Trinidad Curry Stew Chicken
This Trinidad curry stew chicken combines two Caribbean favorites in one pot. Seasoned chicken is simmered in a rich curry sauce made with caramelized brown sugar, fresh herbs, peppers, and spices.
It’s perfect served with rice, dumplings, or your favorite Caribbean sides.
Why you’ll love this curry stew chicken
If you love both curry chicken and Trinidad stew chicken, this recipe gives you some of the best flavors of both.
- Rich curry flavor: The curry is cooked with caramelized brown sugar, giving the sauce a savory flavor with just a little sweetness.
- Plenty of gravy: The chicken simmers until tender in a rich gravy that’s perfect for spooning over rice or eating with dumplings.
- Easy to customize: Use a whole cut-up chicken or your favorite pieces, and add potatoes, coconut milk, or bell peppers if you like.
How to make curry stew chicken
Ingredients you’ll need
The curry, green seasoning, fresh herbs, and caramelized brown sugar work together to give this curry stew chicken its distinct flavor.
- Chicken: I use cut-up chicken pieces. You can also use your favorite combination of thighs, legs, or wings.
- Green seasoning: Used to season the chicken and again in the curry paste. Homemade Caribbean green seasoning works well, but you can also use store-bought.
- Curry powder: Use your favorite Caribbean curry powder. I usually reach for Chief.
- Seasonings: All-purpose seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper season the chicken.
- Brown sugar: Caramelized in the oil to give the chicken that stew flavor and deepen the color of the sauce.
- Fresh aromatics: Onion, garlic, pimento peppers, green onions, and fresh thyme add plenty of flavor as the chicken cooks.
- Scotch bonnet pepper: I add it whole for flavor without making the curry stew overly spicy.
- Oil and water: Oil is used to caramelize the sugar, while hot water creates the gravy and helps the chicken cook until tender.
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Clean and prepare the chicken pieces as you normally would. Season with green seasoning, salt, black pepper, all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set aside while you prepare the curry paste.
- Make the curry paste. Mix the curry powder with water, green seasoning, chopped onion, and sliced garlic until combined.
- Caramelize the sugar. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and allow it to melt and bubble until it becomes a deep brown. Watch it closely so the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Cook the curry paste. Carefully add the curry paste to the caramelized sugar and stir to combine. Add ¼ cup of water and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chicken. Add the seasoned chicken and stir well to coat the pieces in the curry mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the chicken to cook in the liquid it releases, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Let the liquid reduce. Continue cooking until most of the liquid released by the chicken has cooked down.
- Simmer until tender. Add 2½ cups of hot water along with the pimento peppers, whole Scotch bonnet, thyme, green onions, salt, and black pepper. Simmer until the chicken is tender, and the gravy has reduced to your liking. Add a little more hot water during cooking if needed.
- Finish and serve. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and black pepper if needed. Remove the whole Scotch bonnet before serving.
Variations and substitutions
This curry stew chicken is easy to adjust depending on what you have on hand or how you like your gravy.
- Pimento peppers: If you can’t find pimento peppers, you can leave them out. I usually find them at Caribbean markets here in the US.
- Potatoes: Add cubed potatoes after adding the hot water. They’ll cook in the gravy along with the chicken and are also an easy way to stretch the dish when feeding more people.
- Coconut milk: Replace some of the water with about ¼ to ½ cup coconut milk for a slightly richer gravy.
- Bell peppers: Add sliced sweet bell peppers for another layer of flavor.
- Different chicken pieces: Instead of a whole cut-up chicken, use chicken thighs, legs, or wings. Cooking time may vary depending on the pieces you use.
What to serve with curry stew chicken
Curry stew chicken has plenty of gravy, so I love serving it with sides that can soak up all that goodness.
- Rice: Keep it simple with plain white rice, or serve it with Caribbean rice and peas or another seasoned rice dish.
- Dumplings and provisions: Boiled dumplings are perfect with the curry gravy. You can also add boiled plantain, cassava, or other ground provisions.
- Caribbean pies: Macaroni pie, potato pie, or ground provision pie all make great sides.
- Peas: Stewed lentils or pigeon peas are also easy additions to the plate.
How to store and reheat curry stew chicken
Store leftover curry stew chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The chicken can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months.
To reheat refrigerated curry stew chicken, add it to a pot with a small splash of water and warm it over medium heat until the chicken and gravy are heated through.
For frozen curry stew chicken, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating it on the stovetop. Add a little water if the gravy has thickened during storage.
More Caribbean chicken recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
The brown sugar may have caramelized for too long and burned. The sugar should become deep brown and bubbly, but not black. If the finished gravy has a slightly bitter taste, add a little more water and allow it to simmer longer. If the sugar is badly burned, however, it’s best to start the caramelizing step again.
It doesn’t have to be. I use a whole Scotch bonnet pepper to add flavor without releasing as much heat into the gravy. Keep the pepper whole while the chicken cooks and remove it before serving. If it bursts while cooking, expect the dish to be considerably spicier.
Add a little extra hot water while the chicken simmers and allow it to cook until the gravy reaches the consistency you like. Don’t add too much at once, or you can dilute the curry flavor.
If you make this Trinidad curry stew chicken recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to share it with someone who loves a good Caribbean chicken recipe.
Recipe
Flavorful curry stew chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Season chicken
- Clean and prepare the chicken pieces as you normally would.
- Add the green seasoning, salt, black pepper, all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well to coat the chicken and set aside.
- Make curry paste
- Combine the curry powder, water, green seasoning, onion, and garlic. Mix well and set aside.
- Make curry stew chicken
- Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and allow it to melt and bubble until deep brown. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.
- Carefully add the curry paste and stir to combine with the caramelized sugar. Add ¼ cup water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the seasoned chicken and stir well to coat it in the curry mixture.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid released by the chicken has reduced.
- Add 2½ cups hot water, pimento peppers, whole Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, green onions, salt, and black pepper.
- Simmer until the chicken is tender and the gravy has reduced to your preferred consistency. Add a little more hot water during cooking if needed.
- Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and black pepper as needed. Remove the whole Scotch bonnet pepper before serving.
- Serve hot with your favorite rice, dumplings, or Caribbean sides.
Nutrition
Recipe Printed From ThisBagoGirl.com
This is very delicious, I will make again and again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Janna.. I love to hear it!! Thank you!!