Jamaican Curry Chicken
Curry is a known traditional seasoning for all Jamaican households. It was actually brought to Jamaica in the 17th century by the Indian Indentured Servants. Jamaican curry powder is a mix of local Jamaican spices. It is mostly made up of turmeric which explains the bright yellow color of our curry.
There are several different brands of curry powder on the market. I strongly recommend the Jamaican brand Betapac, if you are able to access it. Otherwise, choose an authentic or good curry powder.
The Jamaican brand such as Betapac is loved by our locals including myself. The most popular curry dishes are Chicken, Goat, and Shrimp with curry chicken definitely topping the list.
The curry powder you use makes all the difference in how your dish will turn out. Trust me on this. I have experienced cooking with different curry powders and the dish is just not the same at all.
From my childhood days, curry chicken was one of the dishes in frequent rotation for our dinner menu and we could never get tired of it because both our parents cooked it so good.
I believe the secret ingredient that my family used, which I find not everyone uses is little cubes of potatoes stewed in the curry sauce in the last ten minutes. It is still a dish in frequent rotation even now in my household and my curry still has to have the potatoes or it is just not complete.
Ingredients
- Chicken – cut in pieces for stew
- Scallion
- Garlic
- Seasoned Salt
- Garlic Salt
- Salt
- Sugar
- Curry Powder
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Oil
- Water
- Scotch Bonnet (optional)
How To Prepare Curry Chicken
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- Wash and cut chicken in stew size pieces. (most supermarket butchers will do this upon request).
- Season with all ingredients apart from potatoes, onion, oil, and water.
- Marinade in a seasoning bowl in the fridge covered for a couple hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, use a medium-large deep pot on medium-high heat. Add oil and when hot, add chicken all at once stirring a couple minutes until brown.
- Add a little water and cover, repeat this step every 5 minutes through cooking for about 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare your potatoes and onion and set aside.
- When chicken is almost cooked, add your potatoes in the last 10-15 minutes.
- Add onions in the last 2 minutes. Season to taste.
- Scotch Bonnet pepper may be added to make mild or spicy to your preference or left out completely. For a real good Jamaican curry recipe, you can try my easy to follow recipe.
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken or 2 1/2 lb.
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks Scallion cut fine
- 1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
- 1 tsp. Garlic Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Sugar
- 1/4 tsp. Dark or Mushroom Soy Sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Curry Powder
- 1 - 2 Tbsp. Oil
- 1 Cup Potatoes medium cubes (1 large potatoe)
- 1 medium Onion cut horizontal
- 1 1/4 cup Water divided
- small piece Scotch Bonnet Pepper *optional
Instructions
-
Wash and cut chicken in stew size pieces. (regular size pieces cut in half, breast pieces can cut in 3 pieces). Season chicken with all ingredients except potatoes, onion, water and oil. Marinade at least 1 hour.
-
Heat a deep pot on medium-high heat. Add oil, when hot add chicken and stir to brown 1 - 2 minutes.
-
Add 1 cup of water, stir, cover to cook down about 20 minutes . Check frequently in between stirring and adding small amounts of water at a time as needed
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Peel and cut potatoes in medium cubes. Add to pot and continue cooking for about 12 minutes
-
Peel and slice onion and add in last 2 minutes before turning off
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Season to taste.
Recipe Notes
Best served with white rice or side of choice.
My personal favourite is white rice and tomato slices.