caribbean curry chicken Archives

A little over 7 years ago I shared my Amazing 20 Minute Curry Chicken Recipe on YouTube and while that recipe is still very relevant. As we work our way through the #ComfortFood series I’ve been sharing on social media, I thought I’d revamp that recipe a bit. Unfortunately while filming the recipe video for this version, I never took step by step images as I would normally do.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs boneless chicken (dark meat)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
6-8 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin (geera)
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 tablespoon Curry powder
1 teaspoon Anchar Masala
3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust)
2 cups water
2 tablespoon chopped Shado Beni (chadon beni / culantro)

you may use cilantro

Notes. Please use the video below to follow along as much more is discussed there. Especially why I used boneless leg and thigh, but also why you may use chicken breast should you prefer that cut.

Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces and wash with cool water and the juice of a lemon, lime or 1 cup white vinegar. Drain dry. If washing chicken is not your thing, you may skip this step as I know many people are opposed to this.. in my culture it’s a MUST!

Heat the oil in a heavy pan on medium heat. Unlike other curry recipes I’ve shared where we lower the heat at this stage, the goal is to maintain a constant heat. Add the onion, garlic, tomato, Caribbean Green Seasoning, Scotch Bonnet Pepper (use as much as you can handle) black pepper and roasted geera (cumin). Cook for 2 minutes, then add the curry powder, along with the Anchar Masala and stir well. Cook for a further 3 minutes.

It’s then time to add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat with the lovely curry base we created. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the salt and water (bring to a boil) and cook for a further 10 minutes.

At this point we’ll personalize things by adjusting the salt to your liking and determine if the gravy’s consistency is to your liking. Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pan will further thicken the gravy or sauce as it cools.

Once you’re happy with everything, turn off the heat and add the chopped Shado Beni (culantro) and stir. Should you prefer to use cilantro (coriander), it’s really up to you.

If you want to change up the flavors a bit you may add a bit of coconut milk or cream, a small stick of cinnamon, a bay leaf and/or a teaspoon of grated ginger will not hurt things at all! This recipe is true to a traditional Trinbago (Trinidad and Tobago) curry chicken.

The Ultimate 5 Alarm Curry Chicken Recipe.

May 27, 2025April 22, 20191 Comment

There’s something very WRONG about a Curry Chicken which is not spicy (IMHO). However what we’re about to make here is simply insane when it comes to raw heat.. so be warned. With an abundance of hot peppers in my garden and with my luv for spicy foods, I thought I’d share what I call my 5 Alarm Curry Chicken recipe with you. Packed with deep flavors of a good curry and the added heat from organically grown peppers, this curry chicken is absolutely delicious.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs Chicken (cut into pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 small onion (diced)
3-4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 large tomato (diced)
2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 habanero peppers (sliced)
2 scotch bonnet peppers (sliced)
1 fatali pepper (sliced)
4 dried cayenne peppers
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoon Curry powder
2-3 Carolina Reapers (cut in half)
1 cup water
1 scallion (chopped)
3-4 leaves shado beni (optional – chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (chopped)

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as a some may have flour as a filler.

Let’s start by seasoning the cleaned chicken (I used legs and thighs which I cut into small pieces .. remove the skin and fat as best you can). Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, followed by the salt, black pepper, tomato, Caribbean Green Seasoning, Habanero peppers, scotch bonnet peppers and Fatali pepper. I included the seeds of the pepper as I wanted the raw heat. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. Stir well and allow to marinate for at least 1 hr in the fridge.

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot (I used a cast iron pot) on a medium heat, then go in with the onion and garlic.. turn the heat down to as low as it will go and cook gently for 2-3 minutes. Then add the dried cayenne peppers along with the coriander and cumin seeds. Heat still on low, cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

It’s now time to add your favorite curry powder. I have a blend I make, which is based on the Madras curry blend. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the rawness of the curry is cooked out… it gets darker in color and the spices which makes up a good curry powder is allowed to bloom. You may need to add a bit more vegetable oil.

It’s now time to crank up the heat to high and add the seasoned chicken to the pot. Stir well to coat in the curry base we created. Yes, it’s fine if the marinade goes into the pot as well. In the same bowl you marinated the chicken, swish around the cup of water to pick up any remaining marinade and set aside for use shortly.

Turn the heat down to medium, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. At this point you may add the remaining Carolina peppers (if you so desire using) It will spring it’s own natural juices. Now remove the lid off the pot and take the heat up a bit to burn off any liquid in the pot. This step will intensify the curry flavor onto the chicken pieces. Be sure to have the fan above your stove on or at least open your kitchen window or risk being choked by the strong peppers.

When you can see the vegetable oil we started off with at the bottom of the pan, you may now add the water, along with he scallions and shado beni. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10-12 minutes.

The gravy should be somewhat thick at the point (it will thicken with the residual heat of the pot as it cools) and the chicken fully cooked (depending on how large pieces you used). Taste for salt (adjust) and top with the chopped cilantro.

There’s no mistaking that this is a very SPICY curry chicken dish and to be honest, not for most people. However if heat is your thing, you’ll love this 5 Alarm Curry Chicken dish. You can certainly add more or remove some peppers or play with different varieties of peppers if you wish.

