If you’re looking for a kid-friendly curry that’s easy, mild, and made in the slow cooker, this is it.
This slow cooker chicken curry is the one I make for new mums, sick friends, and any time I want guaranteed clean plates. There’s no chilli (unless you add it at the end), it’s got a gorgeous texture — not sloppy! — and it’s always a hit with kids.

It’s packed with real ingredients, budget-friendly, and perfect for freezing.
A no-fuss dinner that actually gets eaten? Tick ✔️

In our house, a bowl of fluffy basmati and a few papadams is where it starts. But if I’ve got a hungry crew rolling in, I’ll pop a few extras on the table so everyone builds their own.

• Fluffy basmati or jasmine rice (cooked in the curry broth if you’re feeling fancy).
• A bag of papadams… the kids go nuts snapping them into little scoops.
• Warm naan or a soft wrap for the ones who won’t touch rice.
• A dollop of natural yoghurt for cooling little mouths down.
• A handful of coriander and lime wedges for the grown-ups.
• A drizzle of chilli oil or fresh sliced chilli (grown-ups only!).

If you want to bulk it out for a bigger crew, toss in an extra tin of chickpeas near the end. SO EASY, and it stretches the curry another meal.

Gluten-free: This one’s already GF, just double-check your curry powder blend and papadams (most Aussie brands are, but worth a look).

Dairy-free: Also naturally dairy-free thanks to the coconut milk. Swap yoghurt on the side for a coconut yoghurt and you’re set.

Vegetarian: Sub the chicken for a big chunk of pumpkin and a tin of chickpeas. Add the chickpeas in the last hour so they don’t turn to mush.

Different protein: Diced lamb shoulder is GORGEOUS in this one, just needs the full 6 hours on low. Beef chuck works too.

Nut-free lunchboxes: Skip the almond slivers on top and pop some toasted coconut flakes on instead. Same crunch, no nuts.

Will fussy kids actually eat this?

This is the question I get asked most, and I get it. One of my readers, Anna, said the same thing before making it: she was worried Mr 4 wouldn’t touch coconut in a curry, then it “went down a treat” and hubby took the leftovers to work the next day. That’s the dream.

The trick is the coconut milk plus the desiccated coconut. It goes sweet and mellow, no chilli heat, no funky texture. Little kids just taste creamy.

Promise.

Watch how to make my kids chicken curry

If you’d rather see it than read it, I’ve filmed the whole dump-and-run in one short video. Handy if you want to see how loose the sauce should look before the lid goes on.

More easy slow cooker dinners you’ll love

If this curry earns a spot in the rotation (fingers crossed), here are the other set-and-forget winners my crew asks for on repeat:

• Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken … my other mild, kid-friendly curry. Same energy, different sauce.
• Simple Slow Cooker Satay … peanutty, saucy, another guaranteed clean-plate dinner.
• Slow Cooker Soy Chicken Noodles … when the crew wants something a bit more Asian-inspired.
• Slow Cooker Devilled Sausages … the ultimate dump-and-run for busy school nights.

And if dump-and-run dinners are your love language, my Slow Cooker Course walks you through a full month of them. Prefer the stovetop or oven? The One-Pan Course is the sister to it, same easy vibe, less waiting.

Grab your slow cooker, because we’re making the kid-friendly curry that always earns clean plates in our house.

This is the one I take to new mums and sick friends. No chilli, no fuss, a gorgeous mellow sauce, and it’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free too.

It came out of one of those “what’s in the fridge?” nights and the crew went nuts for it. Now it lives on repeat, straight from my Slow Cooker Course. Here’s how I make a batch…

Leftovers & lunchboxes

This curry keeps happily in the fridge for 3 days and freezes like a dream for 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water so the coconut milk doesn’t split. My reader Rachel made this when her parents came to visit and her mum loved it, tick tick tick. And Anna’s hubby took the leftovers to work the next day, which is honestly my favourite kind of feedback.

If freezer meals are your thing, my 5 freezer dump bags blog post is where I’d start. This curry is a natural for it, spice mix and chicken in a bag, straight from freezer to cooker on a Monday morning.

I’m a massive fan of my slow cooker. I use it for dinner almost every night (seriously—check out my Slow Cooker Course for a full month of set-and-forget meals).

This recipe couldn’t be easier, no need to even sear or chop the chicken, in it goes to the cooker…

Then in with all the other ingredients. It is nothing fancy here, just get it all in.

Then give it a good stir before popping the lid on to cook.

When the time is up, pull the chicken from the cooker (or a separate bowl) It will fall apart so easily.

Then top with your greens and nuts.

Cook some rice and enjoy this SO EASY, so yum, curry that little and big kids will love.

Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

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5 from 2 reviews

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A healthy slow cooker chicken curry the kids will love. I often dump everything in the slow cooker and run on to a day of work because it doesn’t matter if you can’t turn the cooker off after 6-hours. I’ve cooked it up to 9-hours and it’s been fine.

• Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tspn turmeric powder
• 1 tspn ground fennel
• 1 tspn brown mustard seeds
• 4 tbsp chopped curry leaves (fresh or dried)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 2 tomatoes (cubed)
• 1 x 400ml coconut milk
• 1 kg chicken thighs or breasts
• 2 carrots (roughly chopped)
• 1 small eggplant (roughly chopped)
• TO SERVE
• 2 handfuls sugar snap peas (sliced)
• 1 cup rice (cooked)
• 1/2 cup toasted almond slivers

Instructions

1. If you have time, brown off the onions and garlic with all the herbs. I do that in ghee for about 5-minutes. Then into the slow cooker with everything else and let it cook on low for 6-hours. high for 3-hours, or the pressure cooker for 16-mins. It can cook longer, so don’t fear the keep warm method going on.
2. When the curry is cooked, pop the rice on to cook in the broth. Then, stir through the sugar snap peas so that the curry has a lovely texture.
3. Toast the almonds and use those to sprinkle over the top of the curry.
4. We love curry as is, but maybe a bag of papadams or a naan bread on the side would get the kids over the line.

Notes

• I often make this spice mix up and freeze it with the chicken in bags in the freezer. That way I can just dump it (sometimes frozen) straight in the slow cooker.
• Vegetarian: Sub the chicken for pumpkin and add a tin of chickpeas to the slow cooker when it’s nearly done.
• SLOW COOK – LOW : 6 HOURS
• SLOW COOK – HIGH: 3 HOURS
• PRESSURE COOK: 30 MINS WITH 1/4 TIN OF THE COCONUT MILK

• Author: Stacey Clare
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 6 hours