Jamaican Curried Chicken

Howdy, howdy...

All rights to images reserved  copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers 

This is for all my lovely followers who wanted the recipe for the dish I posted over on Instagram and Facebook of my nostalgic Jamaican curry chicken.

Whilst I was making it I didn't think to take photos, I was in the moment - remembering the smells and noise of the kitchen as a child watching the grown-ups cook and natter. #I will post more photos of the steps when I make this again, and update this post#

Nothing is measured, everything is done by instinct, a feeling of knowing when it's just right. Basically cooking from your gut! whenever I cook traditional Jamaican food I never really measure anything, it's generally a pinch of this, a dash of that, smell it, taste it (not raw chicken!), see if the colour looks right. Pretty sure I am not the only one  this is true for.

The sight and smells are perhaps the most striking for me when it comes to food, they can conjure up so many deep seated memories and make you  drool before you even had a chance to taste what you've smelt or seen on display.

So, here I am - making the effort to defy my instincts of just throwing things together till it feels right. I am measuring, weighing and putting it all together with the act of cooking from my gut. 

I've used chicken legs and wings here but you could used a whole chicken chopped up or chicken breast if you are not a fan of meat with bone. Though, I have to admit, leaving the bone on, adds more flavour, and the meat doesn't seen to dry out so much; you could do a mix of both.

So, without further nattering...

Let's cook!

Jamaican Curried Chicken

All rights to images reserved  copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers 

Ingredients

serves 4-6

• 4 x chicken wings
• 4 x chicken legs (skin removed)
• 3 tablespoon King Curry powder or other jamaican style curry powder (Indian style curry powder will not give the authentic flavours)
• few fresh thyme (better than dried, in this case)
• 3 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, deseed for less heat (I chop it up seed and all)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon chicken seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper coarse
• 1 lemon
• 2 onions (I prefer shallots), peeled and chopped roughly
• 2 sprigs spring onion (optional), cut in half and crushed
• 1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red sweet pepper, deseeded and cut in medium chunks

#As with all recipes on this blog unless otherwise stated they are my own; be kind enough to, link back to original, make, share and highlight - happy sharing #

Preparation

Strip the skin from the chicken legs, using a sharp knife chop the legs in 2 - 3 bits and the wings in 3 bits discarding the wing tip.

Put the chopped chicken in a bowl of water and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over it, rinse well and drain.

Get gloved up and put the seasoning on the chicken one at a time, coating and rubbing it into the chicken each time you add a seasoning, think of it as layering the seasoning one coat at a time over the chicken.

#you could add them all at the same time, but sometimes they can clump up which I don't like#.

Massage everything together, now the chicken is seasoned add all the vegetables, cover and leave to marinade overnight is preferred, but a minimum of 30 minutes is advised in the fridge.

Cooking

Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large deep dutch pot or casserole dish.

Heat the oil to a high temperature, and put only the chicken in the hot oil, to brown and seal the meat. Cook for ~5 minutes turning 2-3 times to prevent sticking to pot bottom, once this is done. Put the lid on the pan and carefully drain away the excess oil,  return to the heat.

Now chuck all the other ingredients in the pan with the chicken, give it a good stir and add 400mls water to the pan. Cook over medium to high heat for 35-40 minutes (check after 25 minutes to see if you need to add a bit more water).

Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, when it's ready the potatoes and carrots should be soft but hold their shape and the other ingredients should be cooked out fully giving a thick, mouth wateringly delicious sauce.

Like this...

All rights to images reserved  copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers 

Serve with plain rice is best or if you want to go all out and can get yam, green bananas and make some boiled dumplings you are in the business.

Done!

                      Bon Appétit!!

All rights to images reserved  copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers 

Till next time, EAT mindfully, DRINK responsibly, and EXERCISE your mind and body!!!

***Disclaimer: Any of the information within this blog post and others on this site is for information and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to be taken as diagnosis, treatment, cure or  to prevent any disease. Any reader concerned about his or her health is advised to seek medical advice from their GP or relevant medical professional***