Slow cooked peanut butter chicken curry

Swap the takeaway menu for the slow cooker with this satay-inspired chicken curry. Weeknight dinners don’t get much easier than this.

I’m obsessed – and I mean, seriously obsessed – with peanut butter. Add it to a curry and I’m literally in heaven. This satay-inspired recipe is a classic case of a ‘throw it all in the slow cooker and see what happens’ experiment, which turned out to be an almighty success.

I’ve made a couple of alterations since then and because chicken breasts can easily dry out in a slow cooker, I’ve started using chicken thighs which are far more flavoursome and cheaper anyway. And, if you use an own brand peanut butter, this recipe will cost less than £1.50 per portion. Even more reason to add it to your weekly meal plan.

How To Make My Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Chicken Curry

• Chef Catling’s recipe notes
• Recipe: Slow cooker peanut butter chicken curry
• Frequently asked questions

Tips & Notes To Know

• Don’t lift the lid: Every time you take a sneak peek, you lose 15 minutes of heat. Trust the process.
• Cook once, eat twice: Double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for another time. Just thaw the peanut butter chicken curry in the fridge and reheat in the microwave until piping hot.

Slow cooked peanut butter chicken curry

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 hours 4 hours

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Ingredients

1 white onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
600g skinless chicken thighs
100g peanut butter (no added sugar)
1 x 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
1 tbsp tandoori curry powder
1 star anise
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
2 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
1 tsp Chiu chow chilli oil
1 lime, 1/2 juiced, 1/2 cut into wedges
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
Large handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

Step 1
Place the onion, garlic, ginger and red chilli in a small blender and add a splash of water to get it moving. Blitz to a paste and decant into your slower cooker or Instant Pot with the chicken thighs, peanut butter, peeled plum tomatoes, curry powder, star anise, Thai fish sauce, soy sauce, Chiu chow chilli oil and lime juice.

Step 2
Mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water in a small ramekin and add to the curry. Mix well and season generously. Place the lid on top and cook on low for 4 hours.

Step 3
Once cooked, stir in the Greek yoghurt, coriander leaves and garam masala. Season to taste and garnish with the chopped peanuts on top. Serve with rice and lime wedges on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Peanut Butter Should I Use?

Supermarket shelves can be a minefield because of the amount of options available. As a rule of thumb, look for jars which contain 100% nuts with no added sugars or palm oils.

A lot of own-brand products are free of nasties and half the price of more established brands like Sunpat and Skippy.

What’s The Difference Between Plum and Canned Chopped Tomatoes?

Canned tomatoes are picked at their ripest and retain more texture than passata because they are less processed. Canned cherry tomatoes are highly prized because of their wonderfully sweet flavour, while whole peeled ‘plum’ tomatoes are generally favoured over chopped tomatoes because they are the most versatile and fuller in flavour.

It is true that you get what you pay for, so try and seek out the best quality tomatoes to produce a richer and more flavourful sauce.

What is Chiu Chow Chilli Oil?

This Chinese condiment should probably come with a disclaimer. It is a seriously HOT chilli oil, made using dried and salted chilli peppers, soybeans, soy sauce, garlic and sugar.

A drizzle of this will jazz up any dish and add a fiery kick some people crave. Use sparingly.