Honey Ghee and Me

Crock Pot Nutty Chicken Curry {Paleo Optional}

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This has, since the beginning of its making some years ago, been a favorite in my family.  For gatherings big and small, this dish has been a household staple.  Over the years, it’s seen a few changes, but the basic flavors have stayed the same- just some small modifications to make it more nutritious and to my liking.  I’ve learned so much about nutrition and wellness over the last several years of blogging… each year becoming more immersed in a health-focused food-lovers culture.  I’ve loved watching my own cooking change as a result… as new knowledge finds its way into my kitchen, my meals morph into better balanced bites of goodness.

This recipe has now had two official facelifts.  One around two years ago or so, when I learned more about the benefits of fat and became a full-fat fan.  Don’t even think about using light coconut milk in there 😉  I also began using coconut aminos instead of my old school Bragg’s aminos or soy, and began dabbling with nut butters other than peanut.  Peanut is amazing, but not everyone’s body digs it, and I wanted this to be more universal.  The second recipe-surgery was just this week, when I decided to add in grated ginger and messed with my spice levels a bit.

To be totally honest, I’ve loved it every time, no matter how it’s made it, but it’s fun to take a recipe I made years ago and keep refreshening it a bit.  Bottom line is, you can’t really screw this one up.  Make it with whatever you like and have.  🙂

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There’s this little Thai restaurant in Missoula, Montana (for being so far removed from everything, Missoula has some pretty amazing food… oh how I miss it so).  It’s called Sa-Wa-Dee.  Every Wednesday afternoon, there’s Out to Lunch, an outdoor community event with booths set up from loads of local restaurants, live music, and lotsa good eating and yapping.. Did I mention it’s right downtown on the river?  Sigh, so beautiful.  Needless to say, it’s a great lunch-break escape!  I’m not normally super ritualistic when it comes to dining- I like to switch things up- but when it comes to Out to Lunch (and it’s cousin Dinner in the Park), I am very ritualistic.  I always go to Sa-Wa-Dee for their chicken peanut curry.  Always.  It’s so good.  So, I am paying homage to that with this…

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I was sitting around one day thinking of how I wanted something from the Crock Pot for dinner… ’cause nothing gets that soft, fall-apart texture like the Crock Pot.  I suddenly thought of Sa-Wa-Dee’s chicken peanut curry, so off to the pantry I went hunting for Thai-like treasures.  With a swiftness, I began crafting up the flavors I thought would create my Out to Lunch love.  To my surprise, I actually nailed it pretty well… got just what I was craving.  Topped it off with cilantro, basil, toasted cashews, lime, and some Sriracha…. I was in food heaven.  It’s seriously melt-in-your-mouth good.  So… I’ve been making this dish ever since, and every time it brings me back home to Montana, in both heart and belly.  ♥

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Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 pieces chicken- boneless/skinless, breasts and/or thighs- approx 1.5 lb

1 14 0z can coconut milk (not light)

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp red Thai curry paste

1/2 tsp honey (I prefer raw- omit for Whole30)

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp peanut, almond, or cashew butter

2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper

1 tbsp chopped basil leaves, preferably Thai

1/4 cup cilantro

1 cup snap or snow peas

salt, pepper, and lime juice, to taste (see note below)

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*for garnish- lime, cilantro, basil, scallions, and toasted cashews (or peanuts)

**Sriracha and/or red pepper flakes for an extra kick!

***about salt, the recipe doesn’t actually have any in it as it cooks- that’s because depending on whether you go with tamari or coconut aminos, the cut of chicken, and so forth, the flavors will vary once cooked- it will need salt, but add all that stuff (salt, pepper, lime) at the end to make sure your flavors are balanced how you like ’em.

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DIRECTIONS

Mix coconut milk, curry powder, curry paste, honey,

red pepper flakes, ginger, nut butter, and coconut aminos/tamari together in Crock Pot

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Slice red pepper, onion, basil, and cilantro

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If using ginger, grate it too

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Add it all to the sauce

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Stir until well mixed

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Place chicken breasts/thighs into sauce…

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They should be fully immersed so that liquid covers them

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Cover and cook in high for 3 1/2 – 4 hours or on low for about 5 1/2 – 6

When done, gently stir it all together- the chicken will fall apart on the spot

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Throw in peas just before serving

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Serve over cooked rice

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Get garnishes ready…

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Top the chicken with all of the goodies you want, serve with lime, and enjoy!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hi Meagan,
      I’m sorry, I don’t. I aim to cook healthy meals with good clean ingredients, but don’t count numbers. There are some great apps though that help figure them out based on ingredients!

