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Chicken Pumpkin Curry is an easy to make comfort food that you’ll crave all Fall long! Chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes are slowly cooked to tender perfection in the most mouthwatering pumpkin curry with complex and bold flavor.

White rice and pumpkin curry are served with cilantro and lime wedges in a black bowl.
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Chicken pumpkin curry is a delicious and aromatic dish that combines tender chicken pieces with creamy pumpkin and coconut, along with a variety of root vegetables together with a flavorful blend of spices in a rich, comforting curry. Slow cooked all day long, your house will smell incredible and your mouth will be watering. The real challenge is waiting until dinnertime!

The coconut milk used in this curry doesn’t lend any tropical flavor. Rather, it creates the best silky consistency for this curry and remains just neutral enough for the pumpkin to really shine! The other key curry ingredients at play include curry powder, garam masala, and of course turmeric powder. This easy recipe is protein-packed from the chicken and offers nutrients from the pumpkin puree, sweet potatoes, and carrots. When plated with rice, this slowly cooked dish becomes deliciously filling and comforting while still being freshly flavored. Comforting AND fresh – it’s the best of both worlds!

Why You’ll Love It

  • Bold and unique flavors. This curry dish offers a unique flavor profile that blends the savory taste of chicken with the natural sweetness and earthiness of pumpkin along with the creaminess of the coconut milk. The spices used in the curry, such as curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, ginger, and garlic, add depth and complexity to the dish. The combination of these flavors creates a satisfying and aromatic curry that is both comforting and exotic.
  • Set and forget. Slow cooker meals are the best because once you add everything into the insert of the slow cooker, you can set it and forget it — until, that is, you start smelling it!
  • Nutritious and customizable. Pumpkin is a highly nutritious ingredient that is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as fiber. It is also high in antioxidants so by incorporating pumpkin into the curry, you can enhance the nutritional value of the dish. Additionally, chicken provides lean protein, making this curry a well-rounded and wholesome meal option. Further, this curry is customizable to suit your flavor profile. Check out the section “recipe tips, substitutions, and variations” below for ideas!
Limes and cilantro garnish a serving of pumpkin coconut curry.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Lots of hearty vegetables and flavorful spices in this chicken pumpkin curry! Be sure to get the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

  • Coconut Milk – It should be unsweetened and full fat.
  • Pumpkin Puree – Do NOT use pie filling!
  • Chicken Stock – Low sodium is preferred.
  • Seasonings – A medley of curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper creates the best flavor.
  • Onion – You can use yellow or white.
  • Garlic and ginger – Freshly minced garlic and ginger is best for flavor and aroma.
  • Carrots – Try to make sure the pieces are about the same size.
  • Sweet Potatoes – These should also be cut into similarly sized pieces.
  • Chicken – Breasts or thighs work in this.
  • Lime Juice – Only use the real deal, not the bottled stuff!

How to Make Chicken Pumpkin Curry in the Slow Cooker

Grab your slow cooker and get ready to make the most delicious chicken pumpkin curry! Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions.

Make the sauce. Stir together the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, chicken stock, curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker.

Add the key ingredients. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, lime juice, and chicken to the mixture. Stir to coat.

Cook and serve. Cook on low for 6 hours, then serve with rice and enjoy!

Cilantro garnishes pumpkin curry and rice.

Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations

  • Make sure you are using pumpkin puree. One of the most common errors that people make when making pumpkin dishes is grabbing pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is exactly what it is – filling for a pumpkin pie so it’s already sweetened and seasoned with spices. Pumpkin puree is simply just pumpkin in its raw and untouched form.
  • Adjust the seasonings to your taste. If you find that you are craving more flavor, feel free to adjust the seasonings to what suit you. Whether that be more curry powder, more garam masala, something with a little bit of spice; this curry is extremely easy to manipulate.
  • Use boneless skinless chicken. I’ve made this both with boneless skinless chicken breasts and chicken thighs. It all depends on what you’re looking for. They both yield an incredibly delicious curry, but I will say chicken thighs tend to stay a bit more tender than chicken breasts.
  • Speeding up cooking time. Everything can be made in 4 hours instead of 6 if you cook on high instead of low.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

In an airtight container in the fridge, any leftovers you have will stay fresh for about 3-4 days. To reheat, use a microwave or stovetop.

