Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe
Rich, flavorful, and full of island spice, this Jamaican Curry Chicken is a comforting dish simmered to perfection with tender chicken, bold curry seasonings, and a taste of home in every bite!
Curry Chicken Ingredients
Chicken
Jamaican Curry powder
All- purpose seasoning or Chicken seasoning
Salt Or salt to your liking
Pimento berries (allspice)
Cloves garlic, Crushed
Medium yellow onion, Chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
Medium carrots, Chopped
potato Diced
Freshly grated ginger
Small scotch bonnet pepper seeds removed and finely chopped
Cooking oil or olive oil
Boiling water
How Do You Make this amazing Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe?
Step One: Remove the skin from the chicken and cut into small pieces. Wash the chicken with cold water, the juice of half a lime or lemon, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar — this is a traditional Jamaican practice for cleaning the meat. Rinse thoroughly and drain all excess water, patting dry with paper towels if needed. Dry chicken browns better and absorbs the marinade more evenly.
Step Two: In a kitchen bowl, add the chicken, onion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, pimento berries, ginger, salt, all-purpose seasoning, the curry powder.
Step Three: mix everything together and leave to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
Step Four: Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of curry powder directly to the oil. Stir constantly for 60-90 seconds until it darkens slightly and becomes very fragrant — this is called “burning” the curry and it’s what gives Jamaican curry chicken its signature deep color and flavor. Watch it carefully; the heat should be medium, not high.
Step Five: Immediately add the marinated chicken to the pot and stir well to coat everything in the bloomed curry oil. Let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides — about 8-10 minutes. If the pot starts to look dry or the curry begins to stick, add a small splash of water and stir. Don’t add too much water at this stage; you want browning, not steaming.
Step Six: Stir in the carrot, potato and thyme.
Step Seven: Add water enough to cover the chicken in the pot.
Step Eight: Cover and leave to cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the water is reduced to a curry gravy.
When my mom made curry chicken, I could smell it from outside the our Brooklyn home. That combination of Jamaican curry powder blooming in hot oil and scotch bonnet heat coming through the door — it’s one of those smells that immediately tells your body you’re home and dinner is going to be good.
As a first-generation American born into a Jamaican family, curry chicken wasn’t something I discovered or learned to appreciate as an adult. It was just always there. On the Sunday table, at every birthday party, at my wedding, at my 40th birthday party — curry chicken is a non-negotiable presence at any gathering my family has. I’ve been eating it my whole life and making it for my own family for years, and I’m sharing exactly how we make it today.
A quick note before we get into it: this recipe is a stovetop braise, not a quick weeknight stir-fry. The chicken simmers low and slow for 25-30 minutes until the liquid reduces into a rich, thick curry gravy. Don’t rush that step. The gravy is the whole point.
FAQs
You can use any type of chicken for this recipe including breast, skinless chicken thighs, or drumsticks. I like to use chicken thighs because they are more flavorful and tend to be juicier.
This dish is served with white rice, but Jamaican rice and peas is always an option. This can also be served in a roti or with a side of cabbage.
Cooked chicken curry can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Authentic Jamaican curry uses Jamaican curry powder, which is distinctive and more potent than other curry powders. Key techniques include “burning” (toasting) the powder in oil to enhance flavor and color, and simmering slowly so spices fully meld—resulting in that classic Caribbean taste
Yup—you can use boneless chicken like thighs or breasts. However, Jamaican cooks typically prefer dark meat (thighs or drumsticks) on the bone for more flavor and juiciness.
They’re quite different. Jamaican curry is earthier, less complex spice-wise, and has a heat that comes from scotch bonnet rather than chili powder — which is a fruity, bright heat rather than a deep, slow burn. It’s also drier and more gravy-like than saucy Indian curries. The pimento berries (allspice) give it a warmth that’s distinctly Caribbean and doesn’t appear in most Indian curries. If you’re used to Indian curry, Jamaican curry will taste familiar but distinctly its own thing.
The Most Important Technique: Burning the Curry
“Burning” the curry powder is the step that separates Jamaican curry chicken from every other curry chicken you’ve ever made, and it’s also the step that most non-Jamaican recipes skip entirely.
