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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker Mains

    Published on May 2, 2015. Modified on Jan 23, 2024 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 34 Comments

    Slow Cooker Chicken Pasanda Curry

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    Jump to Recipe

    Mildly spiced and creamy, this slow cooker chicken pasanda, similar to a slow cooker korma, is easy to prepare and full of flavour. You’ll want to make it again and again! 

    Chicken curry with rice, coriander and sliced chilli on top, in a bowl.
    Jump to:
    • What kind of curry is a pasanda?
    • Adapting pasanda for the slow cooker
    • Advantages of slow cooker curries
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Recipe swaps
    • Sides
    • More curry recipes to try
    • You might also like
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    What kind of curry is a pasanda?

    Pasanda is an Indian curry dish containing cream, yoghurt or coconut milk and almonds.

    The name means “liked” or “favourite” as this mild curry is popular with young and old alike. It is quite close in terms of spice to a chicken korma, one of the milder curries.

    If you like chicken tikka masala, this is similar in taste but a bit milder.

    Bowl with curry and rice, a red chilli and garlic in the background.

    Adapting pasanda for the slow cooker

    As I wanted to make this mild chicken curry in my slow cooker, I swapped the cream or yoghurt normally used in the recipe for reduced-fat coconut milk, because cream or yoghurt can split, or curdle, in the slow cooker.

    Dairy ingredients curdling is one of the few problems you can encounter when using a slow cooker.

    Happily there are ways to avoid it, like here where I have used tinned coconut milk instead.

    Another option to get around it is to only stir cream through at the end just before serving.

    The coconut milk swap worked very well, producing a thick and creamy sauce when served. This is helped by the ground almonds and tomato puree, which act as thickeners too.

    Curry rice bowl with chillis and chopped cilantro.

    I make no claims as to the authenticity of my version of the chicken pasanda, but we all enjoyed the flavours, including the children!

    It is also easy to adjust the level of spice in this recipe to suit your taste by reducing or increasing the amount of fresh chilli and chilli powder. 

    Taste the sauce as you prepare it (before adding the raw chicken) and remember that flavours normally become more muted by slow cooking.

    You can add a dash more garam masala about half an hour before serving if needed.

    Advantages of slow cooker curries

    I love to make curries but the length of the list of ingredients and the number of steps can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.

    This slow cooker version is so simple because you can throw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker together if you are short on time, and still get great results.

    Curry in slow cooker pot.

    For me, using the slow cooker to make curries is ideal, as you can forget about it for the rest of day while at work or out of the house.

    Really popular with my family and also with my readers, this chicken pasanda curry is one I turn to over and over again as it always has great results.

    It is also very tasty if you throw in some other vegetables – peas, baby corn and mushrooms work really well, and you can also bulk it up with sweet potato or butternut squash.

    Ingredients

    Here is a list of what you will need for this recipe. For the precise quantities please see the recipe card at the end of the post.

    Ingredients for curry with labels.
    • chicken breasts – I tend to buy whole chicken breasts and cut them up myself as this is cheaper than buying diced chicken, or choose chicken thighs for a cheaper option, it is easy to remove the skin and bone and dice them.
    • onion
    • red pepper
    • optional: other vegetables such as mushrooms, baby corn, butternut squash chunks etc
    • garlic cloves
    • ginger – I use small piece of fresh ginger or a tube of ginger puree.
    • red chilli – either fresh chillis or jarred “lazy” chilli
    • ground almonds – these help to thicken the sauce, and add flavour.
    • coconut milk – I use reduced-fat coconut milk if I have it, but standard tinned coconut milk is also fine if you prefer.
    • tomato purée – this also helps to thicken the sauce as well as adding colour.
    • spices: garam masala, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, medium curry powder, chilli powder
    • coriander – a few leaves of fresh coriander are used to garnish.

    Remember, while the list looks quite long, a lot of the ingredients are store cupboard spices.

    Invest in small jars of these spices and you can use them in lots of different curry recipes in future. Dried spices last ages.

    If you know you love curries and will use a lot of spices, you can look in the world food aisle at the supermarket where you can buy bigger bags of spices at bargain prices. 

    Step by step instructions

    Step 1. Prepare the ingredients: measure out the spices, dice the onion, crush the garlic, chop the ginger (if using fresh), chop any vegetables you want to include.

    Step 2. Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker (except the fresh coriander).

    Slow cooker pot filled with curry ingredients.

    Step 3. Mix all the ingredients together well.

    Then cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for approx. 6 hours.

    Curry in slow cooker pot.

    Serve with rice and naan breads.

    I like to use cauliflower rice to make this a low carb meal.

    Blue bowl with rice and chicken curry.

    Tip:

    If you have more time you could fry the onion in a little oil until soft, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute more, then add the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes more until fragrant, before putting it in the slow cooker and adding the coconut milk and ground almonds to the chicken.

