Slow Cooker Curried Turkey Thighs

There’s a misconception that if something is curried, it’s hot. Well, that isn’t always the case. Ingredients and spice levels vary drastically from region to region. Some are hot and some are not. I’m not a fan of heat, more a fan of warmth. So, when I cook a curry, I’m looking for that sweet curry taste, with a little warmth. The slow cooker is the perfect kitchen tool to bring out the deep rich flavors I’m looking for, it makes a perfect slow cooker curried turkey thighs.

As I wander away from red meat to something with comparable protein, but a little healthier. I find myself going from beast to bird. Fish is also a good alternative, yet can get a little pricey. When I look at a bird I’m faced with that age old question. White meat or dark meat? For me, dark meat is my preference. It has a richer flavor and can handle the slow cooking process better. And from a budget standpoint, turkey is the way to go, good flavor and more bang for your buck.

The spices

Things are starting to come together, we have a slow cooker and some turkey thighs. Well, it’s a start. On to the spices. Well, it’s a curry, curry powder will be the main ingredient. But what is curry powder? Well, there’s a history here. So, the curry powder that we have come to know, is a spice mix of mainly ginger, turmeric, garlic and chili. It was sold as a ready to use spice pack by the Indian traders to the British Colonists as far back as the 18th century.

It is actually based on and Indian spice mix called Garam Masala, that had been around for hundreds of years prior. Garam Masala has a much larger spice profile. Some of it’s ingredients being, fennel, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mace and chili powder. Definitely a lot of hot and sweet right there. I do have Garam Masala in my cupboard, but I’ll just use curry powder and add some other spices, like cinnamon, turmeric, cumin and fresh grated ginger. For the warmth, ground red pepper flakes are not quite as brutally hot as cayenne.

The how

Now to start putting everything together. The first thing to do is prep the meat. Remove the skin and bone from the turkey thighs. I don’t know if turkey thighs are available boneless, you could probably ask the butcher to, if needed, certainly an option. Cube the meat into approximately 1″ cubes and put into a bowl. Now mix all the spices together in a cup, then mix them with the meat, make sure the meat is completely coated in the spices. Put the bowl in the fridge to let them sit a bit and absorb some of the flavors while the rest of the ingredients are prepped.

This is a very important step, for the same reason I season my ribs the night before I cook them. The spices used are dehydrated, I want them to absorb some of the moisture from the meat, rehydrate, and soak in. Makes everything more flavorful. Remember to wash up well after handling raw meat. Please read my post on safe food prep, it’s very helpful.

The assembly

Slow cooker curried turkey thighs is essentially a stew with Indian spices. It requires an aromatic base, a mirepoix. Well, specifically, onion, pepper, celery and garlic, because garlic goes in everything. Chopped up fine and sweat down on a pan over medium heat with a little oil, to soften. Pour the contents of the pan into the slow cooker to form a layer. Now turn up the heat a little with the rest of the oil, and, add the seasoned meat, stir around the pan to get a little heat on all sides for maybe 5 mins. The idea is to warm the spices to release their flavors and aromas. Now put the partially cooked meat into the slow cooker, to form a layer over the vegetables.

There are bits stuck to the pan, and that’s ok, it’s flavor. Deglaze the pan with the tomatoes and tomato paste, making sure to stir everything up so what’s stuck to the pan is mixed up with the tomatoes, and allow to come to a boil. While that’s heating up, pour the rinsed kidney beans over the meat in the slow cooker to form another layer. Now that the tomatoes are boiling pour them over the beans. The final part is to add chicken stock to just cover the ingredients. Turn the slow cooker on low, and walk away for 8 hrs.

That’s it, your work is done, now let the slow cooker do it’s thing. The house will start to smell good, as always when you use the slow cooker. Cook up some Jasmine rice to go with the curry. Thank you for reading and enjoy slow cooker curried turkey thighs