the second group!
Cookin' Canuck, I feel exactly the same way when I visit your blog -- wonderful recipes using some of my favorite pantry ingredients! Some day I will test our theory by making Thai curry cauliflower. If I can learn to love cauliflower, it will only be by smothering it with curry paste!
Michelle, we are partners in cilantro-loathing. I don't feel the same about dried coriander, but fresh cilantro? No. The green curry paste I use does not contain cilantro, and for that I am grateful. And you can certainly use chicken thighs in this dish.
Thanks for sharing this slow cooker recipe. It is nice having a recipe that is simple but tasty.
I guessed right!! The recipe looks yummy!
p.s. I just saw you're in rural NW Rhode Island - why we're practically neighbors, as we live in rural SW Rhode Island. ;) Now I know your recipe must be similar to my MIL's - except I can't ever see her using mushrooms.
Do you leave the lid off for the last 15-30 mins aswell?
Emma, yes.