Slow Cooker Chicken and Chickpea Curry

This Chicken and Chickpea Curry is the ultimate family dinner idea – a one-pot, budget-friendly crock pot curry recipe everyone will love. My Slow Cooker Chicken Curry is packed with tender chicken thighs, mild spices, potato chunks and chickpeas for a delicious meal. It’s naturally gluten and dairy free and perfect for batch cooking and freezing.

This easy Chicken and Chickpea Curry is one of my favourite one pot meals. It is a super easy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry recipe and is naturally gluten free and dairy free.

I absolutely love a slow cooker recipe and if you’re already a fan of my slow cooker chickpea and potato curry or my easy chicken and coconut curry, you’ll love this.

What’s more, this simple slow cooker chicken curry is a great ‘dump and go’ recipe which you can just chuck into the Crock Pot and let it work its magic!

This chicken, chickpea and potato curry is great for a family dinner idea, flavoured with mild spices, garlic and ginger, tomatoes, spinach and mango chutney.

Serve this slow cooker curry up with fluffy basmati rice, gluten free naan breads (I also have a great recipe for them in my book!) or as part of a curry spread.

You could pair it with dishes like my chickpea and cauliflower curry, slow cooker beef curry, my slow cooker chicken satay or my tandoori chicken for a real curry feast!

Ingredients

There’s a printable recipe card below with the quantities and instructions. But here are the main ingredients for my easy slow cooker chicken chickpea curry:

• Chickpeas: You can use dried chickpeas if you prefer but always make sure you soak them first as per the pack instructions.
• Chicken Thighs: This recipe will also work with chicken breast but may need less cooking time. Or use bone-in chicken thighs and cook for a little longer for tender meat that falls off the bone, with maximum flavour!
• Baby Potatoes: Feel free to use a large potato if you like and cut it into large chunks. Just make sure you don’t cut the potato up too small or it’ll turn to mash!
• Onion: You can use a red onion if you prefer.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves and peel then finely chop or crush them. You can also use a garlic paste or frozen chopped garlic too.
• Ginger Paste: I find the pastes easier but you can use frozen, chopped ginger instead. Or peel a thumb-sized piece of ginger and then grate or finely chop it.
• Chopped Tinned Tomatoes: Chopped fresh tomatoes will also work (perfect if you have a glut from the garden!) but remove any stalks first. Whole tinned tomatoes are also fine, or you can chop them yourself before adding.
• Tomato Puree
• Full Fat Coconut Milk: I always use full fat coconut milk in tins as I find this gives the best flavour in curries. A reduced-fat coconut milk will work but you may find the curry has a runnier consistency.
• Mango Chutney: I absolutely adore mango chutney and it adds a lovely, subtle flavour to this curry. You can omit it if you like, or add a teaspoon of sugar.
• Frozen Chopped Spinach: I always use frozen spinach in this as I find it cheaper and easier. Fresh spinach will work too – leave the leaves whole or chop them.

For the chicken and chickpea curry spice mix:

The spice mix for this slow cooker chicken chickpea and spinach curry is really simple and gives a lovely, mild flavour to the dish.

I use a mixture of salt, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala for this dish. If you like more spice, use a hot chilli powder – and likewise, use a mild chilli powder for less heat.

How to make slow cooker chicken curry

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this slow cooker chicken curry is to make:

A lot of slow cooker recipes will call for browning the meat first but this is what I like to call a ‘chuck-it-in-and-run’ kinda recipe. Because let’s face it, sometimes there is just no time!

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and cut the baby potatoes in half. If using larger potatoes, cut them into large chunks/quarters.

Add everything to the slow cooker except the spinach and coriander and stir well so the spices combine with the sauce.

Try and make sure the chicken and potatoes are submerged in the sauce so that they cook evenly.

Place the lid on the slow cooker (or crock pot) and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

In the last half hour of cooking, remove the lid, add the frozen spinach and mix well. Replace the lid for the final 30 minutes of cooking.

Serve with lots of freshly chopped coriander – I like to stir some through the curry or you can sprinkle it on top.

How to make chicken and chickpea curry in the oven

Don’t worry if you don’t have a slow cooker or crock pot – you can either make this recipe on the hob or in the oven instead.

For the oven: Follow the steps to combine the ingredients, then I’d recommend cooking with a lid on at around 180C (Gas Mark 4) for around an hour. Add the spinach 15-20 minutes before serving.

For the hob: Cover with a lid and cook on a low/med simmer for around 30-40 minutes until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Add the spinach 15-20 minutes before serving.

But ultimately this chicken and chickpea curry recipe is made for the slow cooker so I’d definitely recommend it as the best and most efficient way to make it!

Storing and Freezing

If you’re making this slow cooker chicken curry for meal prep, or have any leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Ensure you heat through thoroughly before serving.

This slow cooker chickpea and chicken curry also freezes really well! Portion it into tubs and allow it to cool completely before freezing for up to 6 months.

You can reheat it straight from frozen in the microwave when you want to eat it.

Sometimes I also portion this curry up with cooked rice before freezing. so I can reheat it like a ready meal. It’s a great time-saver for a busy evening!

What to serve with chicken and chickpea curry

For me nothing beats a curry feast, so if you want some serving suggestions for this gluten free chickpea, chicken and potato curry, I suggest:

• Pilau Rice: You can either make your own or buy a pack of pre-made rice for ease. I find this the easiest way to serve up a curry. Basmati rice works well too.
• Gluten free naan breads: Nothing beats a homemade gluten free naan bread. You can also cheat and use my gluten free flatbreads instead!
• Other curries: Serve this as part of a curry spread with other recipes like my butternut squash and chickpea curry or my sweet potato and spinach dhal.
• On it’s own: The best thing about this chicken and chickpea curry is because of the potatoes, it makes an easy one-bowl meal. It’s great reheated for lunch too!

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you get stuck into making my gluten free chicken and chickpea curry recipe, here are the answers to some of the questions I get asked a lot…

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.

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