    If not, you still get plenty of flavour just putting all the ingredients in and leaving it to cook slowly.

    Recipe swaps

    • Swap chicken for Quorn pieces for a vegetarian version.
    • Replace the chicken with lamb for a lamb pasanda.
    • Adjust the spice level to suit you – mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl before adding it to the chicken and taste. You could add more or less red chilli and chilli powder depending on who you want to serve. Kids might want it less spicy, adults more so!
    • To make this curry even more creamy you could stir through a little single cream before serving – make sure you do this off the heat though so the cream doesn’t curdle.
    • Add in your preferred vegetables to bulk out the dish more and make it go further.

    Sides

    Basmati rice and mini coriander naans are our preference. I make my mini naans using this naan bread recipe.

    Cauliflower rice is great for a lower carb option!

    More curry recipes to try

    For more tasty curry ideas, take a look at these other slow cooker curries:

    • Slow cooker turkey curry
    • Slow cooker lamb curry
    • Slow cooker coconut beef curry
    • Slow cooker chickpea and paneer curry
    • Slow cooker vegetable curry
    • Slow cooker coconut lentil curry from Recipes From a Pantry

    Make sure you check out my Slow Cooker Category for loads more slow cooker recipes for families. Plus a whole loads of desserts!

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    Recipe

    Curry with rice in a light blue bowl.

    Slow Cooker Chicken Pasanda

    A delicious mild and creamy slow cooker chicken curry with ground almonds and coconut milk
    4.82 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Slow Cooker
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours hours
    Total Time: 6 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 335kcal
    Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

    Ingredients

    • 3 chicken breasts cubed
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic crushed
    • 2 cm piece of fresh ginger chopped, or 1 tsp jarred pickled "lazy" ginger
    • 1 red chilli or 1 tsp jarred pickled "lazy" red chilli
    • 30 g ground almonds
    • 1 tin reduced-fat coconut milk
    • 5 tbsp tomato purée
    • 2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp coriander
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1.5 tsp medium curry powder
    • 1 tsp chilli powder
    • fresh coriander leaves to garnish
    UK Measurements – US Measurements

    Equipment

    large oval slow cooker
    large oval slow cooker

    Instructions 

    • Prepare your ingredients then place all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Stir well.
      3 chicken breasts, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, 1 red chilli, 30 g ground almonds, 1 tin reduced-fat coconut milk, 5 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp cumin, 1.5 tsp medium curry powder, 1 tsp chilli powder
    • Put on the slow cooker lid then cook for around 6 hours on low or 3-4 on high. I like to cook for the first hour on high to get it going well, then switch to low.
    • Serve with rice and naan bread, with a garnish of some fresh coriander leaves.
      fresh coriander leaves

    Notes

    Tip:
    If you have more time you could fry the onion in a little oil until soft, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute more, then add the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes more until fragrant, before putting it in the slow cooker and adding the coconut milk and ground almonds to the chicken.
    If not, you still get plenty of flavour just putting all the ingredients in and leaving it to cook slowly.
    Recipe swaps
    • Swap chicken for Quorn pieces for a vegetarian version.
    • Replace the chicken with lamb for a lamb pasanda.
    • Adjust the spice level to suit you – mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl before adding it to the chicken and taste. You could add more or less red chilli and chilli powder depending on who you want to serve. Kids might want it less spicy, adults more so!
    • To make this curry even more creamy you could stir through a little single cream before serving – make sure you do this off the heat though so the cream doesn’t curdle.
    • Add in your preferred vegetables to bulk out the dish more and make it go further.
    Sides
    Basmati rice and mini coriander naans are our preference. I make my mini naans using this naan bread recipe.
    Cauliflower rice is great for a lower carb option!
    Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. bill Smith says

      August 07, 2021 at 11:51 am

      This was so good i would give it 6 stars if I could. This was simply the best curry of my life ,it was that good.
      I added 2 chilies for a bit more heat and used coconut cream rather than milk.
      Perfect ammount and consistency in sauce it did not need cornstarch thickening.
      Will make again for sure

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        August 14, 2021 at 11:13 am

        brilliant to hear, Bill!

        Reply
    2. Kate says

      August 29, 2020 at 7:54 pm

      I cooked this today and used skinless chicken thighs instead as i had no chicken breasts in. It is absolutely delicious and will definitely be makingnit again!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        August 30, 2020 at 4:29 pm

        Brilliant so glad you enjoyed it Kate!

        Reply
      • Richard says

        October 15, 2021 at 10:20 am

        Hi did you put the thighs in whole

        Reply
        • bakingqueen74 says

          October 18, 2021 at 2:13 pm

          H Richard, I am not sure what Kate did but you could either dice thigh fillets before making this or put them in whole.

