Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe (2024)

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.

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.

Cookbook Recommendation

If you'd like to learn more about Jamaican cooking, check out the following cookbook, which I used to help adapt this recipe.

• Original Flava, by Craig and Shaun McAnuff (affiliate link, my friends!)

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Red Curry
• Coconut Curry Chicken
• Phaal Curry (the Hottest Curry in the World)
• Red Curry Paste
• Yellow Curry Paste
• Japanese Curry
• See all of my Curry Recipes

Other Jamaican Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
• Jerk Marinade
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken
• Jerk Salmon
• Sazon Seasoning
• Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
• Rasta Pasta
• Jamaican Rice and Peas