Grandma's Curry Chicken

A Trinidadian-style curry chicken.

1/31/20252 min read

Grandma's Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 whole chicken, cut into stewing size

  • 2-3 large yellow potatoes, peels and cut into chunks

  • 1 tbsp curry powder, Trinidadian

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 medium onion, diced

  • 1 tbsp, plus 1/4 cup Green Seasoning (see recipe)

  • Salt

  • Black pepper, to taste

  • Cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Season chicken in a metal bowl green seasoning, 2 tbsp ground black pepper. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

  2. In a small bowl combine curry powder, turmeric, and cumin. Set aside.

  3. In a pot, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add onion and fry until translucent.

  4. Add garlic, fry a couple minutes.

  5. Then add all the dry spices to the pot. Fry until fragrant.

  6. Then add the green seasoning, the chicken, and stir well until the chicken is coated in the fried onions and spices.

  7. Continue frying for a few minutes then add water. Cook covered until the pot reaches a boil.

  8. Reduce the heat. About 25 minutes into cooking, add the potatoes and taste for salt.

  9. Continue cooking over medium low heat until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 45 minutes.

  10. Serve over white rice and sliced tomatoes or with roti.

TIPS

  • Seasoning Chicken. If seasoning the chicken overnight, don’t add salt until 30 mins before cooking as to not oversalt the meat.

  • Extra Flavour. You may season the chicken overnight or longer. Just don’t add salt to the chicken until 30 mins before cooking so you don’t over salt your chicken.

  • Garlic. You can double the amount of garlic if your heart desires.

  • Chicken options. You can use all boneless meat, all dark meat, or all white meat - its your preference, just monitor the doneness of your chicken as white meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, or meat with bones in.

  • Butchering the whole chicken. If my butcher cannot cut the chicken in to 2 inch pieces, I ask for a whole chicken cut into quarters. Once home, I use a cleaver on a solid cutting board (no feet) to cut the chicken.

BACKGROUND

This is a Trinidadian curry. It could also by Guyanese but this one is Trinidadian because my Trinidadian grandmother showed me how to make it. I still struggle to make it taste as good as hers, but this is my best attempt to translate the magic of her kitchen into the written form.

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