Paleo Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Curry

Speaking of slow cookers, they are nearly impossible to buy in Brazil. Someone said they found one online, but it was several hundred dollars. I've tried to find one, but it's difficult because they don't even have a name for it. The closest I can come is "forno electrico" which means electric oven, but really that is more of a toaster oven than a crock pot. I was lucky enough to be back in the US a few weeks ago and picked one up for $30.

So, if you're moving to Brazil and like to cook with your crock pot because you're lazy like me, bring it with you! Just make sure to check your voltage in your new Brazilian home before you plug it in and fry the wiring. There is no way to fix that.

A fellow blogger here in Brazil (Qualidade da Vida) just recently returned from a trip to the US and brought home a crock pot. He made up this recipe and called it a success, and was nice enough to send me the recipe. I took out a few non-paleo ingredients, but the basic recipe remains the same*. (Thank you Jim!). He has a four quart crock pot, but I have a six quart and adjusted his recipe up a bit. Yay for leftovers!

Hello little blue caterpillar hiding inside my cauliflower!

Here's what I did:

2 full skinless chicken breasts, cut into medium chunks**
2 white sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into medium chunks
2 onions, chopped
2 red peppers, cut into medium chunks
3 lg carrots, scrubbed, cut into medium chunks (diagonal cuts look nice)
2 cups cauliflower florets (remember to check for caterpillars)
5 cloves garlic, minced
400 ml coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth***
4-5 Tbs. curry powder
2-3 tsp cumin
2 tbs grated fresh ginger****
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 cup raisins(optional)

Saute onions and garlic in a bit of coconut oil until nearly clear. Add chicken and brown it up a bit**. Put it into the crock pot and cover with chopped vegetables, hardest types first.

Combine liquids and spices. Pour over the rest and stir a bit, but do not mix all your soft veggies down into the mix. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or so (I’m still getting the hang of the time thing). High for 3.5 - 4 hours or so. 

Add the raisins shortly before serving, or even sprinkle them over the top of each dish.

*Jim's recipe called for regular potatoes and peas. I substituted sweet potatoes and left out the peas.

**I used a bone-in whole skinless breast and didn't brown it first (because it's what I had).

***I happen to have chicken bone broth leftover which I made from the leftover liquid and bones of my whole roasted chicken. Win!

****Jim used 1 tsp ginger powder

How it came out:

It's been cooking for about two hours and it smells so good.

A few hours later...
OK, I just finished a bowl and it was fantastic! SO GOOD.

I had to remove the whole chicken breast and shred the meat while removing the bones. Once I put the meat back into the pot, it was ready to go. Took me about five minutes.

What I would do different next time:

Put the carrots and potatoes in first, before the chicken. I almost forgot about the potatoes (oops) and had to put them on top. I don't think they took on as much of the flavor, but they're still really good.

Starting with boneless, skinless breasts as Jim did would be much easier to serve. 

You could also make this without the potatoes and serve it over rice (if you eat rice).