This fork-tender slow cooker Asian chicken stew, infused with plenty of fresh ginger in a rich tomato and coconut milk based sauce is fantastic and comforting. The slow cooker does all the work for you and what you have after about 4-5 hours is a rich stew to fuel the soul.

Slow Cooker Coconut Milk Chicken Recipe in a bowl with chopsticks

Slow Cooker Coconut Milk Chicken

Leftovers are always wonderful to eat, particularly stews, and slow cooker coconut chicken because the flavors become more deep and pronounced. This slow cooker Asian ginger chicken recipe is a perfect dish to have as a left over and it’s wonderfully versatile.

Video: Slow-Cooker Coconut Milk Chicken


Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipe in Coconut Milk

Serve this chicken stew on just about anything you like. It’s satisfying on a bed of rice, noodles or pasta. Since there’s already potatoes in it and you don’t want the rice or noodles, serve this instead, with some crusty bread. Dipping the bread in the wonderfully ginger infused broth is just wonderful. Sometimes it’s great to have a quick and easy Asian recipe to make in the slow cooker on busy days when you’re juggling work and family!

Slow Cooker Coconut Milk Chicken Recipe in a cooking pot with a wooden spoon

You can customize the flavors as well by adding more or less fish sauce. Sure, fish sauce might sound scary, but the flavors are tremendous and it adds a rich flavor that you won’t even find odd. But if you’ve never cooked with fish sauce before, then you can certainly use soy sauce.

The best part about this chicken recipe is that is can also be cooked in the Instant Pot, which is a pressure cooker that is super versatile. The cooking time should be much quicker compared to the slow cooker. If you decide to make this Coconut milk chicken recipe, total cooking time should be about 40 minutes total.

Slow Cooker Coconut Milk-Ginger Chicken

Yield: 4 Servings
Total Time: 5 hrs
This is great to serve with rice, pasta, noodles or bread for dipping
5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients

  • 14 oz. (400ml) canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) water
  • 8 oz. (227g) tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons (15ml) fish sauce (or soy sauce, but fish sauce makes it better!)
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 3 Tablespoons (45ml+) minced ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon (15ml) sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper , or to taste (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) kosher salt , or to taste
  • 1.5 pounds (680g) boneless chicken thighs or breasts , we prefer thighs for richer flavor
  • 1 pound (455g) potatoes , cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 carrots , peeled & cut into 1" pieces

Equipment

Instructions 

  • In slow cooker pot, combine coconut milk, water, tomato paste, fish sauce (or soy sauce), garlic, ginger, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt. Using a whisk, gently combine all ingredients together well to dissolve the tomato paste.
    Add chicken, potatoes and carrots.
  • Cook on High for 4-5 hours. Stir about 2 times during cooking. Depending on how thick you cut your potatoes and carrots, cooking time will vary. After about the 3rd hour, pierce the chicken, potatoes and carrots to check for tenderness.
  • Serve with rice, pasta, noodles or bread for dipping.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 566kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 23g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 1782mg, Potassium: 1488mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 5434IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian, Slow Cooker
Calories: 566

Other Awesome Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Recipes

Our Favorite Cookers & Goodies for Entertaining:

Whether you prefer a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or a multi-cooker, these kitchen counter appliances help make dinner a little easier for the busy household, plus with an added bonus of some of our favorite finds for entertaining:

The Crockpot 6qt. Slow Cooker – The original slow cooker. On this on the lid locks down which is great for transporting to potlucks and such. Simple, inexpensive and reliable.
Instant Pot Multi-use Pressure Cooker – It has cult-like following for a reason. It’s a pressure cooker and so much more. Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, & Yogurt Maker. It’s awesome! If  you want a pressure cooker that has a few more bells and whistles (like hands free steam release), this Breville Pressure Cooker is also great.
Cuisinart Multi-Cooker – If pressure cooking is a not your thing but want a bit more than just a slow cooker, this multi-cooker is perfect for you. It can Sauté, Steam, and Slow Cook. Perfect to create those one pot meals.

More Slow Cooker Recipes and Chicken Recipes 

This recipe was originally published in 2013 and re-published in 2017 with a new video! Enjoy!