Jamaican Curry Chicken
I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so here is my family's version of 'curried' chicken. It brings back memories of a childhood spent enjoying food there, where there were very few dishes I wouldn't eat, vegetables or not. This dish is traditionally served on white rice or in a roti, but feel free to get creative!
I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so here is my family's version of 'curried' chicken. It brings back memories of a childhood spent enjoying food there, where there were very few dishes I wouldn't eat, vegetables or not. This dish is traditionally served on white rice or in a roti, but feel free to get creative!
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 cup curry powder divided
- 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves stripped
- 1 pinch ground allspice or more to taste
- 2 1/4 pounds whole chicken cut into pieces
- 1 potato, diced
- 2 scallions (green onions) chopped
- 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root minced
- 1 scotch bonnet chile pepper chopped, or to taste
- Carbohydrate 3.64208034496411 g
- Cholesterol 127.5728540625 mg
- Fat 30.9121625052047 g
- Fiber 0.912966693960992 g
- Protein 32.3387709075276 g
- Saturated Fat 7.73806094165156 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (311g)
- Sodium 1320.6773747607 mg
- Sugar 2.72911365100312 g
- Trans Fat 2.28843659435005 g
- Calories 428 calories
Step-by-step
- Whisk 2 tablespoons curry powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, onion powder, salt, thyme leaves, allspice, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add chicken and coat with curry mixture until curry mixture is wet and sticks to chicken.
- Heat oil and 2 tablespoons curry powder in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until oil is hot and curry powder changes color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken to the hot oil mixture and reduce heat to medium. Add potato, carrots, scallions, ginger, and chile pepper to skillet.
- Cover skillet and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center and gravy is thickened, allowing chicken to cook undisturbed for last 15 minutes of cooking, 30 to 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken from skillet and continue simmering gravy if needed to thicken.
Swapping standard curry powder for a heavy dose of turmeric-heavy Madras blends alters the final pungency and staining power of the dish. Blooming dry spices directly in hot vegetable oil for two to three minutes breaks down fat-soluble flavor compounds, releasing aromatics that dry stirring misses entirely. Cast iron provides the necessary thermal mass for this initial high-heat phase, transferring steady energy to both the oil and the split portion of the curry powder until the mixture visibly darkens. Coating the raw chicken pieces in a wet spice paste before they touch the pan ensures maximum surface contact, allowing salt and seasonings to penetrate the outer protein layers during the early stages of simmering. Leaving the skillet covered without disturbance for the final 15 minutes of the 30-to-40 minute cook time traps moisture while letting starches from the diced potatoes and carrots leach into the braising liquid to build body naturally. Monitoring internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer ensures safety when it hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the thigh near the bone. Without a thermometer, visual verification relies on piercing the meat: clear juices must run entirely free of pink coloration, and the flesh should yield easily under gentle pressure from tongs. Letting the gravy simmer uncovered after meat extraction reduces excess moisture until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
