Slow cooker chicken coconut curry

Last time I made Thai food, I almost burned our faces off with the spiciness factor.

thai

This is coming from a girl who eats jalapenos straight-up. It was borderline too much for me too handle, and way too spicy for the Pilot, who likes spicy foods, but not the same way I do.

This time, I brought down the intensity a little 😉

For the meal, I browned up some chicken with garlic, ginger, sea salt and pepper

added it to the slow cooker with 1 1/2 C veggie broth, carrots, bell pepper, onion and bamboo shoots

thai3

and after cooking for 3 hours on high, stirred in a can of coconut milk, 1 T fish sauce, 1 heaping T red curry paste.

thai2

Cooked 1 more hour on high, and then we each enjoyed bowls of the chicken coconut curry with quinoa and cilantro. Even though I was more reserved with the spices this time, it still had a lovely kick to it!

In other spicy news, I made my return to HIIT yesterday by taking a Tabata training class at work. In the next couple of months, while I’m still on leave, we’re introducing a ton of new class formats, so I’ll have to attend training sessions to make sure I can teach them when I return. I’m also hoping to teach a dance class with live drummers (!) when I get back, so I’m pretty stoked 🙂

tabata-training-intervals Source

The Tabata class was amazing, and we did a lot of new-to-me drills. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a burpee, and needed to make a few modifications along the way, but I had a blast. Lots of stretching the rest of the week, fo sho.

One of the drills we did:

(Modify by doing a regular jumping jack or mock jumping jack- one leg out and in at a time)

This morning, I’m hanging out with my favorite little lady, and then we’re meeting up with some friends who are in town for the week. Their son was born two weeks before Liv, and I can’t wait to meet him!

Have a happy humpday! <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to think:

“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

Maya Angelou quotes

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55 Comments

  1. Meagan on February 22, 2012 at 11:27 am

    This Thai recipe looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a good Thai curry to cook in the slow cooker- I think I found it! Yum 🙂

    • Meagan on February 22, 2012 at 11:32 am

      P.S. Just watched the video on star jumps- it reminded me of when I first lived in England, and I went to a cardio class at a new gym. The instructor said to start doing “star jumps,” and I did a couple…little did I know that in England, “star jumps” are just jumping jacks. 🙂 I looked fairly intense, I suppose.

      • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 1:00 pm

        Haha! Way to be hardcore 🙂

      • Ramani on February 22, 2012 at 9:01 pm

        Hi Gina, I’m a bit surprised to see you make this dish though it does look delish. Coconut milk is very high in fat and cholesterol. Did you use a light version perhaps?

        • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 9:07 pm

          no, i use the regular version. coconut fat is a healthy fat, and is processed differently by the body.. and it’s delicious 😉

          • Ramani on February 23, 2012 at 10:43 am

            Thanks, Gina. 🙂



  2. Stephanie @ Legally Blinde on February 22, 2012 at 11:29 am

    Wow, those star jumps look intense!!! I think I’ll try it out in my living room before busting them out at the gym, haha.

  3. Brittany on February 22, 2012 at 11:34 am

    I want to learn how to make Thai food. Like you, I eat jalepeños as a snack. I love spicy food so much. I love sweating buckets from the food. What recipes do you use?

    • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      I’ve only used emerils- need to branch out more!

  4. Jen @ Whittle My Middle on February 22, 2012 at 11:35 am

    I love Tabata training! It’s my new favorite thing. Those star jumps look intense!

  5. Cerissa on February 22, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Wow, that class sounds tough (good tough)! I wish we had some classes like that at the YMCA. The most difficult class I’ve found is Spin, so I just stick to the treadmill and free weights. I would love to try something like that! And yum… I love coconut curry soup! Have you tried sticking the chicken in raw? I always stick a couple frozen chicken breasts in with some broth and vegies, then take it out when I add the c. mik and chop it up and stick it back in the crockpot. I love that… takes out one more step when you have a bunch of kids to tend to 🙂

  6. Carrie on February 22, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Yum, yum, yum! I think I shall make that tomorrow, but substitute chicken with tofu or some other non-meat option. Any ideas? Would chick peas be good? I’m trying to limit my soy intake just because the whole soy story is still very unclear, depending on who you ask.

    • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Chickpeas would be perfect 🙂

  7. Brittany @Little b's healthy habits on February 22, 2012 at 11:48 am

    I am notorious for going over board on the spicy! This looks really good though!

  8. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat on February 22, 2012 at 11:54 am

    Sounds like a great class Gina!! I love tabatas too (and love to hate some days!) The star jumps are a great move, and I find they KILL my legs after doing squats, just like jumping lunges or even squat jumps. I hope you have a fantastic time with your little lady, your friend and her son. You’re making me wish that some of my friends had babies so I could sit and cuddle with them! 🙂

  9. Ali @ Peaches and Football on February 22, 2012 at 11:59 am

    Chicken coconut curry sounds great! I’ve never had anything with curry in it, not sure what it even tastes like, and I don’t do too well with spicy… so I think I may try this by adding just a little at a time and let it cook and simmer a bit before increasing. My boyfriend, on the other hand, can handle (and loves) spicier foods. I tend to always under simmer and he brings out the hot sauce and “ruins” my food. Ha Ha Ha

    Have fun with your friends and their little one too!

  10. Catalina @ Cake with Love on February 22, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    This looks delicious, I have to buy a slow cooker it will save me so much time!!! I have a can of coconut milk, I would like to give a try to this recipe!

  11. Lauren on February 22, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    holy crap, is her body for real?! daaang, girl.

    • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      Right?! Boom.

  12. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on February 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    The food sounds great and I love some HOT food…but the family doesn’t like the fire alarm food quite as much as I do so I tone things down if we’re all going to be eating it 🙂

  13. Anna @ The Guiltless Life on February 22, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    I am all about Thai food, but I love how its spice is more fragrant than hot, so I think I would prefer it dialled down too. So yum! And I love doing Tabatas so reading about it is extra fun – I always want new Tabata exercise ideas!

  14. Laura on February 22, 2012 at 12:39 pm

    “Who is this queen of soul?”
    “Donna Summer”
    “Say her name backwards”
    “Summer Donna?”
    “Simma Down Na!”

    (I’m sure thats not completely correct, but you get my point :))

    • Valerie @ FreshMutz on February 22, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      LOL! Love that skit!! Simma.

      • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 6:04 pm

        Simmaaaaaaaaaa

  15. Linzay @ brokerunner on February 22, 2012 at 12:41 pm

    That looks so good! I am definitely making that soon!

  16. Jenn on February 22, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    How much chicken did you use?

    • Fitnessista on February 22, 2012 at 12:54 pm

      It was a pack of two lg chicken breasts

  17. Anna @ On Anna's Plate on February 22, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    Yum! Love homemade thai food 🙂

  18. Valerie @ FreshMutz on February 22, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    My engaged friend asked me about registering the other day, and I told her that I wished I registered for a slow cooker. Now I have another reason to wish that I did. Your soup looks so good! I’ve always wanted to take a class with live drummers. The housewives on Real Housewives of Atlanta (my least favorite of the RH shows) went to one and it looked awesome.

  19. Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries on February 22, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    i usually serve our thai food with brown rice… i should definitely try quinoa! now i’m craving thai! 🙂

  20. Lena @Fit on the Rocks on February 22, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    I need to put on my big girl pants and attempt to make Thai food. I love curries, but they usually don’t have enough kick even when I order them Thai hot, so looks like I’ve got to venture out on my own.

  21. Kristen on February 22, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    She kinda makes those look like a breeze. I bet they’re like mountain climbers. For some reason, they kill me every time. They look innocent enough until I start doing them.

    Definitely looks like a pretty crazy awesome total body exercise!

  22. Ali on February 22, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Yeah Girl! So stoked on you being back in the kitchen! Man, that girl in the vid you posted is friggen ripped!

  23. joelle (on a pink typewriter) on February 22, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    I’ve been wanting to give Tabata workouts a try! There’s even an iphone app – I recently downloaded it after a friend told me about it!

  24. Maddy on February 22, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    I made Thai food last night too-for the first time, but non spicey. Maybe subconsciously I remembered that Wednesday is officially Indian food or Thai food Wednesday as per your blog. I made a ginger basil chicken veggie pad thai like dish using ideas from various recipes I found on the net. I was shocked it turned out well since my experiments don’t always go so well. I used brown rice pad thai noodles and they taste just like white rice noodles. I think we will be celebrating Thai Food Wednesday weekly!

