Slow cooker season is in full force, and this everyday chicken curry belongs in your recipe book.
It's from Arsy Vartanian's "The Ultimate Paleo Cookbook: 900 Grain- and Gluten-Free Recipes to Meet Your Every Need" (Page Street Publishing, $30), a joint effort between the California-based blogger and other Paleo bloggers across the country.
The recipe calls for onion, cauliflower, carrot and sweet potato, but if you’re missing one of those ingredients (or don’t really like it), consider replacing with a similar amount of green beans or regular potatoes. Three cups of coconut milk is about two cans; if you only have one can in your pantry, replace half of the coconut milk with 1 1/2 cups broth or stock.
Slow cookers are great because you can put everything in the crock and walk away. This curry cooks for 4 to 6 hours in a slow cooker on low, or less time if you change the setting to high. Vartanian suggests that you might add the sweet potato and cauliflower halfway through the cooking, if you can, so they don’t accidentally turn to mush from cooking too long. If you are not sticking to the Paleo diet, feel free to serve this dish with rice and naan, but if you are avoiding grains, you could serve with cauliflower rice.
Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry
1 large onion, chopped
1 small cauliflower, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups coconut milk
4 oz. baby spinach
For garnish: Cilantro and chili pepper flakes
Place onions, cauliflower, carrot, sweet potato and garlic in the slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala and ginger. Toss the chicken with the tomato paste and the spice mixture. When it is well coated, place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the broth and the coconut milk. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Add the spinach the last 10 minutes of cooking. Top with cilantro and chili pepper flakes and serve. Serves 8.
— From "The Ultimate Paleo Cookbook: 900 Grain- and Gluten-Free Recipes to Meet Your Every Need" by Arsy Vartanian (Page Street Publishing, $30)
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