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1
Season the Chicken
10 Mins + 30 Mins Rest
No heat
Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl and rub them all over with half the curry powder, the allspice, salt, black pepper, lime juice, garlic, ginger, thyme and half the chopped scallions. Cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
Rub the seasoning under the skin as well as over it, so the meat itself is flavoured, not just the surface.
Done when: Every piece is evenly coated in the yellow-green seasoning paste.
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2
Burn the Curry
5 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining curry powder and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens a shade, smells deeply fragrant and starts to foam at the edges. Do not walk away: the powder goes from toasted to burnt in seconds.
This is the step that makes the dish Jamaican. Frying the curry powder in hot oil blooms the spices and gives the sauce its rich golden colour.
Done when: The powder is a shade darker, fragrant and foaming, with no black specks.
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3
Brown the Chicken
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Add the seasoned chicken pieces to the pot in a single layer and brown them for about 5 minutes on each side, turning once, so the outside takes on colour from the fried curry powder. Work in two batches if the pot is crowded, so the chicken fries rather than steams.
Leave the pieces alone once they hit the pot; moving them too soon stops the browning.
Done when: The chicken is golden-brown on both sides and coated in the curry paste.
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4
Build the Sauce
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato and the remaining scallions to the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens. Pour in 250 ml (1 cup) of the water and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift up all the browned seasoning stuck there.
Scraping up the browned bits is where much of the flavour lives; do not skip it.
Done when: The onion is soft and the pot bottom is clean, with a thick, fragrant sauce forming.
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5
Simmer Until Tender
30 Mins
Low heat, gentle simmer ~95°C (200°F)
Add the whole scotch bonnet, pour in the remaining 250 ml (1 cup) of water, cover the pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken once halfway through and check that the sauce is bubbling lazily, not boiling hard.
Keep the scotch bonnet whole if you want warmth without fierce heat; it releases flavour slowly through its skin.
Done when: The chicken is nearly tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
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6
Add Potato & Carrot, Finish
15 Mins
Low heat, gentle simmer ~95°C (200°F)
Stir in the potatoes and carrots, cover again and simmer for 15 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce coats a spoon. Lift out the scotch bonnet, taste, and adjust the salt. Check the thickest piece of chicken with a thermometer: it must reach 74°C (165°F) at the bone.
If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for the last 5 minutes; if it is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water.
Done when: Potato and carrot are tender, the sauce is thick and golden, and the chicken reads 74°C (165°F) at the bone.
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7
Rest & Serve
5 Mins
No heat
Take the pot off the heat, cover it and rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles and the chicken finishes relaxing. Spoon the chicken, vegetables and plenty of sauce onto plates with rice and peas.
Resting lets the sauce thicken a little more and keeps the chicken juicy when you serve it.
Done when: The sauce clings to the chicken and the pot has stopped bubbling.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the pot for 5 minutes off the heat, lift out the scotch bonnet, and serve the curry chicken hot with rice and peas, fried plantain and steamed cabbage, spooning plenty of sauce over everything.
Jamaica
55m
