This Jamaican curry chicken recipe is the ultimate Caribbean comfort food of chicken seasoned with Jamaican curry powder and simmered in creamy curry sauce. It's so easy to make!
We're cooking up a wonderfully comforting and spicy curry dish in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. Care to join me?
Curry is an ideal dish for any spicy food lover. Curries usually incorporate an intriguing mix of locally found ingredients that blend to a flavor powerhouse.
Chili peppers are often highlighted, with varying heat and spice levels, forming a base for a variety of curry pastes and curry seasoning blends.
This particular recipe is no different, though today we're moving away from Thai and Indian cuisine where curries are more common and into the Caribbean region of the world.
We're talking Jamaican Curry Chicken, my friends! Did you realize the Caribbeans enjoy curry?
You'll find curries in many parts of the world. Jamaican curry flavor profile is different from Indian curries in the overall choice of seasonings.
You'll find a heavier use of turmeric and other seasonings that form an addictive flavor base, so addictive that I think this just might become one of your favorite new recipes.
Curry Recipes Vary from Cook to Cook. You'll find variations of Jamaican curries from restaurant to restaurant and from cook to cook, speaking with great passion about whether or not to include certain seasonings, tomato or no tomato, coconut milk or not.
At the end of the day, this is your dish, so you can adjust it to the way you prefer. I've included some options in the ingredients, though this is the way I like it.
I'm very curious how you will make yours!
Jamaican-style curry chicken very easy to make, and also huge on flavor.
Let's talk about how to make Jamaican Curry Chicken, shall we?
Jamaican Curry Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken. I usually use either a whole chicken, cut up, or leg and thigh quarters, though you can easily make this with boneless chicken. It's great with chicken thighs.
- Jamaican Curry Powder. Try my homemade Jamaican curry powder recipe for outstanding flavor, or use your favorite store bought blend. I use 4 tablespoons of curry powder, though use it to taste.
- Additional Seasonings. Allspice, adobo seasoning, turmeric, thyme, and salt and black pepper. You can use your favorite Jamaican staples. General chicken seasoning is popular.
- Vegetables. Onion, bell peppers or jalapeno peppers and/or Scotch bonnet peppers, carrot, garlic, ginger, green onion, potatoes.
- Liquids. Coconut milk or chicken broth (chicken stock) - your choice.
- Extras. Olive oil for cooking, and your favorite hot sauce to taste.
How to Make Jamaican Curry Chicken - the Recipe Method
Wash the Chicken. Wash the chicken with vinegar or citrus, if desired.
Cut and Season the Chicken. Cut up the chicken into smaller pieces and add to a large bowl.
Season the Chicken. Rub the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder, adobo seasoning, allspice, dried thyme, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the Vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat or medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers, and cook them down 5 minutes to soften.
"Burn the Curry". Add the garlic, ginger, and 2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder. Cook for 2 minutes in the oil to let the seasoning bloom.
This is called "Burning the Curry", which isn't actually burning it, but cooking out the raw seasoning flavor.
Brown the Chicken. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes to brown all sides, flipping half way through.
NOTE that the chicken may release liquid, which you can keep in the pan for simmering, though you may want to adjust how much liquid you add later.
Liquids and Potatoes. Stir in the coconut milk or chicken broth, potatoes, and carrots. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and hot sauce to your personal tastes.
Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme here if you'd like.
Cover and Simmer. Cover the curry and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are done and the chicken is tender and cooked through.
It should measure 165 degrees F internal when measured with a meat thermometer.
Serve! I like to garnish mine with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes.
Boom! Done! Jamaican curry chicken is ready to serve! Looks wonderful, doesn't it? I'm sure your kitchen smells awesome.
It usually drives me crazy as it simmers, making me wait for it.
I love this curry dish. Nice and spicy to my preference.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Chicken. You can easily make this recipe with any cut of chicken, either bone-in or boneless skinless chicken. Today I used chicken leg and thigh quarters, but it’s great with a whole chicken for a larger group, chicken breasts, chicken thighs or any combination. Many Jamaican Curry Chicken dishes I've seen cut up the chicken into smaller pieces, bones and all, though I love the larger pieces. To your preference!
- The Peppers. I use jalapeno peppers for this recipe for a touch of everyday heat, but they aren't very spicy for some people. If you're looking for more authentic Caribbean flavor with some wonderful heat, use either Scotch Bonnet peppers or habanero peppers. Both can reach to over 350,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale, making them 70 times hotter than the average jalapeno. Perfect! Use them sparingly. Use bell peppers for a milder version. You'll still get amazing flavor.
- Seasoning. There are many variations of seasonings for Jamaican curries. I use Jamaican curry powder with adobo seasoning, turmeric, allspice and thyme. Other popular options are sazon seasoning, general chicken seasoning, garlic powder, fresh herbs and others. Some recipes call for Jamaican "every day" or "all-purpose" seasoning. Great if you have access to it!
