Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe

4.98 from 73 votes

This Jamaican curry chicken recipe is the ultimate Caribbean comfort food of chicken seasoned with Jamaican curry powder and simmered in creamy curry sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican

Keyword: chicken, curry, one pot, spicy

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

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 2 tablespoons 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

The Chicken. You can easily make this recipe with any cut of chicken, either bone-in or boneless. 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.

The Seasonings. There are many variations of seasonings for Jamaican curries. I use Jamaican curry powder with adobo seasoning, allspice and thyme. Other popular options are sazon seasoning, general chicken seasoning, fresh herbs and others. Some recipes call for Jamaican "every day" or "all-purpose" seasoning. Great if you have access to it!

Nutrition