It has been a great debate at the office about who makes the best Curry chicken, and we have a remarkably diverse workplace. One of the employees at the practice is Jamaican, and we have another employee that is Trinidadian and one that’s Puerto Rican, so are we always having a food debate of who makes the best foods. One of the arguments we were having is who makes the best curry chicken, and our two employees got into a friendly discussion that their culture makes the best curry chicken. I had both Trinidad Curry chicken and Jamaican Curry chicken. I had them both at restaurants but have never created their version of curry chicken at home. I have always used the recipes that I made up using coconut milk.
Over the weekend, the Hubby and I got in the kitchen and made Trinidad Curry chicken. It was the first for us; Dwayne has always made the Jamaican or Indian version of this popular dish. I wanted to test and see how the Trinidad curry chicken is different from the Jamaican version and how our turnout would be since Hubby already makes a delicious Jamaican curry chicken recipe. I wanted to try a new dish at home and see who has better recipes for this fantastic dish. But before we jump into the recipe, let me share with you guys the history of this dish.
Chicken curry is a dish originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Great Britain, as well as in the Caribbean, where it is usually referred to as curry chicken. Curry is a variety of dishes that use a complex combination of spices or herbs, usually including ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and fresh or dried chilies.
Indian subcontinent
Indian cuisine has a large amount of regional variation, with many variations on the basic chicken curry recipe. Indian chicken curry typically starts with whole spices, heated in oil. A sauce is then made with onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and powdered spices. Bone-in pieces of chicken are then added to the sauce and simmered until cooked through.[1] In south India, coconut and curry leaves are also common ingredients.[2] Chicken curry is usually garnished with coriander leaves and served with rice or roti. In south India, chicken curry may be thickened using coconut milk.
Trinidad and Tobago
This dish was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago by indentured Indian workers. At that time, the dish was like the chicken curry dish of India, consisting mostly of sauce with few chicken pieces. However, poultry in Trinidad and Tobago was so readily available, the dish began consisting of mainly chicken, flavored with curry spices. Curry chicken and its derivatives are also popular in Suriname, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, and other Caribbean territories with Indian and South Asian influence.
Ingredients:
CHICKEN
4 pounds chicken drumsticks, skin removed.
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chicken broth, or water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
1 green onion, finely chopped, optional garnish.
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped, optional garnish.
CURRY PASTE
3/4 cup cilantro
1 scotch bonnet chili, (habanero)
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 medium yellow onion, sliced.
4 large garlic cloves, peeled.
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled.
1 Tablespoon Green Seasoning
Directions:
You want to use a food processor or blender, add your onion, chili pepper, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and curry powder (if you do not like spice remove the seeds from the habanero pepper for less hot sauce). Pulse 4-5 times or until you get a coarse paste, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of water to help it come together if required.
Pat dry the chicken with paper towels by using a piece of paper towel you want to grab hold of the skin on the bottom of each drumstick and pull hard to peel it off.
Rub your chicken pieces all over with the curry paste. Marinate for at least 10 minutes up to one hour covered in the fridge.
Place a heavy-bottomed pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. When it gets hot, add the oil and chicken pieces one-by-one. Fry for 1-2 minutes and add the water or broth.
Once it has boiled, reduce heat to low and simmer partly covered for 40 minutes. Now add a little more water if the sauce gets dry.
You want to check the chicken and boil uncovered for 10-12 minutes to thicken the sauce a little if needed. Garnish with the cilantro and green onion before serving.