Jamaican Curry Chicken
Jamaican curry chicken delivers an easy one-pot meal bursting with flavor. Homemade curry powder, aromatic garlic and onion, and luscious coconut milk take this hearty recipe over the top. I guarantee this is one stew you’ll want to make over and over again.
Did you know that curry is not just one spice but a mixture of several different spices? When I stumbled across that information, suddenly, everything made sense. That’s why some brands of store-bought curry seasoning are spicy and bold, while others are milder and sweeter. Honestly, some are just meh in the taste department.
That is why I came up with my own recipe to suit my taste buds perfectly. Feel free to customize it to create your own perfect curry spice mix. Or you can choose your preferred store-bought brand – we all have our favorites.
Jamaican Curry vs. Indian Curry
Jamaican curry powder adds spiciness to chicken, goat, lamb, and beef. Though it’s similar to Indian curry, it has subtle differences. For example, Jamaican curry usually includes allspice, a spice that shows up in other classic Jamaican dishes like jerk chicken. Plus, it’s heavier on the turmeric than Indian curries and a little less spicy. Some of the best recipes are from fusion cuisines.
How to Make Jamaican Curry Chicken
The Chicken
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. (Photos 1-2)
- Sauté the chicken in a large, deep pan for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned. (Photos 3-4)
- Add curry powder and onions, followed by minced garlic, thyme, and paprika. Stir for about five minutes, allowing the flavors to blossom. (Photos 5-6)
Curry Sauce
- Liquids – In the same pan, pour in the coconut milk and tomato paste. Continue cooking for two more minutes, then add 2-3 cups of chicken broth or water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 15 minutes. (Photos 7-8)
- Veggies – Next, add the potatoes and carrots. Cook until potatoes are tender, seven minutes or so. Add the sliced bell pepper and cook for another two minutes. (Photos 9-10)
- Adjust the sauce thickness with broth or water and the salt to your preference.
- Serve – Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian – Turn this Jamaican curry recipe into a plant-based dish with oyster mushrooms, portabellos, chickpeas, or tofu instead of chicken.
- Other Meats – You could substitute other meats if you aren’t a fan of chicken. It’s fabulous with goat, but pork and beef also make a fantastic curry.
Tips and Tricks
- Use whole-fat coconut milk for the creamiest, most delicious curry.
- Feel free to get creative with your veggie selection if you wish. Broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, and spinach would all work well in a curry, so feel free to clean out your fridge’s vegetable drawer.
- Adjust the spiciness of this dish by adjusting the amount of curry powder you add. You could also make this dish a little spicier by adding more cayenne pepper. (There may already be some in your curry powder.)
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
Adding to its appeal is just how easy it is to make this curry dish ahead of time. Simply follow the recipe instructions, allow the curry to cool, then store it in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to four months until you are ready to serve it. Reheat it on the stovetop, and no one will know you haven’t been in the kitchen all day preparing this delicious dish.
Store leftover chicken curry in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. In the refrigerator, it will last for 3-5 days. Use frozen curry within five months, and thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
You can reheat Jamaican curry chicken on the stovetop over medium-high heat until it’s hot—alternatively, heat single servings in the microwave. Adjust reheat times according to the amount of curry in your bowl.
FAQs
Jamaican curry powder usually contains more turmeric than other kinds, which gives it a deeper yellow appearance. And it’s also good for you.
Way back in the 17th century, Indian indentured servants were brought to Jamaica, which was then an English colony, to work on sugar cane plantations. They brought curry with them, and ingenious Jamaicans adapted it and deeply entwined it with Jamaica’s culture and cuisine.
Jamaican recipes often call for toasting curry powder in heated oil to release the flavors of the spices. In most cases, though, the spices have already been toasted when blending the curry powder. This step also makes Jamaican curry powder unique from Indian curry powder.
What Goes With Jamaican Curry Chicken
This curry goes great with white rice, but lately, I’ve gotten into serving it with arroz con gandules, making for an interesting (and delicious) cultural mash-up. 🇯🇲🇵🇷 It also goes great with Caribbean coleslaw and fried sweet plantains.
More Savory Curry Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”lxT72PrU” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:48:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Jamaican Curry Chicken” description=”Jamaican Curry Chicken – a one pot meal that is bursting with flavor. The most delicious curry stew, you will want to make this over and over again.”]
This recipe was first published in October 2014, and has been updated with new photos, a video, and additional tips.
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-2½ pounds (1-1.25kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper, optional
- 2 tablespoons (30g) olive oil or canola oil
- 1½-2 tablespoons (6-7g) Jamaican curry powder
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons (4g) fresh thyme, minced
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) paprika
- ½ cup (118ml) coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon (5g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (470ml) or more chicken broth (or replace with water)
- 1 pound (450g) potatoes, peeled and cut into medium pieces
- 6 ounces (170g) carrots, sliced
- 6 ounces (170g) green peppers, sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons (12-18g) chopped parsley
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a large, deep pan, heat oil over medium heat until hot, and then add the chicken. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Add the curry powder and onions, followed by the minced garlic, thyme, and paprika. Stir for about five minutes, allowing the flavors to bloom.
- In the same pan, pour in the coconut milk and tomato paste. Continue cooking for two more minutes, then add 2-3 cups of chicken broth or water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Next, add the potatoes and carrots. Cook until potatoes are tender, seven minutes or so.
- Add the sliced bell pepper and cook for another two minutes.
- Finally, add the chopped parsley. Adjust the sauce thickness with broth or water and the salt to your preference. Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- While homemade curry powder is best, feel free to use your favorite store-bought version.