Here’s what it means: before you add the chicken to the pot, you add the curry powder directly to the hot oil and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. The curry powder blooms in the hot oil — it darkens slightly, becomes fragrant, and the fat absorbs and distributes the flavor compounds in the spice. This is what creates that deep golden color and that layered, complex curry flavor that you can’t get any other way.
If you skip this step and just add the curry powder with the chicken, you’ll get curry-flavored chicken. If you burn the curry first, you get actual Jamaican curry chicken. The difference is significant.
How to do it: After heating your oil in the pot on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the curry powder to the oil before anything else. Stir constantly for 60-90 seconds — it will darken and become very fragrant. Don’t walk away; it can burn quickly if the heat is too high. Then immediately add your seasoned chicken and stir to coat everything in that bloomed curry oil. Add the remaining curry powder with the chicken.
Here are some Helpful tips for making the best Jamaican curry chicken
1. Start with a flavorful marinade: Marinating your chicken in a combination of spices and herbs, like ginger, garlic, allspice, thyme, scallions, and Scotch bonnet peppers can add an extra layer of flavor to your Jamaican curry chicken.
2. Don’t be afraid to use a lot of spices: Jamaican curry is known for its intense flavor, so don’t be afraid to go heavy on the spices.
3. Add some heat with Scotch bonnet peppers: Scotch bonnet peppers are a staple of Jamaican cuisine and add intense heat to your curry chicken. If you don’t want it too spicy, you can remove the seeds before adding them to the mixture.
4. Simmer for maximum flavor: Simmering your curry chicken allows all the seasonings and flavors to meld together and really penetrate the chicken. Simmering can take longer but it is worth the wait for a flavorful dish.
5. Serve with traditional sides: To get an authentic experience, serve your Jamaican curry chicken with steamed rice, plantains, or boiled dumplings for a complete meal.
Your taste buds will be so happy! Try with coconut rice for the best results. It will be one of those new recipes that you will come back and make a second time! One of the best things about this recipe is the bright yellow color of the chicken next to the stark white rice.
Before you go, check out these amazing Jamaican recipes!
Authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe
This authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe is great for dinner or lunch! Made with super simple ingredients it's great with white rice.
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs Chicken
- 2 tbsp Curry powder
- 2 tbsp All-purpose or Chicken seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp Salt Or salt to your liking
- 5 Pimento berries (allspice)
- 3 Cloves garlic Crushed
- 1 Medium onion Chopped
- 3 Sprig of fresh thyme
- 2 Medium carrots Chopped
- 1 Small potato Diced
- 1 ½ tsp Freshly grated ginger
- 1 Small scotch bonnet pepper seeds removed and findly chopped
- 3 tbsp Cooking oil
- Boiling water
Instructions
- In a kitchen bowl, add the chicken, onion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, pimento berries, ginger, salt, all-purpose seasoning, the curry powder and mix everything together and leave to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
- In a pot add the cooking oil and put to hot on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of curry powder directly to the oil. Stir constantly for 60-90 seconds until it darkens slightly and becomes very fragrant — this is called "burning" the curry and it's what gives Jamaican curry chicken its signature deep color and flavor. Watch it carefully; the heat should be medium, not high.
- Immediately add the marinated chicken to the pot and stir well to coat everything in the bloomed curry oil. Let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides — about 8-10 minutes. If the pot starts to look dry or the curry begins to stick, add a small splash of water and stir. Don't add too much water at this stage; you want browning, not steaming.
- Stir in the carrot, potato and thyme. Add water enough to cover the chicken in the pot. Cover and leave to cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the water is reduced to a curry gravy.
Remove the skin from the chicken and cut into small pieces. Wash the chicken with cold water, the juice of half a lime or lemon, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar — this is a traditional Jamaican practice for cleaning the meat. Rinse thoroughly and drain all excess water, patting dry with paper towels if needed. Dry chicken browns better and absorbs the marinade more evenly.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 542Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 178mgSodium 830mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 47g
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Hi! I’m Nellie. I am an entrepreneur, a busy mama of 3 and a wife to my high school sweetheart. I have been sharing content for over 12 years about how to cook easy recipes, workout tips and free printables that make life a little bit easier. I have been featured in places like Yahoo, Buzzfeed, What To Expect, Mediavine, Niche Pursuits, HuffPost, BabyCenter, Mom 2.0, Mommy Nearest, Parade, Care.com, and more!
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Wow this is nice