This freezes well too! I add mine to the 1 or 2 cup Souper Cube containers and freeze. When I am ready to eat them, I pop a cube out and heat it on the stovetop. Usually I have to add a little more liquid (chicken broth) to it so it doesn’t burn and so it thins out a bit.

If you love curries, you’ll love these dishes:

4.44 from 30 votes

Chicken Pumpkin Curry

Chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes are slowly cooked to tender perfection in the most mouthwatering pumpkin curry with complex and bold flavor.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 15 ounce (425 ml) unsweetened full fat coconut milk
  • 2 cups (490 g) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 cup (237 ml) chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon (½ tablespoon) curry powder
  • ½ tablespoon (2 teaspoon) garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
  • ½ large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves (1 clove) garlic, minced
  • ½ tablespoon (4 g) finely minced ginger
  • 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cups (399 g) sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 pound (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Juice of 1 lime

Instructions 

  • In the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker, add the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, chicken stock, curry powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, and pepper. Whisk together to make sure it is all combined and spices are evenly distributed.
  • Add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken, and lime juice to the mixture. Stir to coat and incorporate.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
  • Serve over rice!

Video

Notes

Do not omit any of the spices as they are essential for this curry to taste just as made. Most of the spices are available at your local grocery store and if not, widely available on Amazon: Turmeric powderGaram masalaCurry powder
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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 3g, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 8g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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Recipe Rating




149 Comments

  1. Kaila says:

    Pretty good, not as intense as I like it, so I would have increased the spices. Also, it definetly needed more salt and I added cornstarch plus heavy whipping cream for a thick, creamy end product.

  2. Melissa says:

    This was sooo good and so easy! My 17 month old and 3.5 year old gobbled it up! Such a fun way to kickoff feelings of fall.

  3. Marie H says:

    I love this! The flavor is well balanced ?. Thank you so much for sharing!

  4. Bec says:

    Tried this receipe. I wasn’t impressed. I did double the spices and followed the other suggestions from the other readers

  5. Kari says:

    I love this recipe! It’s so flavorful and warms you up on a cool night! I keep coming back to it, thank you!

  6. Emily says:

    I made this recipe minus the chicken for a vegetarian spin on it and it was great!! I added an extra potato, extra sweet potato and 4 Italian squash. Fabulous recipe.

  7. Jennifer says:

    This has become one of my go-to slow-cooker meals. We cook up and freeze pumpkin every fall for a waffles recipe that we make often, but we ended up with too much and looked for something to do with it. This is perfect!
    It’s pretty mild, which is what my family likes. If you want intense flavors you’ll have to increase spices. I’ve messed around with adding different things…chickpeas, red pepper…it all works.

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      Thank you for sharing!

  8. Vibeke Vale says:

    This is such a family friendly meal. We make it vegan by using vegetable stock and chickpeas instead of chicken stock and chicken meat; we’ve even made it with extra vegetables and omitted the chickpeas. Delicious over cooked white basmati rice and topped with lots of fresh chopped cilantro. Thank you for such an amazing recipe. Ready in just 12 minutes cooked in the Instant Pot.

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      Yay! So glad you and your family enjoyed it and was able to make it vegan!

  9. Sarah bailey says:

    What size pumpkin purée cans..how many ounces

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      I measured out two cups from a giant can of pumpkin puree.

  10. Lisa says:

    Intrigued by the recipe due to many yummy versions across Asia…could you present this starting with the whole pumpkin, and no chicken?? ?

    1. Julie says:

      I’m not quite sure I understand what you are saying.