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Bowl of Jamaican curry chicken from above.
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4.71 from 17 votes

jamaican curry chicken

Jamaican curry chicken is a simple, straightforward and seriously delicious curry. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main
Cuisine: Jamaican
Keyword: curry, jamaican curry chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 244kcal
Author: romain | glebekitchen

Ingredients

Jamaican curry chicken

  • 8-10 pieces bone-in, skinless chicken dark meat please
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil - vegetable or canola etc.
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2-1 seeded habanero chili with internal membrane removed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 2 floury potatoes - cut in 3/4 inch dice. Russet or Yukon gold work.

Spice mix

  • 3 tbsp Jamaican curry powder - available at specialty markets
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
  • pinch allspice powder
  • 1 tsp salt plus more to taste at the end

Instructions

  • Combine all the spice mix ingredients. Set aside
  • Heat the oil in a 5 or 6 quart dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil shimmers test a bit of chicken. Just touch it to the oil. If it sputters, you are good to go.
  • Put half the chicken into the pot and fry to lightly brown. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Set the second batch of chicken aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the onions and cook until translucent. This takes 3-4 minutes. 
  • Add the spice mix. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30-45 seconds to bloom the spices. Take a page out of Indian cooking here. It makes a difference.
  • Turn the heat up to medium high. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and scape up any browned bits on the bottom. Return the chicken to the pot along with the potatoes, thyme, habanero and green onion. 
  • Add the remaining cup of chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes.
  • Taste. You may need a bit more salt. Garnish with some more thyme leaves and sliced green onions. Serve with rice or Jamaican rice and peas. 

Notes

Habaneros are seriously hot chilies. If you want the flavour and not all the heat cut the top off the chili. Cut it in half and peel out the membrane and the seeds. A lot of the fire is in the membranes. In this Jamaican curry chicken, one habanero without the membranes and seeds is medium spicy. One whole habanero is seriously hot. Wear cloves when you do this. The last thing you want to do is touch habaneros and then touch your eye. Ouch!

Nutrition

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 13.7mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2.9mg