Can’t stop, won’t stop…

There’s a first time for everything. I am not proud to admit this but, I’ve gone 30 years of my life without ever using a slow cooker. Can you believe it? I know. As someone that prides themselves in owning many kitchen gadgets and has a full time job that does not revolve around cooking, I too am surprised I’ve never known the pleasure of a slow cooker. I’ve had many of girlfriends that rave about the ease and stress free creations they’ve made in their slow cookers but I never saw them as a big necessity for me…. until now. The other night I wanted to take a stab at making my very own spicy chicken curry with pumpkin, of course because “tis the season”, so instead of standing over the stove top for hours waiting for my curry to get the depth of flavor you can only obtain by cooking “low and slow” I decided to use a slow cooker. Guys, it was out of this world! This is the perfect meal to greet you as you come home from a long day’s work and are looking for a warm flavorful fall meal.

Spicy Pumpkin Curry with Chicken 

Yields: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hour

Ingredients

• 1 Medium sized Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped (If you aren’t a spicy foods fan I suggest using only 1/2 a jalapeno, this recipe’s got some heat!)
• 1 Tb. Fresh minced Ginger
• 2 Tb Red Curry Paste (if you can’t find the paste, you will be able to find a kit to make this in your “ethic foods” aisle at the grocery market. Just use the red curry packet and save the other items for another meal. P.S. “Ethic foods” aisle….I understand markets need to categorize but this just doesn’t seem like an appropriate name to me…)
• 2 Tb Yellow Curry Powder (I know, I’m mixing my curry colors, but I promise it’s worth it and tastes yummy)
• 2 Cups Cubed Seeded Fresh Pumpkin (I found a bag at Trader Joe’s already chopped up, you can do this or chop up your own pumpkin. If you don’t want to do pumpkin or can’t find any use butternut squash.)
• 1 15 oz can of Coconut Milk
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cubed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 lb. Chicken (You can use breasts or thighs, whichever you prefer)
• • Quick tip: I love the marinated curry chicken you can pick up at Trader Joe’s, so if you want to throw that whole bag in, feel free. Just omit the yellow curry powder, since this bag contains a ton of it already.)
• 3-4 Cups cooked Basmati Rice
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Flat Leafed Parsley or Cilantro leaves for garnish
• Optional : 2 Tb Unbleached All Purpose Flour (use to thicken your curry, if needed)

Directions

1. Saute Onion, garlic, jalapeno, and ginger in 1 Tb. olive oil in saute pan, saute until onion is translucent.
2. Place chicken, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, chicken broth, onion, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, juice of the lemon, curry powder, and curry paste in slow cooker. Cook for 6 hours.
3. About an hour before the slow cooker is done pour in the red bell peppers and cubed pumpkin. Stir to combine. (Don’t stress if it’s not exactly an hour before it’s done. If you can’t get to it until it’s done then put it in then and wait at least 30 minutes while it’s on the warm setting to make sure it gets heated up. I don’t like putting it in the slow cooker at the beginning because they both turn to mush.)
4. At the 6 hour mark, add flour and stir to combine if your curry is not thick enough for you, totally optional.
5. Prepare 3-4 cups of Basmati rice while curry is finished cooking but on the “warm” setting on your slow cooker.
6. Serve curry on top of rice and garnished with cilantro or flat leaf parsley and enjoy!