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Meat & Poultry

Ultimate Curry Chicken?

May 27, 2025January 8, 201047 Comments

trinidad curry chicken A few months back I came across a wonderful video online of a fellow Trinbagonian living in the US who created a cooking video called “The Ultimate Curry Chicken” and though his method and ingredients of cooking curry chicken was a bit different than mine, I’m sure it was just as tasty. If you’ve watched my introduction video (click on “About” above) you’ll know that curry is not one of the things we grew up on and only years later when I moved to Canada and lived with my aunt, did I really start eating it. Don’t get me wrong, our mom is an excellent cook when it comes to anything curry, it’s just we didn’t have it as often. I’ve been lucky enough to have my mom close (about 1 hour away) the past few years, so over this time I’ve taken her recipe and made some slight changes to call it my own. BTW if you’re in the Toronto area and you’re looking to have some food catered (Trini dishes), be sure to contact me and I’ll not only get you some amazing food, but I’ll even hook you up with a nice discount. I’m not in the catering business, but my sister is and it seems she’s doing an amazing job with the rate her business is growing.

You’ll Need…

3 Lbs Chicken
3/4 tablespoon salt
dash black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (scotch bonnet, habanero or any hot pepper you like) *Optional.
heaping tablespoon curry powder (madras)
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder)
1 medium tomato diced
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 teaspoon green seasoning mix
2 + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons water (to cook curry)
1 scallion
Shado beni (see note below)

* I usually use dark meat (with bones) when cooking curry as I find that the overall taste of the finished dish is more tasty. However the recipe works just as well with white meat (may be a bit dry though)

* Since shado beni is not readily available to us in the city where I live (and I can’t grow it) I usually get some shipped to me and immediately after I get it, it goes into my freezer. Then whenever I’m cooking I break off a few leaves to add to my dish. So if you can get access to some at your local store, remember that freezing is also an option if you get a large package. I also find that the frozen leaves holds more flavour than if you were to puree the leaves as we do with green seasoning mix.

* If you don’t have the green seasoning the recipe calls for, feel free to use about a tablespoon of each of the following (chopped):
– cilantro
– thyme
– shallots
* Spanish thyme would also be a good addition if you can get access to it.

* In the recipe you notice that I cooked the frozen shado beni with the onions before adding the curry. If you’re using fresh shado beni you’ll get better results if you season the chicken with it, rather than cooking it as I did. If you don’t have any shado beni, you can also substitute cilantro for it (add about 2-3 tablespoon chopped to the seasoned chicken)

I got a package of chicken legs with back attached, so this means I had to cut it into serving size pieces before I could get started. After I cut the chicken into pieces it was placed in a bowl with some water and the juice of the lime (see ingredients above) to be washed. I then drained out the water and squeezed it as dry as I could.

chicken for curry recipe

seasoned chicken for curry

The next step is to season the chicken and allow it to marinate for a couple hours. Add the salt, black pepper, tomato, green seasoning, and scallion (chopped) to the bowl with the chicken and stir so everything gets coated.

seasoned trini curry chicken recipe

After it’s been marinating for a couple hrs, it’s time to start cooking. In a fairly large pan, heat the oil (2 tablespoon) on high heat and get prepared to add the sliced onions, garlic and hot pepper. Allow this to cook for a few minutes until the onions go soft and start to go a bit brown. I then turn the heat to medium and add a few leaves of the frozen shado beni to the pot followed by the curry and geera (cumin) and stir. You may notice that the pot is “dry”, this is when I add another tablespoon of oil to the pot so nothing sticks. The next step is to add the 6 tablespoons of water, turn the heat down and allow this to cook for a couple minutes. This will bring out the true aroma of the curry.

how to curry chicken

frying curry for chicken recipe

jamaican curry chicken

As the liquid burns off it’s time to start adding the pieces of seasoned chicken to the pot. Turn the heat back up to high and stir each piece so it get’s in contact with the cooked curry. After you’ve added all the seasoned chicken, turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.

trini curry chicken

guyana chicken curry

You’ll notice that the chicken will spring it’s own juices, so after 15 minutes remove the lid and turn the heat up to high. We’ll now burn off that liquid. As the liquid burns off from the pot (make sure you keep stirring) you’ll see nothing but a bit of oil at the bottom with a sort of curry paste (this is the good stuff).

In the same bowl you seasoned the chicken add the 1 1/2 cups of water so we can pick up any remaining seasoning that was left behind. Now add the water from the bowl to the pot to continue the cooking process.

ultimate curry chicken

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer with the pot covered (stir occasionally). After 20 minutes, remove the cover and check the sauce or gravy to see if it’s the consistency you like. Usually I have to turn the heat up a bit to reduce the curry sauce as I like it a bit thick.

trinidad curry chicken

curry chicken recipe

I’m sure many of you may have a different way of making curry chicken or as our friends from Guyana say “chicken curry” , so I encourage you to share you method with us in the comments box below this post. Don’t forget to also join us on facebook below:

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caribbean curry chicken

Simply Delicious 20 Minute Curry Chicken.

The Ultimate 5 Alarm Curry Chicken Recipe.

Ultimate Curry Chicken?

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