Caribbean-Style Curried Chicken

As a child, I was fortunate to be exposed to many beautiful people from a diverse range of cultures. It opened my mind to a lot of views and experiences that I feel have made me a better person than I would have been without their influences.

Two of the amazing people I met in my youth were Champ and Don. Kind and gracious, this couple had come to Canada from Trinidad, and it was a joy to visit with them. They treated us to a lovely curried chicken meal, my first experience with curry, and Champ was generous enough to share her recipe with us.

This recipe can be made in various ways and calls for Jamaican curry (or Caribbean curry) which is sweeter than Indian curry. Champ’s instructions include frying the chicken pieces before making the sauce in the pan with it. I like to keep a nice, crisp skin, so I keep it and the sauce separate.

Variations

My mom’s health issues made it necessary for her to alter the method of preparation so she didn’t have to stand as long. I will share her method below the original recipe for those who require an easy-to-make meal that allows you to walk away from the stove.

Meat Option

For this dish, you’ll need a package of chicken. Champ and Mom use drumsticks, but I use a family pack of thighs because that's our favourite and it is usually on sale. I've seen this done with cubed chicken breast, as well. While this recipe is great for chicken, it can also be used with goat, lamb, and even rabbit.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 TBSP olive or peanut oil
• 2 TBSP Jamaican curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• Ginger, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Note: I use half a red onion, but sweet onion works well. Also, my family and I prefer the flavour and texture of Roma tomatoes, but a large beefsteak or 2-3 regular tomatoes also work.

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients together
2. Roll the chicken in the mix so all the pieces are completely covered, put a lid on it.
3. Let it marinate for 4 hours. Stir occasionally.
4. Skim the oil off the top and use for frying, but I personally didn’t have that option, so I poured a bit of fresh oil in the pan.
5. Wipe the excess mix off the chicken with your hand and put it aside.

Ingredients

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 cube beef bouillon

Directions

1. Dissolve the cubes in the water thoroughly.

Ingredients

• ½ cup cold water
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Directions

1. Whisk the cornstarch in the water until the lumps are gone.

Ingredients

• Cooked rice (8-10 servings)
• 1 can kidney beans, drained

Directions

1. Combine the kidney beans and the rice.
2. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

1. Fry the chicken in the oil until crunchy golden.
2. Add the curry mix and let simmer until the onions no longer crunch.
3. Add the broth and stir.
4. When it boils, add the thickener mix and stir.
5. Boil 5-6 minutes, until the sauce thickens, then put aside.
6. Plate the rice and bean mix, add the sauce and chicken. Serve.

If you prefer to avoid frying your food, you can bake the chicken at 400 degrees F for 38 minutes—or until its cooked all the way through and the skin is crispy.

As I mentioned, Mom needs to be able to make this quickly and with minimal babysitting. So, to save prep time, she uses a large can of diced tomatoes and pre-chopped garlic in the curry mix.

She marinates the chicken in a roasting pan for four hours and then adds the broth and thickener mix into the pan. Then, she pops the whole thing in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

I chose not to put the chicken in the sauce because my family likes their chicken skin crispy. Instead, I spooned sauce on the rice mix and put the chicken on the side. Also, we don't like kidney beans, so we don't add them. How do you like to serve your Carribean-style curried chicken?