Best Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe

This Jamaican curry chicken is more than just a meal—it reflects an island's cuisine. The chicken is seasoned with Jamaican curry powder along with some other spices and then simmered in creamy curry sauce to make a rich, flavorful, comforting, and delicious Jamaican curry chicken!

Curry is the ultimate comfort dish for any food lover. I often make curries because I love them. This Jamaican curry chicken is a simple yet tasty classic. This dish is easy to make, flavorful, and satisfying. 

Jamaican curry chicken is a popular dish on cookshop menus, frequently served with rice and peas or steamed rice and raw veggies in a "box lunch." It is also served at home for lunch or dinner, with different accompaniments such as steamed rice, fried plantain,  roti, and mango chutney. 

In addition, curry chicken is frequently served with classic Jamaican sides such as steamed callaloo, fried or roasted breadfruit, a big green salad, and sliced Scotch bonnet pepper for a family Sunday lunch or dinner! 

The key ingredients of traditional authentic Jamaican curry chicken are coconut milk, scotch bonnet peppers, and Jamaican curry powder. I also added potatoes, carrots, ginger, garlic, thyme, browning (a "coloring" seasoning that's frequently used on meats), and herbs + spices to create a lovely flavor combination. 

Jamaican curry powders are typically a made blend of spices, including coriander, cumin, allspice, anise, mustard, fenugreek, and turmeric. Consequently, it has a unique yellow color that is distinct from that of curry powders from other regions. 

Curries appeared in Jamaican cuisine as a result of the British bringing East Indian indentured servants from India to work on plantations when slavery was abolished. Curried chicken is a symbol of Jamaica's rich past and the many immigrants who came to the island from other parts of the world and shaped its cuisine.

Every family has their own traditions, thus there isn't one standard recipe for Jamaican curry. Still, it's usually a combination of seasonings found nearby. You have two options for seasoning your curry: store-bought blends or homemade seasoning made with different flavorings.

I like to add some Scotch bonnet peppers to this sauce because they are a common ingredient in Jamaican cuisine. They give it a spicy-sweet kick, but be careful! These peppers may be really spicy for those with low heat tolerance. I also added coconut milk to get the perfect amount of balance. So, overheating won't harm you. Hehe.

Marination is a key step in making many Jamaican dishes, including this one. The dish's flavor is enhanced when poultry, fish, and meat are marinated before cooking. So, the chicken is first marinated here.

Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed recipe.

Of course, there are other recipes for Jamaican curry chicken, but this one will truly blow your mind!

• It’s packed with unique Jamaican flavors.
• The ingredients used in Jamaican cuisine, particularly seasonings and herbs, are necessary to creating authentic and delectable dishes.
• In addition to adding a richer, creamier texture to the sauce, the inclusion of coconut milk enhances the flavor of the spice blend.
• The addition of a whole Scotch bonnet pepper while simmering the chicken imparts its incredible flavor subtly without overwhelming the chicken with heat.
• Don't worry, you may modify the spicy flavors to suit your taste preferences.
• Rich chicken cooked with potatoes makes this a hearty recipe that the whole family will enjoy.
• Its irresistible flavors keep you coming back for more.

Overall, the dish is super tasty, filling, and hearty.

I love eating it with a side dish of steamed jasmine rice. Rice will soak up every bit of that delicious curry gravy. Brown rice is also delicious.  

You can also serve it with bread, roti, and a bowl of green salad.

• You can use a whole chicken, cut into pieces, or any mix of breasts and/or legs.
• Jamaican curry powder is potent, so burn it first to avoid digestive issues. Additionally, better flavor and color are also released during the "burning" process.
• I like to add turmeric powder, pimento seed, and all-purpose seasoning to Jamaican curry powder for extra flavor, although it's not necessary and isn't something most Jamaican cooks would do. You are welcome to leave out those extra spices.
• Put on gloves while handling the marinated chicken and Scotch bonnet peppers.
• The best way to prepare any Jamaican food is always to cook it slowly. When everything is added, including the chicken, cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer everything until everything is tender and cooked through and the sauce has properly thickened. 

This is a highly adaptable recipe. You can change this recipe to use any or all of your preferred ingredients. Think about the following:

• Other Meats: Try this dish with fish, shellfish, beef, pig, or lamb. Superb!
• Be a vegetarian: Turn this into a vegetarian dinner by using jackfruit or adding more potatoes and chickpeas.
• Additional Vegetables: I used potatoes and carrots in my curry, but you could just as well use other root vegetables, such as celery root, sweet potato, or rutabaga. To finish it off, add some corn, green beans, or more peppers. 

You may store the curry chicken for up to two days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Reheat it gently in a pan to enjoy again. Curry can be frozen in vacuum-sealed containers for a maximum of two to three months.

As opposed to Indian curry, which uses dried chili powder, Jamaican curry usually uses fresh scotch bonnet peppers as its spice source.

Regular curry powder has most of the similar spices as Jamaican curry powder, so I began with that and then added more turmeric and allspice. This enabled me to use components that were readily accessible to me, and it also eliminated the necessity of toasting and grinding the spices separately.

If you add too much fenugreek to your curry or if the garlic and spices are burned, it will taste bitter.