- Fat carries flavor, which is why we toast the spices in olive oil to develop more flavor.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Hi Imma,
I wanted to thank you for posting a delicious recipe. The house smelled wonderful while the dish cooked. I took a few shortcuts and made some modifications. Because I don’t have much time in the evenings to spend a lot of time preparing dinner for the family, I purchased a rotisserie chicken while getting the vegetables at the grocery store. I deboned the chicken and boiled the skin and bones to make the broth while chopping the veggies. There was a lot of chicken, so I added a large sweet potato, a few more carrots, 2 cans of coconut milk, and 2 more teaspoons of curry. The sweet potato, carrots, and extra coconut milk added a subtle sweetness to the dish that makes it more complex. I added the rotisserie chicken after the veggies cooked most of the way through. We gorged ourselves on the stew with warm crusty french bread. Delicious!
OH BOY! You should see me salivating here. Sounds AH-Mazing!!! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
I made this last night. It was the best curry chicken I ever made. Simply delicious.
AWESOME!!!! Thanks for letting me know.
Made this on Monday. I wanted to try your goat curry recipe but changed my mind since I had chicken already. It was absolutely divine! Had it with steamed basmati rice. My guests couldn’t have enough of it. Thank you!
My Pleasure!!! Glad to hear it was a hit with everyone. Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback.
I tried this recipe last night, of course with some adaptations…but this turned out so delicious!
Thanks for the feedback Shana
You mention bay leaf but it is not listed in the ingredients. How many bay leaves are you suggesting to add? Do you remove them at the end?
1-2 bay leaves. Yes, you do remove them at the end before serving.
My husband is in a bit of a panic. We are doing a mens Jamaican curry night this Saturday (tomorrow) 8, which we want to be as authentic as possible. We found your recipe , which looks amazing. Was going to be Goat but couldn’t get hold of any, so husband ordered mutton from our butchers. It came in all straggly bits so taking it back today. We are now going to do your chicken curry with bonless chicken thighs. My question is would your Jamacian curry mix be good for this as we’ve already made up a batch and it smells delicious. We really want to make something really tasty. Would your rice be good to serve with this. Also would banana cake be a good Jamacian pudding. Sorry for all the questions. Just want it to be a success. Thank you 🙂 x
Hi Trudy! No worries, questions are always welcome.
The Jamaican Curry Mix will work beautifully with this and yes, do pair it with my rice and beans. Banana Cake would good for dessert but not a traditional pudding. Happy Cooking.
You inspired me. I wanted to use my leftover roasting chicken but didn’t want a traditional chicken soup. Curry came to mind and I came across your recipe. I decided to add a kaffir lime leaf and a bit of Harissa. Odd combination I know but it worked for my tastebuds.
Hi Scott! Definitely a combination am willing to try out. It’s really an interesting one. Thanks for sharing!
I see the recipient looks fab but you mention scotch bonnet but it’s not mentioned in the list of ingredients. Please advise how much to use, we love spicy!
Throw in whole scotch bonnet, when you add the coconut milk, pierce if you really want spicy
Yummy yummy! Mmm this dish is delicious but my green beans is not greenish as yours what should I make d green beans in order to maintain d green color?
Thanks for the feedback Juliet! Add the green beans towards the end(5 minutes or less)
Pls auntie I’m so sorry for d stress. Just that I can’t wait to try this dish but I’m still having problem with parsley leaf no where to get. So pls can I substitute it for curry leaf? Its very urgent cos I’m boiling rice already waiting to cook d sauce.
Yes, you can or leave it out completely.
Hi Juliet, you can find parsley in major shops in Nigeria like Shoprite or Spar. It’s quite cheap for a big bunch.
Bay leaf is sold in the market (dry and in packets) most places where you can cooking spices.
Hope that helps
Thanks for sharing Onyi. That will definitely help Juliet and others who are looking.
And also what kind of vegetable is parsley and bay leaf,I’m in Nigeria now. Parsley ur talking about is it curry leaf and bay leaf is it scent leaf?
Hi Juliet! Parsley is use to flavor food- check it out in a major supermarket near you, so too is bay leaf. Google the images and you might know the spices
Hello Immaculate,I so much luv ur recipes. I really wanna try dis one tomorrow but the quantity of d chicken,carrot n green beans is confusing,what do u mean by 3pounds and 12 ounce like how many pieces of carrot can make d 12 ounce. Thanks
Thanks Juliet. 3 pounds chicken is about 1.5 kilogram Chicken. Use about 1-1/2 cup of carrots or green beans or both.
Wow…simple and easy. Thanks so much. Wish I could share pictures
Hi Ade! Would have love to see the pictures! Appreciate the comment!
So delicious!! Thank you
Hi Diana, thanks for the feedback!
This curry chicken is Delicious. Made it and can’t seem to have enough. Thanks
Hi! I just found your site via tastespotting and this recipe looks delicious…but I’m very confused by steps 8, 9, 10, and 11. Are these different options, but the main recipe is just steps 1-7? Thanks! 🙂
Good catch Jessica! Recipe updated! Thanks
I have never tried a Jamaican curry before! How delicious is this..definitely inspired to recreate the recipe, it looks delicious and packed full of yummy flavour!
Interested to see that curry powder is the main flavouring in this! Expected there to be a list of 20 spices like so many other curries 🙂 What brand do you use?
Nagi, It all depends…. I like purchasing curry at Caribbean Markets- which are usually generic – the spice mix in my opinion is one that is fresher and suits my taste buds. However, they sometimes vary in taste. My advise would be to experiment with several brands and find one that you like- if you like really spicy start with Madras curry powder.
Christina, let me know how it works for you!
I’m making this really soon, perfect for these cooler nights!