Jamaican Chicken Curry
Stewing is a three-step process: Brown the meat, add aromatics, seasonings, and a generous amount of liquid, and then simmer on the top of the stove until the chicken is tender.
Appeared In
Everyday Food, May 2009
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves (10 to 12 ounces each), halved crosswise
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons curry powder (preferably Jamaican)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Step 1In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- Step 2Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, cumin, curry, thyme, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 3Add carrots, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially, and cook until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Serve curry over rice.

I feel compelled to say that there is nothing Jamaican about this recipe. First of all, Jamaican curried chicken (not chicken curry btw) is extremely yellow, not this pale watered-down color. Not sure if you specifically need Jamaican curry powder, but it does make a difference in taste and color. Also, it's not supposed to be sweet so i'm not sure why coconut milk is included as an ingredient. Same with baby peas.
Anyway, my intention is not to be negative, just wanted to clarify.
Uninteresting and very disappointing!
Yummy! My 6 yo daughter loves indian/asian food so we tried this recipe and loved it! We will definitely make it again soon.
If you're allergic to coconut, you can use soy creamer as a substitute. I do this when something calls for a nut milk. You could add a little agave or sugar to sweeten.
This was DELICIOUS. Like, good-enough-to-satisfy-my-craving-for-my-favorite-Thai-restaurant good. That said, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. First, I couldn't find Jamaican curry, so I bought Spice Islands brand "Spicy Curry Powder." I used four tablespoons instead of three and chicken broth instead of water. I also cubed the chicken before browning. Next time I'll use snow peas and red bell peppers rather than the peas - they were too sweet. Next time will be VERY soon!
The first time I made this 2 years ago, I thought it was terribly bland. This time around I changed a few things. I purchased Jamaican Curry from Amazon, I used a can of coconut milk that said for cooking. I also added a little bit more cumin and thyme. Instead of water I used vegetable stock. It had SO MUCH flavor this time, it was GREAT! I'm not sure about the chicken being over done. I don't eat chicken, but I tend to over cook it any way so I don't give my husband food poisining.
Well I'm Jamaican and so is my mother, father and grandparents and our Curry Chicken is not done this way. First, you don't have to brown it, second, we season our chicken all at one time. And put it all in the pot - one time! Let is simmer and cook, that's it! Curry chicken is a favorite quick dish. And also fry some sweet plantains on the side. Yum. We make it with white or yellow rice.....
One mo' thing... For some zing, I added a couple of dashes of crushed red pepper to the spice stage of the recipe. Next time, I might serve the dish over Jasmine or Basmati rice. I would think either would add just a little bit more sweetness/exotica to the dish. I mean why not? You only live once and if you do it right -- once is enough!
Very easy to make. Great Sunday supper. Start cooking 'round 5 o'clock and it's on the table by 6:15. I agree with the other two reviewers: the chicken was a little overdone, but not enough to be a buzz kill. I also found that I needed to add just a little more water at various stages. Lastly, for a little bit more color and dimension, I added two cubed Roma tomatoes during the last five minutes (just to let them warm-through) and a few, whole, fresh Basil leaves. Tasty, tasty!
This was kind of disappointing. I think it would be better if done in a crock pot to enhance the flavors. Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces would also make the dish better. The chicken was way over cooked following the directions and it made it difficult to eat when finished. Putting it back in the pot with 3-5 minutes left would probably prevent the chicken from over cooking.
I really liked this dish! I love anything that makes chicken not taste like chicken! I served over brown rice, and the flavors were very rich. Make sure to use fresh spices: curry powder can go stale after 6 months.
My chicken seemed a little overdone (it was 165 degrees after stewing) so I might wait until 5 minutes before the dish is done to add the chicken back in.
Yum! I love dishes that make chicken not taste like chicken! This was very simple, but packed a lot of flavor. I especially loved the coconut milk, which softened the dish and added a cool flavor. My chicken seemed a little overdone, so I might delay putting th back into the curry next time. Also, I ate this over brown rice, and it was delicious.
horrible! It took me over an hour to make this dish and was so BLAND!!! I couldn't even eat it after all my hard work! I don't know if its because i used regular Curry Powder instead of Jamaican, but nevertheless this was horrible. NEXT!
This is a hearty, flavorful recipe! I also add baby carrots and potatoes to the recipe.
Family LOVED this. I added more water though and simmered for 3 hours. Added the peas and carrots near the end removing the lid to reduce. at the very end added some flour water to thicken a bit. Also needed more salt but a wonderful guide to get started. Would work in a crock pot too.
I have made this recipe many times. My family LOVES it! I have substituted half and half for the coconut milk. It adds a creaminess and tastes great!
This recipe is really good if you like curry. I used mild Jamaican curry.
We love this recipe. But I'd advise using boneless chicken breasts.
@beating_im_not: If you are allergic to coconut milk and peanuts try milk (preferably whole milk) sweetened with a very little brown sugar. It won't taste like coconut milk, naturally, but it is an accurate substitute.
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We have peanut allergies so substituting peanut butter would not work for us.
Any suggestions for halving the chicken breasts (do I just crunch right through the bone)? Could I substitute boneless chicken breasts in lieu?
This is such a great recipe! If you are scared of trying curry, this one is a basic simple one. My family ate it up SO fast!
Where can I find Jamaican curry powder?
You could add peanut butter thinned with chicken stock for a coconut milk substitute. It would add similar sweetness
I do not think that regular milk would work... The best alternative is condensed/evaporated milk in a can. Coconut milk is often used for it's sweetness and consistency in recipes and condensed milk has a similar consistency and is usually sweet as well, making it a great alternative!! Hope this helps ya!!
Can I substitute anything else for the Coconut Milk? I'm allergic, but this recipe looks delicious. Do you think I can just use regular milk?