Curry Chicken, easy and delicious!

This is a regular dish in my house. Not only because it's delicious, it's a dish that can be prepared quickly. The hunger of your tribe quickly grows as the scent fills your home as it simmers on the stove.

This recipe of mine is a result of eating many chicken curry dishes I love and some that weren't so taste friendly for me. I'm going to call it Wendy's curry chicken, influenced by Jamaican, St. Lucian, Indian, Trini....from all over the place really. I make it with potatoes so the gravy ends up a bit on thicker side because nobody wants watery curry chicken.. It's absolutely delicious and a celebration of flavors in your mouth.

Enjoy and remember to cook it with love.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves of garlic

1 onion (2 if they're small)

green onion/scallion chopped (about a handful per pound)

parsley chopped

1 carrot chopped

5 pimento (allspice) balls

Scotch Bonnet pepper chopped finely (no seeds)

4 tbsp curry (I use Betapac Jamaican Curry Powder)

1-2 tbsp garahm masala

6 lbs chicken (legs cut in to 4 pieces)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Salt to taste

Bouillon

Fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp/squirt of Ketchup

Potatoes cut into small cubes (large or small)

1 tsp coconut cream (or 1/4 can coconut milk)

Directions

1. Wash the chicken in water with lemon juice (half a lemon). Rinse then let the meat drain and pat it dry. My mom always washed meat with lemon, lime, or vinegar before adding her seasoning, no matter what. Thanks Mom! It gives the meat a good clean and removes the "gamey" taste.

2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, a little seasoning salt. Do not add the curry yet.

3. Heat about 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron or aluminum pot. I usually have the temperature set between medium and medium-high (about a 6 on a scale of 1-10)

4. Add the both types of onions, garlic, thyme, pimento, scotch bonnet pepper and parsley. Stir it up and let it cook for about one minute.

5. Add the curry. Stir and let it heat up for about two minutes to cook the curry before adding the chicken. I've been taught that this step will avoid stomach upset.

6. Add the chicken and gently stir until the chicken is covered with the seasoning.

7. Cover the pot with the lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking. You'll notice that when you leave the pot closed the chicken lets off enough water to create a gravy.

8. At this point, there should be a good amount of gravy. If, not mix water with the chicken stock. This step helps to give the dish the "yum effect".

9. Add a bit of ketchup and stir. This step also adds to the "yum effect".

10. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.

11. Add the potatoes and stir.

12. Let the chicken simmer until cooked and potatoes are a little soft. Add the garam masala towards the end. It's a finishing spice so adding it at the end of the cooking process heightens the flavour.

13. Let the curry chicken sit at least for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Happy to answer any questions you have and would love to hear how the recipe worked for you.