Coco-nuts for Slow Cooker chicken curry

There is nothing like coming home to a house that smells like an already cooked dinner, and being able to just sit down after a long day and have a hot meal. That is right up there with finding $10 on the side of the road in my opinion! Herein lies the beauty of the slow cooker, which with a bit of forethought, prep work and the switch of a button, you can have something amazing waiting for you when you walk in the door. 

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp oil (olive or coconut work best)
• 2 cans coconut milk (lite or full fat)
• 2 tbsp dried basil leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1.5 tbsp yellow curry powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp chili powder​

• 1 red onion
• 8 crimini mushrooms 
• 1 green or red bell pepper
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 jalepeno, seeds removed
• 1 to 2 tbsp cornstarch (depending on if you use lite or full fat coconut milk)
• 1 to 2 tbsp cold water (1:1 ratio of cornstarch to water)
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Remove skin and fat from the chicken thighs if it hasn't been already. You can use chicken breasts, but typically using a meat that still has the bone infuses more flavor and nutrients into the food while it cooks. 
2. Season the chicken with eyeballed amounts of the salt, pepper, chilli powder, and basil. Sauté in olive or coconut oil 2 minutes each side on high heat until golden brown. 
3.  Put cans of lite coconut milk into crockpot with all the seasonings and garlic. Chop mushrooms, green peppers, red onions and add them and the chicken into the crockpot. 
4. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours until chicken is shreddable. 

5. Remove chicken and place onto a plate after it has cooked and shred with a fork. Add cornstarch to cold water (to thicken sauce) and then add into the crockpot, along with the ginger. Cook 10 minutes longer.
6.  Serve over quinoa/rice blend and garnish with cilantro. ​

This will make about 6-8 servings in total, with the estimated calorie count for this meal (thanks Kylie!) at about 475kcal per serving. Two-thirds cup of the cooked rice/quinoa mix accounts for approximately 145kcal of the total, so 330kcal for the coconut curry only. You do not miss out on anything with this dinner, as it is packed with tasty goodness, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. The spices and herbs more than make up for the lower use of fat in this recipe. Ballin'!

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