Crockpot Indian Coconut Curry with Chicken

If you love Indian food AND you love the convenience of Crockpot cooking, this recipe is for you! I got it from Stephanie's blog, and she got it from Rachel Ray when she appeared on her show last summer. My kids loved it too....which makes it a keeper.


My only deviation from the Stephanie-Rachel Ray recipe was to add 1/3 C cornstarch + 1/4 C sugar dissolved in 2/3 C apple juice at the end, just to add a little sweetness and make the sauce thicker and smoother. After adding the juice mixture, stir gently and let it cook on high for 20 minutes to thicken. Next time I will probably omit the sugar; the apple juice is sweet enough.

Ingredients

1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (NOT the light kind)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4-6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or 4 boneless skinless breasts)
1 T tomato paste
2 T curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 inch peeled and grated ginger root
few dashes of hot sauce (I used Tobasco)
1 yellow onion. chopped
2 or 3 cloves of smashed and chopped garlic
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of an eggplant, chopped (I didn't peel)
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

Directions

Assemble all of your spices, coconut milk, tobasco sauce, and tomato paste. Combine the sauce ingredients in the bottom of your crockpot. Add the chicken, flipping it over a few times to coat. Pour in the garbanzo beans. Wash and chop all of the vegetables, and then add to the Crock-Pot. You don't have to mix all the ingredients thoroughly, the veggies will cook well on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. Stir gently to mix flavors. If you stir too roughly, the sweet potato will fall apart. Serve over rice.