Description
Make authentic One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken with chicken thighs, potatoes, and the burning curry technique. Easy Caribbean recipe with restaurant flavor in 40 minutes. Perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prep!
Ingredients
Protein:
- 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 2-inch pieces
Spices and Seasonings:
- 2.5 tablespoons curry powder (separated: 1 tablespoon for marinating, 1.5 tablespoons for cooking)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables:
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, chopped
Herbs and Heat:
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (stems removed)
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped with seeds removed (optional)
Cooking Fat and Liquid:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
Substitution Notes:
- Chicken thighs only. I tried making this with breasts when I was on a health kick and it was genuinely terrible. Dry, chewy, nobody wanted seconds. Bone-in thighs work but take longer to cook.
- All-purpose seasoning is basically garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika mixed up. Just make it yourself if you don’t have it.
- Scotch bonnets are hot as fuck but they taste fruity and floral, not just spicy. Habaneros are close. Jalapeños work if you’re wimpy about heat.
- Russet potatoes get soft and help thicken the sauce. Yukon golds stay firmer. Your call.
- Fresh thyme is way better than dried. If you only have dried, use like a quarter of what the recipe says because dried herbs are stronger.
Instructions
First thing, rinse your chicken with water and a little vinegar. I know it sounds random but it’s a Caribbean thing and it works—the chicken tastes fresher somehow. Pat everything dry, then dump it in a big bowl with the all-purpose seasoning, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, all your chopped vegetables, garlic, Scotch bonnet if you’re using it, and thyme. Get your hands in there and really work the seasonings into every piece. Don’t be shy about it. Cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. Overnight is way better though—I usually do this before bed.
When you’re ready to actually cook, pull out all the onions, peppers, garlic, thyme, and Scotch bonnet from the chicken bowl and put them in a different bowl. Leave the chicken where it is. This feels annoying but you need those vegetables separate for the next step.
This is the most important part so don’t screw it up. Heat your oil in the big pot over medium heat until it’s shimmering. Throw in the rest of your curry powder—that 1.5 tablespoons you saved. Stir it around constantly for 20-30 seconds. It’ll sizzle and smell amazing. Do not walk away to check your phone or anything. You want it toasted and fragrant, not actually black and burned. This step is what makes the curry taste like real curry instead of just chicken with yellow powder on it.
Right after you toast the curry powder, immediately throw in all your separated vegetables. Stir everything together and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions get soft and see-through. If it starts sticking to the bottom, add a tablespoon of water. You’re just softening everything and coating it in that toasted curry oil.
Dump all your marinated chicken into the pot along with 1/4 cup of water. Stir it all together so every piece of chicken gets coated. Put the lid on, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it do its thing for 30-35 minutes. Stir it every ten minutes or so to make sure nothing’s sticking. The chicken’s gonna release liquid and that becomes your gravy. Just trust the process.
About fifteen minutes before everything’s done, stir in your chopped potatoes. Push them down into the sauce so they’re actually submerged and cooking, not just sitting on top. Put the lid back on and keep cooking until the chicken’s done and the potatoes are soft. The potatoes will start breaking down a little and making your gravy thicker.
Take the pot off the heat and taste your curry. Add salt and pepper now. I usually need more salt than I think I will—it really makes all the other flavors pop. Your sauce should be thick enough to coat the chicken and stick to a spoon. If it’s too thin, cook it with the lid off for a few more minutes. Too thick? Add a tiny bit of water.
Notes
Buy decent curry powder. That bottle that’s been sitting in your cabinet since 2017 isn’t gonna cut it. I use Hot Blue Mountain Country Curry Powder mixed with Betapac Curry Powder. You can get them at Caribbean stores or order online. The flavor is completely different from cheap grocery store curry powder.
Do not add extra water thinking you’re helping. This is how people mess up curry. The chicken makes enough liquid on its own. If you add a bunch of water, you get bland watery soup instead of thick flavorful curry.
Cut your chicken roughly the same size so it all cooks at the same speed. I aim for 2-inch pieces but honestly as long as they’re similar you’re fine. Smaller pieces soak up more marinade though.
If Scotch bonnets scare you, taste a tiny piece first. Some are nuclear, some are pretty tame. You can leave it whole in the pot and fish it out at the end if you just want flavor. Or skip it—the curry’s still good without it.
Take your chicken out of the fridge twenty minutes before you cook it. Room temperature chicken cooks more evenly. Not the end of the world if you forget though.
After you add the potatoes, stir gently. You don’t want them falling apart into mush, just getting soft and releasing starch.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes + Marinating Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Jamaican