This authentic and traditional Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe is the perfect combination of rich flavors in one plate. This is the Caribbean dish to make when you want a taste of the islands.

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Curry chicken was a weeknight meal for us growing up and my mom makes some of the best curry chicken I’ve ever had. Getting the recipe from her was a chore as she measures nothing in the kitchen.
But after asking many questions and watching her like a hawk, I was able to get a recipe and note the most important things when it comes to making a traditional Jamaican Curry.
- Rinse the chicken with water and vinegar.
- Use the right curry powder and seasonings – Jamaican Curry Powder is a combination of spices. The spices used and the amounts vary from country to country and brand to brand. For Jamaican curry, you need to use good curry powder. I use a combination of Hot Blue Mountain Country Curry Powder and Betapac Curry Powder. I also add a little Jamaican all-purpose seasoning.
- Use a whole chicken or just dark meat chicken, cut into pieces with skin removed – Curry chicken, like brown stew chicken, is a stew and you want to make sure your chicken doesn’t dry out. I opt for boneless, skinless chicken thighs as they stay juicy and tender.
- Only use a little bit of water – Curry is known to “sprout its own water.” I only add ¼ cup of water to this recipe when I start cooking and I end up without about 1 ½ cup gravy once it’s done. Adding too much water can make your stew bland.
How to make Jamaican Curry Chicken
Add chicken thighs, all-purpose seasoning, 1 Tbsp of curry powder, onion, green onions, green pepper, garlic cloves, scotch bonnet pepper (if using), and thyme to a large bowl and combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Once the chicken is done marinating, remove the onions, peppers, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper (if using), and garlic cloves from chicken and set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add remaining curry powder and stir, cooking for about 20-30 seconds.
This step is known as “burning the curry” and it’s a way to release the flavors of the spices. You don’t actually burn anything.

- Add onions, green pepper, scotch bonnet peppers (if using), garlic cloves, and thyme to the pot and stir until the onions have softened, about 3-5 minutes. If your onions and peppers are looking dry, add about 1 Tbsp of water.

Add chicken pieces and ¼ cup of water to the pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes.

When there are about 15 minutes remaining, stir in the potato and continue to cook covered.

Once the chicken is cooked and potatoes are softened, remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

What is the best cut of chicken to use?
I like to use boneless and skinless thighs for this Jamaican Curry Chicken. You can use bone-in chicken if you prefer, just cut it into pieces and remove the skin. I don’t recommend using only chicken breast in this recipe, it contains less fat and it can easily dry out during cooking.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This curry is delicious served as soon as it’s made, but the leftovers the next day are delicious as the flavors have even more time to develop. Let the curry cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be frozen for three months.
The curry can be reheated on the stovetop on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Take care to only reheat the chicken once.
What do you serve with it?
This curry is great to serve on a bed of rice. You can serve it with boiled jasmine or basmati rice, or try it with one of these recipes:
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The kind of curry you use is important to this dish. I used 1.5 Tbsp Blue Mountain Curry and ½ Tbsp Betapac. Your stew will taste like whichever curry you choose to use.
- The scotch bonnet pepper is optional in this dish. Since I use a spicy curry when making this dish, I usually leave it out.
- Curry “sprouts” its own gravy. Do not add more than the ¼ cup as listed in the recipe or you’ll have curry soup instead.
- Feel free to add carrots and potatoes to this dish. The potato will thicken the gravy in this curry chicken.
More Jamaican Recipes
- Jamaican Curry Goat
- Jamaican Sorrel Drink
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Quick and Easy Jamaican Banana Fritters
- Jamaican Oxtails Recipe
- Jamaican Curry Shrimp
Watch me make this Jamaican Curry Chicken from start to finish.
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 2.5 Tablespoon curry powder separated (see note)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
- ½ green pepper chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 scotch bonner pepper chopped, seeds removed (optional)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme stems removed
- 3 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 large russet potato chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs, all-purpose seasoning, 1 Tbsp of curry powder, onion, green onions, green pepper, garlic cloves, scotch bonnet pepper (if using), and thyme to a large bowl and combine, making sure all chicken pieces are covered with the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- One the chicken is done marinating, remove onions, peppers, and garlic cloves from chicken and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add remaining curry powder and stir, cooking for about 20-30 seconds. Add onions, green pepper, garlic cloves, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper (if using) to pot and stir until onions have softened, about 3-5 minutes. If your onions and peppers are looking dry, add about 1 Tbsp of water.
- Add chicken and ¼ cup of water to the pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes.
- When there is about 15 minutes remaining, stir in potato and continue to cook covered.
- Once chicken is cooked and potatoes are softened, remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Notes
- You can use bone-in chicken if you prefer, just cook until the meat is fall off the bone tender. I don’t recommend using chicken breast in this recipe as it can dry out.
- The kind of curry you use is important to this dish. I used 2 Tbsp Blue Mountain Country Curry and ½ Tbsp Betapac. Your stew will taste like whichever curry you choose to use.
- Scotch bonnet pepper is optional in this recipe. Feel free to chop it up and remove the seeds or place it in the pot whole, while cooking, to flavor the chicken.
- Curry “sprouts” its own gravy. Do not add more than the ¼ cup as listed in the recipe or you’ll have curry soup instead.
- The potato will thicken the gravy.
Bianca
Monday 7th of March 2022
Incredibly delicious. And easy! Thank you very much.
Tanya
Tuesday 8th of March 2022
Thanks Bianca! So glad you liked the recipe :)
Grace
Friday 25th of February 2022
Hello! Could this recipe work well in an instant pot? If so, what would be the cook time you recommend? Any other adjustments to the recipe to suit pressure cooking?
Tanya
Sunday 27th of February 2022
Hi Grace, it could be but you would need to increase the liquid in the recipe for it to work in the pressure cooker, which means the seasonings would need to be adjusted as well for it to have the maximum flavor.
Dionne Roberson
Saturday 15th of January 2022
Thank you so much, my family enjoyed this food. I cook it in my crock pot and the chicken was wonderful.
SunflowerRain
Saturday 4th of December 2021
I even sourced the Betapac curry powder from Amazon to try and be as close as possible to your recipe; I am in the UK and they don't sell the other one you use here so I had to sub that one with the Dunn's River Hot curry powder that's readily available here instead. That's the only change I've had to make. I have to say since I've started following your instructions to do a Jamaican curry they've been coming out much better than usual. I did a mixed chicken and prawn curry tonight for dinner and it was yummy. Will stick to this recipe as it's a good one. My partner is half Caribbean and is used to eating this cuisine a lot, despite being brought up by a British white mum. I'm Italian and learned how to cook some Jamaican dishes from his mum when I moved here a long time ago. It was a completely different world for me but I love eating other cuisines. I enjoy eating Jamaican stuff myself. I find Jamaican curry tastier personally and love the inclusion of potatoes and beans in the rice. So for me this recipe is a hit! Good job!
Tanya
Monday 6th of December 2021
Thank you for the feedback SunflowerRain! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. The mixed curry sounds delicious!
Amy
Monday 8th of March 2021
This came out perfect. I followed the directions to a T with no changes. It was worth the effort to track down the recommended curry powders. My boyfriend is Jamaican and gave it two thumbs up. Thank you
Tanya
Monday 8th of March 2021
Thanks Amy! Yes, the curry powders make all the difference. So glad you all liked the recipe.