- Variations. You can update this recipe to include any and all of your favorite ingredients. Consider the following:
- Other Meats. Try this recipe with lamb, pork, beef, fish, shellfish. So good!
- Go Vegetarian. Make this a vegetarian dish and focus on chickpeas and more potatoes, or use jackfruit.
- Other Vegetables. I make mine with potato, but you can easily include other root vegetables like sweet potato, rutabaga or celery root. Toss in green beans, corn or more peppers to round it out. You can really make this recipe your own.
- Serving. I alternate serving my Jamaican chicken curry with either steamed white rice or noodles. Rice will absorb all that wonderful curry sauce. Brown rice is good, too. For the noodles, I love either wheat noodles or rice noodles.
Storage Information & Leftovers
Store any leftover Jamaican curry chicken in the refrigerator in sealed containers for up to 5 days. To enjoy again, gently reheat it in a pan. You can freeze the curry for up to 6 months in vacuum sealed containers.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this outstanding Jamaican chicken curry recipe. Super tasty! Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 164.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Other Jamaican Recipes You Might Enjoy
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 3 pounds chicken washed with vinegar and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used leg and thigh quarters today)
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
- 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and black pepper to taste
FOR THE CURRY
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper chopped (optional, for a spicy version)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
- 1 cup coconut milk (optional - use only chicken broth as an alternative, or water)
- 1 pound yellow potatoes diced (peel if desired)
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Cut up the chicken and add it to a mixing bowl. Rub the chicken pieces with curry powder, adobo seasonings, allspice, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers to the pot and stir. Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the green onion, garlic, ginger and Jamaican curry powder. Cook 2-3 minutes, to let the curry powder bloom. This is called "burning the curry", which is not actually burning it.
- Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes to brown all sides, flipping half way through.
- Stir in the coconut milk or chicken broth, potatoes and carrots. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and hot sauce to your personal tastes. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme here if you'd like.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and cooked through. It should measure 165 degrees F internal when measured with a meat thermometer.
- Serve! I like to garnish mine with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 9/7/22 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 1/20/21.
Lesley Yarney says
Absolutely amazing curry, we absolutely adore this recipe. Extremely easy to make and a great crowd filler. Everyone we cook this for has asked for the recipe. It is sooooooo good.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Lesley!
John says
Went right by recipe except for addition of 5 oz of coconut milk due to using deboned and skinned chicken breast. Good flavor.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, John!
Shan says
I've used this recipe multiple times and plan to again tonight. My family loves it!!! It is great and super easy!!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Shan!
PJ says
I'm very excited to try this! Love curry! I actually have a pot of Thai Chicken Curry on the stove as we speak. Next curry dish I make will be this one. I may even toss in a little fresh pineapple. After reading the ingredients but not having tried it, I'm going on ingredients alone. Giving this 5 stars!
Mike Hultquist says
So good! You're going to love it! Thanks, PJ. Enjoy.
Brigitte says
I’ve made your Jamaican chicken potato curry.
It is AMAZING.
Thank you
Charlyn says
Wow! We just returned from St. John and ate curried chicken as much as possible. I wanted to duplicate the dish and this is perfect! I did not add the jalapeños or tomato paste; I did add some guajillo pepper and one tablespoon of dark brown sugar to double-batch. Had with rice, like we had on St. John - in love with this recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Wow, awesome! So great to hear! Glad you enjoyed it, Charlyn. Thanks for sharing. =)
Ruth says
Made this again and it's great. This time I used beef, and after searing, slow cooked it. Much easier as the previous times the mix stuck at the bottom. Made my own jamaican seasoning as none available but smelt and tasted great.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Thanks, Ruth!
Christal says
Seasoning were perfect! I can’t wait to have it over rice
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome!!
Christine B says
Oh, wow! Such a delicious curry. I make curries every week, mostly but not exclusively Indian. Your curry is different than anything I tasted before. I followed your recipe exactly, using your curry powder and adobo recipes. I only omitted potatoes because I eat low carb, otherwise as written. Thank you for sharing such a taste sensation.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Christine. I'm very happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Ashleigh says
So yummy! Will definitely be making this again. My son basically drank the sauce left in the pot when the meal was over.
Mike Hultquist says
Wow, glad to hear, Ashleigh! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Moriah says
This was amazing thanks so much!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Moriah!
Stacy says
If I choose to use chicken breast, how much should I get?
Thanks
Stacy
Mike Hultquist says
You can use a couple pounds, Stacy.
Abbie Garlick says
Hi! Cooking this for 5 people this evening, if I make this in the daytime - is it okay to reheat through in the evening and serve? x
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yep! You can reheat this, Abbie. I hope you enjoy it!