Jamaican Curry Hen is a unique twist in your typical curry hen recipes. The warmth is fruity and candy, the spices are heat and alluring, and a coconut milk broth makes it comforting. Give it a try to discover a new curry to like!
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Straightforward Jamaican Curry Hen Recipe
It’s greater than a eager for a Caribbean trip that may have this Jamaican curry hen hitting the spot.
Every time I’m unsure what to cook dinner and want a simple meal (soooo nearly each evening), curry is one in all my defaults: Thai Hen Curry, Sluggish Cooker Hen Curry, and Coconut Curry are three frequent menu objects.
This Jamaican curry hen is exclusive.
- Whereas it has a few of the regular curry components like coconut milk and spices, the warmth has a delicate sweetness to it and the spices are extra heat than different curries.
- The sauce is thick and wealthy, so this curry is reassuring on a cold night if that’s if you find yourself craving it, however the spices additionally work surprisingly properly on even the most popular summer season day. I believe that’s why curry is so well-liked in international locations identified for his or her heat climates, like India and the Caribbean.
About Jamaican Curry Hen
Conventional Jamaican curry is made with scotch bonnet peppers and Jamaican curry powder.
- It’s a daring, flavorful dish that’s cooked slowly over low warmth, permitting time for the spices to develop.
- It comprises items of juicy hen (normally thighs), together with carrots and potatoes. The potatoes break down just a little and assist thicken the broth.
- Its brilliant yellow coloration comes from Jamaican curry powder.
- Scotch bonnet peppers give it a candy, fruity warmth.
It’s believed that the dish (and its corresponding spices) got here to Jamaica within the seventeenth century when employees from East India had been dropped at the British colony.

Learn how to Make Jamaican Curry Hen
That is an tailored, easy-ingredient model of conventional Jamaican curry hen.
As with every culturally impressed recipe, from my Immediate Pot Hen Tikka Masala to this Sluggish Cooker Butter Hen, I’ll by no means ask you to go from retailer to retailer looking for specialty components.
In order for you genuine taste (like on this Peruvian Hen), revamped to be wholesome and executed with components you could find on the common American grocery store, you’ve come to the correct place.
Right here’s how I substituted Jamaican curry powder and scotch bonnet peppers for my at-home model.
Learn how to Substitute Jamaican Curry Powder
- Like all curry powders, Jamaican curry powder is a mix of various spices. There’s nobody single recipe for it, although most blends comprise cumin, coriander, mustard, anise, fenugreek, allspice, and turmeric.
- Jamaican curry powder is totally different than curry powder you’ll usually discover within the common U.S. supermarkets as a result of it comprises extra turmeric (which is why Jamaican dishes are sometimes yellow) and extra allspice compared to the opposite spices.
To substitute Jamaican curry powder, I began with common curry powder (which comprises many of the similar spices), then added further turmeric and allspice. This allowed me to make use of components that had been straightforward for me to seek out, AND I didn’t should toast and grind the spices myself.
It won’t be an ideal, 100% genuine possibility, however it’s a scrumptious one which gave me glorious outcomes.
Substituting Scotch Bonnet Peppers
Scotch bonnet peppers are the opposite Jamaican ingredient I couldn’t discover simply. They’re very spicy but in addition just a little candy and fruity.
- To substitute scotch bonnet peppers, cube a crimson bell pepper VERY finely. This mimics the sweetness of scotch bonnets.
- Add a spicy pepper you *can* discover. Jalapeno is an efficient possibility.
- Up the spice stage. Scotch bonnets are spicier than jalapenos. A pinch of cayenne pepper and additional scorching sauce are a great way to extend the warmth.

Jamaican Curry Hen From Scratch – Recipe Overview
Right here’s what you’ll have to make Jamaican curry hen with coconut milk. It’s a recent means to enliven your dinner routine.
The Elements
- Hen. Lean, boneless, skinless hen breasts change into completely tender and moist as they slowly cook dinner within the sauce. The protein-rich hen helps make this curry hearty and satisfying. You may also use hen thighs.
- Pink Bell Pepper + Jalapeno. My straightforward swaps that mimic the flavors of the standard scotch bonnet peppers. Each crimson peppers and jalapenos are wealthy in Vitamin-A and Vitamin-C, making them wholesome additions to this curry (see extra well being advantages of jalapenos right here and crimson peppers right here).
- Garlic + Ginger. Important taste additions to curry dishes.
- Spices. The flavour powerhouse! A mixture of curry powder, turmeric, and allspice make this curry heat, cozy, and deeply satisfying.
- Potatoes. I used Yukon gold potatoes as a result of they’ve a deliciously buttery taste, and their texture holds up properly. Common russet potatoes would work too. For an additional veggie, you might make this Jamaican curry hen with potatoes and carrots, swapping out one of many potatoes for 2 medium carrots.
- Coconut Milk. Making Jamaican curry hen with coconut milk thickens the sauce and in addition helps tame the warmth. I discovered gentle coconut milk resulted in a sauce that was nonetheless loads thick and satisfying, however for those who’d wish to make it even richer, you should utilize full fats coconut milk.
- Worcestershire Sauce. Provides a contact of savory, umami taste to the curry.
- White Wine Vinegar. Brightens up all of the flavors and provides a contact of acidity.
- Cayenne + Scorching Sauce. To realize that signature Jamaican curry warmth, I used cayenne and scorching sauce. Use just a little or quite a lot of every to achieve your required stage of spice.
- Cilantro. For freshness and delightful coloration.
The Instructions
- Salt the hen, then saute the onions.