  25. maria @ Chasing the Now on February 22, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    Your curry looks awesome. I love eating curry when we are out, but it’s one of the meals I never have tried to make at home. It seems to easy to mess up, I guess.

  26. Kerry @ Totes My Oats on February 22, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    That food looks amazing! Love Thai food.

  27. Kelly @ Vegolosophy on February 22, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    mmmm Thai food, seriously my favorite! I could literally eat it everyday and be a happy camper! My favorite is red tofu curry and pad thai, yummy!!!

  28. Julie on February 22, 2012 at 7:29 pm

    Love the look of these jumps! I’m going to see if I can add them to a little circuit action today. 🙂

  29. Laura Jane @ Recovering Chocoholic on February 22, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    Wow, those jumps are serious! I’ve tried an official tabata workout but I like the concept. Sounds like your gym offers lots of interesting classes.

  30. Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin on February 22, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    Now you’ve got me craving Thai curry! Except I recently developed an allergy to fenugreek (which is in most curry powders), so I need to start mixing my own curry spices, which so far I’ve been too lazy to do! 😛 Seeing your curry makes me want to make some ASAP though!

  31. Lily on February 23, 2012 at 9:40 am

    Ahhh those recipes look so so so good!

  32. Lu on February 23, 2012 at 11:03 am

    Wow! Your Thai dish sounds amazing! I’ll be making that pretty soon.

  33. Laura on February 23, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Can’t wait to try your curry recipe. You make it look so easy! Curry is our go to take out food around here so this will be perfect! Thanks!

  34. Kelli on February 25, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    Are Tabatas interchangeable with HIIT? How many days a week should they be done for fat buning? Should they be done on cardio days?
    Also, there is a DVD that has 40 minutes of Tabatas. I thought that one of the reasons to do Tabatas was that they are short and intense. Does it make sense to do 40 minutes of Tabatas? (Amy Dixon’s Breathless Body)

    • Fitnessista on February 26, 2012 at 12:05 am

      yep, it’s a type of hiit training. i’d do them on non-consecutive days, 2-3x week.
      and yes, you can do 40 minutes of a tabata dvd because chances are that it includes recovery moves and rest in between (i hope?). i just wouldn’t do it on consecutive days

  35. Dominique on February 26, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    Recipes like that one above is another reason why I NEED a slow cooker. I absolutely love anything with coconut milk and have that and red curry paste in my pantry right now.

  36. Laura on April 18, 2012 at 11:35 am

    I’ve been wanting to try a curry recipe. I was wondering can you use light coconut milk from a can with curry recipes? Also, I have a carton of coconut milk that I use for smoothies sometimes and didn’t know if that can be used (the carton is silk coconut milk with 80 cal per cup 5 g fat).

  37. Natalie on September 18, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    Ok, if I do this with the shrimp, do I have to do anything with the shrimp first? I’m a vegetarian but I’m cooking for my husband + Parents this week in the crock pot. : )

    • Fitnessista on September 18, 2012 at 10:46 pm

      nope, as long as they’re defrosted, tails off

  38. Natalie on September 18, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    *(meaning I’m clueless about meat and fish prep)

  39. Ashley on January 24, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    Made this tonight and it was awesome!! The chicken shredded perfectly. I didn’t have red curry paste, and couldn’t find it at Sprouts, so I substituted Curry powder and and added red chili paste to my bowl. It was incredible and my one year old loved it!

    • Fitnessista on January 25, 2013 at 12:33 am

      awesome!! so happy the beeb loved it too- i need to make some for liv

  40. Kim M. on October 11, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    Hey! I just got a slow cooker and am new to slow cooker cooking. And new to eating chicken. Ha. So I’m wondering with slow cooker recipes, when you say you brown the chicken on the stove first, do you cook it all the way through prior to putting it in the slow cooker? Or you’re just getting the outside browned a bit and it cooks through in the slow cooker? Thanks!

    • Fitnessista on October 12, 2014 at 10:56 pm

      i cook it *most* of the way on the stove first, so almost completely done. just make sure you can’t see any see-through parts of the chicken before adding it to the cooker 🙂 xoxo

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