  4. Came across this on Facebook and was so excited because I had leftover coconut milk from an amazing cake I made from another Facebook post! I always have Red Thai Curry seasoning in my cabinet (from Spice House or Penzey’s) which you just make a paste with by adding water. It is in the crockpot now and smells wonderful. I did use lite coconut milk and Better N Peanut Butter which has no fat!!! Can’t wait to eat!!!

  5. WOW! I live in Missoula, and my sister and I absolutely LOVE Sa-Wa-Dee’s chicken peanut curry recipe, which is exactly why I just searched it on pinterest, clicking on the picture that looked closest to Sa-Wa-Dee’s. Lo and behold, Sa-Wa-Dee was your inspiration!! Hopefully you make it home again soon, to float the river, have a beer at Kettlehouse, and of course some Sa-Wa-Dee at Out To Lunch in the park 🙂 No rush though, it’s freezing here now!!

    • What a coincidence! Thanks for telling me!! Their chicken curry is the best, and I so miss the Kettlehouse, Out to Lunch, and the river-play! Hope to come for a while this summer, and if I do, Sa-Wa-Dee and I will definitely have a little reunion 😉

  6. This is so delicious! I made it for dinner last night and both my husband and I loved it. I really liked that the peanut flavor wasn’t overpowering.

  7. This is in my slow cooker right now, and after 2 hours cooking time, the aromas coming from my kitchen are making me drool! Thank you so much for developing this, and thank you to Sa-wa-dee for inspiring you. I might just have to visit Missoula, not only to try more of their dishes, but because your description of Out-to-lunch sounds like so much fun.

  8. Going try this tonight. Sounds great! Your recipe says four pieces of chicken. Do you know how many pounds you usually use? I’m guessing two??

    • Hi Paris!
      Great question… as with most slow cooker recipes, the exact amount of meat doesn’t matter much, though two pounds sounds good! I have made this many many times, sometimes with just two pieces, sometimes with more! All depends on how many I am feeding… for a standard 4-person serving, I’d say two pounds is good. Hope that helps! 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!!

      • Thanks! I’ll be making it tonight 🙂 by any chance did you ever make it with LIGHT coconut milk? I’d love to indulge in the full fat but if it’s still delicious I’d rather go light. Your thoughts??

        • Hi Paris!
          I actually do have thoughts on this!! 🙂
          Like you, I used to prefer to go on the light side with foods, too. But… then I learned about what ‘light’ really is, and quickly steered clear. More often than not, when fat is taken out, other ingredients are added in- typically sugars, flours, and fillers (to keep it creamy and delicious still). It’s totally personal preference, but I decided that I would rather have the extra fat, which is natural (and needed by our bodies anyway) than the stuff that’s used to replace it (which is generally not natural or healthy). I hope that makes sense! So to answer your question, when I first created this recipe a few years ago, I did use light, and it was delicious, but now always choose the good old normal fatty coco milk 🙂 I know it can be difficult to believe, but more and more evidence shows that eating healthy fats, such as coconut oil and ghee, is actually not only healthy for us, but also does not cause weight-gain. It’s the fillers that cause problems… a crazy shift in what society’s taught us all these years about fat! I’ve been eating more fats lately than ever and have actually been feeling lighter than ever! Okay, now I’m going off on a tangent, but I hope I answered your question decently! Please feel free to ask any more you may have! 🙂

          • Thank you so much! You absolutely answered my question. I completely agree. Like avocados for example. I do a lot of home cooking but don’t have experience with coconut milk so when I opened the can I was kind of taken by surprise lol 🙂 I was worried about the saturated fat so it’s good to know that it’s the same story as coconut oil… Good for u fat! Thank you again.. House is smelling fantastic!

            • Hi Paris,
              I know what you mean about the surprise- coconut milk looks crazy thick! I hope your meal turned out just as you had hoped!! 🙂

  9. This an excellent and easy to prepare dinner that my whole family loved! My nephew was visiting and even asked that I send his parents the recipe. It’s that good! The only thing I did differently was add chopped broccoli near the end of the cooking time to add veggies to the mix. The kids aren’t great pea pod eaters, but they loved the sauce soaked broccoli. I did too!

    • Hi Cathy!
      That’s great, I’m happy you and your family like it!! Broccoli sounds lovely… I think I’ll do that next time too! 😉

  11. I made this in my digital pressure cooker without adjusting the recipe and it came out great! I love spice so I added a full teaspoon of pepper flakes instead of 1/4. I served it over cauliflower rice. My hubby loved it!

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