This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
I made this last night and was happy to finally re-create the curry sauce I loved at a Thai restaurant in Miami. I will definitely be making this again and again. It was absolutely perfect for me and my son. Tomorrow I will make the Guinness stew. I already made the spicy sausage and lentils which was eq
I made this last night and I have to say it was delicious!! Except I didn’t put enough salt and I think it could use a tad bit more of the spices. I doubled the recipe because my bf usually eats A LOT! But overall it was pretty good! I would recommend using the brand Aroy-d for coconut milk. My local grocery was out of that brand of coconut milk and I had to get another brand and when I opened the can I could tell right away it wasn’t a flavourful coconut milk! I will definitely be making this again!
I made this today and thought it was fabulous – full of flavour and recipe allowed plenty of leftovers for easy workday lunches :)
What is the green stuff in the pictures? According to the ingredient list, there are no green things. I am curious because I made this recipe and it was delicious but maybe it was missing something? thai basil, perhaps?
The green thing on top is parsley. I just used it as a garnish to make the photos pop a little more :) You don’t need to use it if you don’t want to.
YUM. I made this recipe today and I just taste-tested it and it’s DELICIOUS. Perfect comfort food for a slow January day. I’m wondering if what didn’t work for other people was the use of homemade pumpkin puree with a higher water content or thinner coconut milk? Could be counteracted by using more concentrated chicken stock? We didn’t feel the need to add any extra spices. Soooo good. :) (Oh! and my can of puree actually only had 1.75 c of pumpkin puree)
Good thought, Raae! Thanks for your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed this :)
Oh, and topped with chopped cilantro. :)
Made it tonight! I thought it was great, and my boyfriend who is new to curry even liked it. So, here is what I changed:
Cooked on stove top –
sauteed onions, added carrots, some broth, and some butter. Added 1/2 the spices and simmered. Separate pan, cooked chicken, added potatoes when nearly done and some broth. Removed chicken, cut small, added to other pan with onions and carrots, added a bit more broth. Left sweet potatoes cooking, added a teaspoon of the spices to them, and let it sit. Simmered garlic in broth (forgot it at beginning) and then combined with onions, carrots, and chicken. Added Trader Joe’s Coconut CREAM (whipped texture), pumpkin, and used a bit extra broth. Added remaining spices, salt and pepper, then combined into sweet potatoes, added enough broth for right consistency, lime juice (1/2 lime), extra spices to taste (almost double on GM and curry), and let simmer for 10 more minutes. Served over brown basmati. It was great! Lots of leftoevers, too.
IDEA: Add raw cashews next time! :)
Awesome! It sounds amazing and I’m glad you were able to cook it on the stovetop!
Loved the recipe! I added additional curry powder, masala, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Used 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves. Thank you.
wonderful!! thanks for the feedback!
I made this today, and my husband and I both like it very much.
I tripled the spices, onions, and garlic, and added extra potatoes to thicken it. Instead of standard curry powder I went with Spicy Madras Curry Powder, and it did give a kick, but we both like very spicy foods.
I used standard Russet potatoes and coconut cream (instead of milk) because that’s what I had in the pantry and I didn’t care to brave the store.
It was plenty thick, not watery at all. A+++, will make again.
I’m so happy that you and your husband both enjoyed it. That spicy madras curry powder sounds awesome!
I love all things Indian food. This is cooking in my crock pot right now. We don’t have chicken or potatoes, so I slightly blended up a can of garbonzo beans drained. My pumpkin was fresh. I first cooked it in the crockpot in halves with about 4 c. of water. When soft, I removed the pumpkin and scooped out the meat and placed back in the crockpot with the water that was already in it. I used a potato masher to crush. I doubled all the seasonings except still only used half the onion. The onion and garlic I put through the processor first. Since I was out of chicken stock, I added 3 beef boullion cubes. I have to run to the store for coconut milk, but even now, it tastes so good. It’s thick, it’s chunky, it’s packed with flavor. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this with your adaptations! Chickpeas sounds like a great alternative to chicken and potatoes!