- Add the bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and ginger.

- Stir within the spices.

- Saute till the hen is golden.

- Add the potatoes.

- Pour within the remaining components, stirring earlier than bringing all the pieces to a simmer. Simmer 15 to twenty minutes.
- Serve with cilantro and rice. DIG IN!
Is Jamaican Curry Hen Spicy?
- Sure, this recipe is spicy, at the least in comparison with many of the different curries on this web site. I’d put it at a 3 or 4 out of 5, with “1” being gentle and “5” having you mopping your forehead.
- In case you are delicate to spice, I counsel dialing again the cayenne and scorching sauce to begin.
- In case you adore spicy meals, you’ll go gaga for this. You would possibly need to even add MORE scorching sauce.
Learn how to Retailer and Reheat Curry Hen
- To Retailer. Leftover hen curry might be saved in an hermetic storage container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
- To Reheat. Gently reheat leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low warmth. You may also rewarm this dish within the microwave.
- I don’t suggest freezing this dish, because the potatoes could change into mealy as soon as thawed.

What to Serve with Jamaican Curry Hen
- Rice. This curry was made to be served over rice. White rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice (for a low-carb possibility) would all work properly. Make this a Jamaican curry hen with rice and beans by additionally including crimson beans to the rice.
- Salad. For a wholesome, easy facet dish, pair this curry with Arugula Salad.
- Veggies. Add extra greens to your meal by serving a facet of Tahini Roasted Carrots.
Extra Scrumptious Curry Recipes
Jamaican curry hen saved us from our dinner rut—at the least till it turned the one factor both of us desires to eat! I hope it turns into a behavior for you too.
In case you do that recipe, I’d love to listen to what you suppose! Please go away a remark beneath and let me know the way it turned out for you. I’d particularly like to understand how you’re feeling in regards to the spice stage. Do we wish extra curry? Let’s focus on!
A Jamaican curry hen recipe made with coconut milk, potatoes, and on a regular basis spices you could find at any grocery retailer. Genuine taste and straightforward prep!
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- 1 ¼ kilos boneless, skinless hen breasts lower into 1-inch items (about 2 breasts)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 crimson bell pepper very finely chopped*
- 2 jalapeno peppers very finely chopped*
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon minced recent ginger
- 3 ½ tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper plus further to style*
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 15-ounce can gentle coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon scorching sauce plus further to style*
- Chopped recent cilantro
- Ready brown rice quinoa, or cauliflower rice, for serving
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Sprinkle the hen with salt. Put aside.
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In a Dutch oven or comparable deep, sturdy pot, warmth the oil over medium. As soon as it’s scorching, add the onions, and cook dinner, stirring often, till the onions start to melt and switch translucent, 5 to eight minutes.
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Stir within the crimson bell pepper, jalapeños, garlic, and ginger. Cook dinner, stirring typically, for two minutes.
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Add curry powder, turmeric, allspice, and cayenne. Cooking, stirring continuously, till spices flip deep gold and change into extremely aromatic, about 1 minute.
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Add the hen and sauté for five minutes, stirring typically. It ought to look golden on the surface however doesn’t must be fully cooked via.
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Add the potatoes. Cook dinner, stirring typically, for 3 minutes.
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Add the coconut milk, Worcestershire, vinegar, and scorching sauce. Stir to mix. Carry to a simmer. Proceed to simmer, decreasing the warmth to low as wanted, till the hen is tender and cooked via, the potatoes are tender, and sauce has barely decreased, 15 to twenty minutes. Stir each jiffy to maintain the sauce from sticking.
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Style and season with further salt or scorching sauce as desired. Serve scorching over rice, with a giant sprinkle of cilantro.
- *Scotch bonnet peppers are essentially the most conventional for Jamaican dishes, so if you could find one (or if you could find habanero peppers that are the closest substitute), use it right here and omit the cayenne and crimson bell pepper and scale the recent sauce again to 1/2 teaspoon to begin. Our retailer doesn’t repeatedly carry both of those peppers, which is why I tailored the recipe to make use of a jalapeno pepper, mixed with a crimson bell pepper and cayenne to imitate the fruitiness and warmth of scotch bonnet/habanero peppers.
- TO STORE: Leftover hen curry might be saved in an hermetic storage container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently reheat leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low warmth. You may also rewarm this dish within the microwave.
- I don’t suggest freezing this dish, because the potatoes could change into mealy as soon as thawed.
Serving: 1(of 4)Energy: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 33gFats: 19gSaturated Fats: 9gLdl cholesterol: 91mgPotassium: 1139mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1153IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 3mg
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