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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.
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!
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!
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 trays * 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:
- Katsu Chicken Curry
- Japanese curry
- Madras Curry
- Coconut Curry Ramen
- Curry Meatballs and Kale Stew
- Curry Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl
Chicken Pumpkin Curry
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 curry powder
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon 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.15 ounce (425 ml) unsweetened full fat coconut milk, 2 cups (490 g) pumpkin puree, 1 cup (237 ml) chicken stock, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon tumeric powder, ½ tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken, and lime juice to the mixture. Stir to coat and incorporate.1/2 large onion, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tablespoon finely minced ginger, 3 carrots, 3 cups (399 g) sweet potatoes, 1 pound (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, Juice of 1 lime
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Serve over rice!
Based on other reviews I made a slightly modified version of this recipes yesterday and it was delicious! First, I doubled all the spices. Added two garlic cloves vs. one. Added one whole onion, and an additional small chicken breast. It was thick and flavorful, not watery or bland. I did use a culinary full fat coconut milk made for cooking. Maybe that helped with thickness? I’m not sure but I will certainly be making this again. Thanks!
I’m so glad you made modifications for your own liking and enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing!
Do you think it would be ok to sub ground beef for the chicken? Or maybe leave chicken out and add ground beef after the curry is cooked?
I would leave the chicken out and add the ground beef (cooked) after the curry is done.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
Thank you!
Yes, you may.
Hi Julie,
My step daughter posted this recipe on Facebook with the comment “best dish I’ve made all year” That totally got my attention as Allegra is no slouch in the kitchen. I linked to your site for the full recipe and realized I had every ingredient in the house. What I didn’t have was six hours to wait….so I made a cooktop version of the dish. I did saute the onions and garlic with olive oil in the dutch oven and then added the chicken and browned it. I deglazed with the chicken stock and then added all the rest of the ingredients. Based on my palette and the other comments, I increased the salt and black pepper to 1 tsp and increased the garam masala to 3 tsp. Brought it to a boil and then reduced to simmer for an hour. OMG….this was AMAZING! and I can’t wait to make it for friends this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Awesome! I’m so glad your daughter posted the recipe link so you could find this recipe and make it your own!! :)
is it topped with parsley?
Yup.
I hate to say this, because I wanted so bad to love it, this recipe was a miss for me. I have to agree with other commenters about the bland and watery issues. I think the pumpkin really hides the wonderful curry/garam masala flavor, which is weird because you don’t get an overwhelming pumpkin flavor either. I too felt the need to load it down with salt, garlic, cayenne etc. I was at least able to thicken it up with a little corn starch. Oh well, you’re photos are lovely and I had fun trying something new :)
Aw bummer, Kristin! Sorry it didn’t turn out for you. Maybe if you ever choose to make it again next time, add 1/2 tablespoon more curry powder and some more garam masala and your extra seasonings? Not quite sure why it’s watery – mine was pretty thick! I’ve made this two others times since I posted this, too, and it’s come out the same. I’m wondering if maybe it’s the pumpkin puree. I’ve always used the same brand. Anyway – thank you for letting me know and I’m thrilled you tried something new even though it didn’t work out for you :( xo
Just threw all this in my crockpot and I’m psyched! I’ve made your holy yum chicken and honey chicken and loooooved those recipes! It’s finally cold enough in LA to feel like slow cookin so I’m excited for this! I’m a rookie cook and was just curious what the official culinary opinion is on raw chicken contamination when adding to a slow cooker? Did you cook your chicken cubes before adding? These people (https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080115162928AANr5zz) seem to think raw is ok – but I wasn’t sure????
I never cook my chicken when I throw it in the slow cooker and I’ve never gotten sick. I can’t guarantee you won’t get sick, obviously, cause that’s a liability issue but I know numerous people who do it and I do it for all my slow cooker recipes that have chicken :) can’t wait for you try this!
great inspiration! since my slow cooker was busy today cooking pumpkin to puree i made this on the stove top instead.. and omitted the curry and the chicken.. and turned it into a soup.. and added a scotch bonnet to the mix.. lol, so basically not the same recipe at all but it was inspired by this and delicious all the same.. i will try the real recipe soon :)
I’m glad this recipe was of inspiration to you!
I made this last night and am now having a bowl for lunch. I made the recipe exactly as stated. As a lover of all things curry especially if it has coconut milk in it. I have a suggestion of maybe frying the onions until soft and slightly caramelized. I did not do this and although the onions are soft, they taste a bit “raw” and I think it would add “something’ to the dish. Otherwise this is a great recipe for a colder November day. Wish I had a piece of Naan!
I’m glad you enjoyed it and definitely feel free to caramelize the onions! Sounds like a great addition of flavors!
Not great… needed to add way more curry powder, salt, garlic for more flavor, still tasted a bit muddy/non nonflavorful.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this as much as we did. You can certainly adjust to your own taste but thank you for the feedback!