          Reply
    3. Heidi Noble says

      April 18, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      Thank you Lucy! First time cooking this dish. Something we could all enjoy and a definite winner with the kids! Will be on the menu again!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        April 18, 2020 at 8:03 pm

        Brilliant Heidi so glad you enjoyed it

        Reply
    4. Aisling says

      November 11, 2019 at 9:02 pm

      Hi Lucy,I am brand new to slow cooking! I would like to prepare this dish and leave it cooking while I am in work (probably 8.5hrs). If I use whole chicken breasts instead of diced is there less chance of the chicken drying out if it is left longer than the cook time of 6 hours? Thanks.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        November 12, 2019 at 10:50 am

        Hi Aisling. Chicken breasts whole can still dry out for that length of cooking time unfortunately! It might be better to use chicken thighs instead (you can choose the boneless skinless ones and dice the meat). As it has more fat in it than breast meat the thigh meat doesn’t dry out.

        Reply
    5. Ash Sage says

      November 06, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      Hi, can this be reheated the next day? Or is it better to halve the quantities?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        November 06, 2019 at 6:36 pm

        Hi Ash yes you can certainly reheat it the next day like any other curry. Store in fridge and reheat in microwave or saucepan, not the slow cooker though. I also freeze any leftovers that won’t be used for a quick meal another day.

        Reply
    6. Steve says

      May 04, 2017 at 10:11 am

      Hi, Can I use low fat yoghurt in the furry instead of coconut milk? Not sure if it will be okay in a slow cooker?!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 08, 2017 at 8:28 am

        Hi Steve, yoghurt tends to split in the slow cooker so would avoid it. I’ve used coconut milk instead for that reason. If you want to use yoghurt I would just stir it through at the end, but that might mean there isn’t much sauce during cooking.

        Reply
    7. Sarah Stevens says

      October 11, 2016 at 11:09 am

      This is such a lovely recipe which I tried last year……now I am wondering if you can tell me if it freezes well please? I am stocking up the freezer with homemade goodies ahead of the arrival of our first baby! 🙂
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        October 11, 2016 at 1:27 pm

        I’ve never frozen it Sarah I’m afraid. Not sure how coconut milk does in the freezer either, sorry!

        Reply
    8. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says

      June 16, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      slow cookers are perfect for the long and gentle cooking that curries need. Lovely recipe.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        June 22, 2015 at 7:21 pm

        Thanks Helen, I was so pleased this worked out despite being so easy

        Reply
    9. laura_howtocook says

      May 07, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      I am a curry fanatic so of course this is calling to me. I love making curries for the family on a Saturday night, this would be perfect!

      Reply
    10. efwalt says

      May 06, 2015 at 10:13 am

      Ooooooh I do love a chicken pasanda. I’ve never tried recreating it at home though. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 07, 2015 at 6:21 pm

        thanks Emma!

        Reply
    11. Krati says

      May 05, 2015 at 11:55 am

      I haven’t used slow cooker before but looks like its time to try this recipe. Thanks Lucy for adding my recipe.

      Reply
    12. Anita-Clare Field says

      May 03, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      Oh boy, can I learn a lot about slow cooker cooking from you. I love making curry from scratch and always in the oven or in a kadai. I’ll give it a go. I have an electric multicooker which has thus far proved its worth by not letting anything stick.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:42 pm

        I am sure your usual way gets more flavour but why not try it for an experiment? 🙂

        Reply
    13. fabfood4all says

      May 03, 2015 at 2:29 pm

      Looks fabulously tasty and just what you need on a squally day like today:-) Thanks for linking to my curry:-)

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:43 pm

        I wish I had had it today! Where has the warmer weather gone

        Reply
    14. Margot⚓C&V (@coffeenvanilla) says

      May 03, 2015 at 2:27 pm

      That is just perfect recipe for today’s weather!! 🙂 And thank you for linking to my curry recipe.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:43 pm

        You’re welcome Margot, always good to try lots of different curries

        Reply
    15. jensfood9 says

      May 03, 2015 at 2:24 pm

      It has gone really cold lately but this looks like it would really warm you up again. I do like cooking curries but agree that sometimes the long ingredients list does put me off so I like this easier version, especially as the slow cooker does all the hard work 🙂

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:44 pm

        I am so lazy, the easy option always wins with me!

        Reply
    16. Andrea ThePetiteCook says

      May 03, 2015 at 9:54 am

      Thank you for featuring my coronation chicken recipe 🙂 I love the chicken + curry combo in every way and I can’t to try your recipe!!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:44 pm

        Thanks very much Andrea 🙂

        Reply
    17. My Little Italian Kitchen says

      May 02, 2015 at 9:45 pm

      This is a lovely recipe. I am not that familiar with cooking curries but I do love them! I made a few but without following a proper recipe so you can imagine.. they were not proper curries. I love this! Thank you for your recipe bookmarking it.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        May 03, 2015 at 7:45 pm

        Thanks Alida

        Reply
    4.82 from 22 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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