Enjoy the ease of this Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry – tender pieces of chicken breast gently cook with onion, green peppers, and peas in a rich, fragrant curry sauce. It’s everything you love about a classic takeaway curry, but made lighter and more effortless at home.
With the slow cooker taking care of the hard work, this is the perfect dish for busy days. Serve with rice or noodles for a simple, satisfying dinner that everyone will enjoy.
Calories in Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
This recipe serves 4 and is 267 calories per serving
If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of 200+ calorie recipes.
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Chicken breast (boneless, skinless): Lean and tender, it soaks up the flavours of the sauce beautifully. Cut into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly in the slow cooker.
- Onion: Adds a natural sweetness and depth to the curry base as it slowly cooks.
- Green bell pepper: Brings a fresh, slightly sharp flavour that balances the richness of the curry sauce.
- Garlic: Essential for that savoury base and aromatic depth. Use fresh cloves for the best flavour.
- Ginger: Adds gentle warmth and a subtle zing that lifts the curry without overpowering it.
- Curry powder: The main source of spice and colour. Choose a medium blend for balance, or mild if you prefer a gentler flavour.
- Chinese five spice: A fragrant blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and pepper that gives this curry its signature Chinese-style twist.
- Soy sauce: Adds saltiness and umami, helping deepen the overall flavour of the sauce.
- Stock: Keeps everything moist as it cooks and forms the base of the curry sauce. Chicken stock works best, but vegetable stock is fine too. It's crucial to use the right ratio of stock cubes for the required amount of stock. Not all stock cubes are the same, and using the wrong amount can result in either a bland and watery broth or an overly salty stock.
- Frozen peas: Stirred in near the end for a pop of colour and a touch of sweetness.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce at the end of cooking, giving it that lovely glossy finish.
- Honey: Just a touch to balance the savoury and spicy notes with a hint of sweetness.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
This Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry is easy to adapt depending on your taste or what you have in the kitchen. Try a few of these simple tweaks:
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breast if you prefer darker meat. They stay extra tender during slow cooking.
- Vegetables: This recipe is pretty versatile, so swap for any vegetables you like. Add mushrooms, carrots, baby corn, or water chestnuts for extra texture and flavour. Swap green peppers for red or yellow if you like a slightly sweeter taste.
- Gluten-free option: Use a gluten free soy sauce and stock to keep this gluten free. Also ensure the cornstarch you use is free of gluten.
- Lower-sodium option: Choose reduced-salt stock and soy sauce to keep the salt levels down.
- Spice level: If you like more heat, add a pinch of chilli flakes.
- Stock: Chicken stock gives the best flavour, but vegetable stock works well too.
Tips for Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
Here’s a handy list of tips to help you get the best results from your Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry every time:
- Don’t add extra liquid: The chicken and vegetables release plenty of moisture as they cook. Adding more will thin the sauce and dull the flavour.
- Keep the lid on: Every time you lift it, heat escapes and adds extra cooking time. Trust the process and let the slow cooker do its thing.
- Avoid overcooking: Chicken breast can dry out if left too long. Follow the cooking time carefully so the meat stays tender.
- Add the peas near the end: Stir them in for the final 15–20 minutes of cooking so they stay bright and don’t turn mushy.
- Adjust to taste: Once it’s cooked, give it a taste and tweak the seasoning as needed. Add a little salt and pepper if it needs a lift. Spices can mellow during slow cooking, so if the flavour feels a bit flat, stir in an extra sprinkle of curry powder
Sides for Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
This Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry is perfect with a simple side of plain jasmine rice, letting the rich curry sauce soak right in. For a full fakeaway-style meal, serve it with my Egg Fried Rice recipe – it’s the ideal pairing and a great way to make it feel like your favourite takeaway at home.
If you love your Chinese curry with chips, try these oven-baked chips recipe for the perfect side to go with that yummy curry sauce. You could also include a small serving of prawn crackers (shrimp chips) for a bit of crunch on the side.
Prefer something lower in carbs? My Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice recipe is a brilliant alternative that keeps things lighter without missing out on flavour.
And if you fancy turning it into a full family Chinese fakeaway night, check out my Chinese Fakeaway section for more delicious dishes to mix and match.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Looking for some more slow cooker recipes? Check out the following:
See more Slow Cooker Recipes →
or if you would like more recipe ideas - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more.
All recipes on Slimming Eats have estimated nutritional information for your convenience.
FAQ for Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken thighs work just as well and stay extra tender during slow cooking.
No, it’s not essential for this recipe. The sauce develops plenty of flavour as it cooks, but you can brown the chicken briefly in a pan if you want a richer taste.
If you are looking for a stove top version of this curry. Check out this recipe: Chinese Chicken Curry
Yes, it freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely, then portion and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat thoroughly before serving. Add in a little stock or water to loosen the sauce if needed.
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Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry
Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry Tender chicken breast with green peppers, onion and peas in a homemade fragrant Chinese style curry sauce
Ingredients
- 600g (21oz) of boneless skinless chicken breast (raw), cubed
- 2 tablespoons of medium curry powder
- 2.5 tablespoons of cornstarch (cornflour)
- ½ teaspoon of chinese five spice
- pinch of white pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ½ tablespoon of grated ginger (fresh)
- 2 cups (480ml) of chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- ½ cup (80g) of frozen peas
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.In a bowl, combine the curry powder, cornstarch, Chinese five spice, and white pepper. Add to the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and green bell pepper, then pour in the stock. Stir in the honey and soy sauce.
- Cook on low for 4–5 hours or high for 2–3 hours. Add the peas for the final 15 minutes of cooking.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Note: I used mild italian, so if using a plain sausage, I recommend doubling up the seasoning and add half into the sausage mix.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 267Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 110mgSodium 949mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 4gSugar 9gProtein 37g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Chris Woods says
If I double the recipe, how much longer would I need to cook it for
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
You would still cook for the same amount of time. Enjoy!!