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Colourful turkey curry in a silver curry dish, view from above on white background.
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4.95 from 18 votes

Slow Cooker Turkey Curry

A healthy and delicious slow cooker turkey curry which is easy to prepare and great for family mealtimes or as a part of a curry night
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 257kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tbsp ginger puree or small piece of fresh ginger, grated
  • 8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 tomatoes), chopped
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chilli powder I use mild
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 red pepper sliced
  • 1 courgette chopped
  • 600 g diced turkey breast
  • 50 g fresh spinach
  • 10 g fresh coriander chopped

Instructions

  • Place the diced onion, crushed garlic, ginger puree (or grated ginger), chopped cherry tomatoes in the slow cooker pot.
    1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ginger puree, 8 cherry tomatoes
  • Add all the spices (1 teaspoon each of garam masala, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, chilli powder, salt) and two tablespoons of tomato puree, and mix.
    1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp salt
  • Add the sliced red pepper, chopped courgette and diced turkey breast and stir well so the vegetables and turkey breast are coated in the curry paste you have made following the steps above.
    1 red pepper, 1 courgette, 600 g diced turkey breast
  • Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
  • Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, add the two more tablespoons of tomato puree and half the fresh chopped coriander. Stir, then add 50 g of fresh spinach.
    4 tbsp tomato puree, 10 g fresh coriander, 50 g fresh spinach
  • Cook for a further fifteen minutes then serve garnished with the rest of the chopped fresh coriander.

Video

Notes

Can I use leftover turkey in this recipe?
Using your leftover turkey from Christmas (or Thanksgiving) in a turkey curry is a great way to enjoy your leftovers and give them new life. However it is not recommended to use leftover cold cooked turkey in the slow cooker. This is because slow cookers should not be used for reheating meat that has already been cooked.
When it comes to reheating food you need to make sure you heat it to piping hot as quickly as possible. Slow cookers by their nature have a long slow cooking time so should not be used to reheat ready cooked food, including leftover meat in a curry sauce. You should therefore use fresh turkey for this recipe.
But you can alternatively make this same recipe in a pan on the hob/stovetop instead, using leftover turkey. See hob method below.
Can I make this curry in a pan on the hob?
Yes. In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat a little oil and cook the onion until translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes more, then add the spices and tomato puree and cook for one minute. Finally add the vegetables and your leftover turkey, stir to coat with the spices, then add 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of boiling water and bring to the boil them simmer on a high heat until completely heated through and piping hot.
Recipe variations
  • Vary the vegetables based on what you have to hand, mushrooms, baby corn, mange tout, carrot, and so on will all work well.
  • Add a sliced red chilli if you like your curry hotter!
  • Stir in some single cream before serving for a creamier turkey curry.
How to thicken a slow cooker curry
If your crockpot curry turns out runny (it shouldn’t if you use this recipe but there are so many variables in the ingredients) then you could thicken the sauce by:
  • turning to high with the lid off for the last hour
  • stirring through some ground almonds and/or tomato puree
  • using a cornflour paste
Check out my guide to using a slow cooker successfully for loads of slow cooker tips for thickening sauces and getting the best out of your slow cooker.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 699mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3013IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 5mg