Five days in a row now, for lunch, and immediately after I'm done all I can think about is the next day's lunch. Possibly the greatest single dish in the entire universe.
There's lots of optional stuff here, so don't get scared. You can make this, and easily, with stuff found in every grocery store in the land.
BEN'S FAMOUS JAMAICAN CURRY CHICKEN
=============================
3 lb chicken (thighs or leg quarters)
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1-3 minced habanero chiles and/or 1 diced bell pepper
5 tbsp curry powder (divided)
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 lb potatoes, peeled, 1 inch dice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice or cumin (optional)
1 tbps minced ginger (optional)
3 green onions, chopped (optional)
1 tsp habanero hot sauce (optional)
2 cups water
DIRECTIONS
========
1. Prepare the chicken. Now, if you want to go traditional and put in some work, you get leg quarters, pull the skin off, and then cut them up into 2-inch chunks, bones and all. This takes a good, heavy knife and a lot of effort. If you don't feel like all that work, or don't like/care about the bones, just get boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut 'em up into 2-inch pieces. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and 2 tbsp of the curry powder. Mix it all up with your hands, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil.
3. Put chicken in pot, and stir for about 3 minutes until chicken starts to brown and the spices are getting toasty.
4. Add onion, habanero/bell pepper, green onions (if using) and ginger (if using), and saute with the chicken for 3 minutes or so until softened.
5. Add remaining 3 tbsp curry powder, thyme, allspice/cumin (if using) and hot sauce (if using). Stir another 2 minutes to toast the spices.
6. Add 2 cups water, bring pot to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Remove cover, add potatoes, and return to an aggressive simmer (leaving the cover off) to allow sauce to thicken and potatoes to cook. The sauce will not be thick at all, but should coat the back of a spoon. If you like a thicker sauce, use less water. Once potatoes are tender, you're done.
Serve over steamed rice of your choice.
NOTES
=====
1. As far as curry powder goes, you may find
this in your "ethnic foods" section or somewhere. It is a good choice, and is about 1/3 the price of the curry powder you'll find in the spice aisle.
2. As far as the hot sauce goes,
something like this is ideal, since it's from Jamaica and made with actual scotch bonnets (a close relative of habanero). But if you can't find that, then any habanero sauce should work. Or any other hot sauce, who cares?
Five days in a row now, for lunch, and immediately after I'm done all I can think about is the next day's lunch. Possibly the greatest single dish in the entire universe.
There's lots of optional stuff here, so don't get scared. You can make this, and easily, with stuff found in every grocery store in the land.
BEN'S FAMOUS JAMAICAN CURRY CHICKEN
=============================
3 lb chicken (thighs or leg quarters)
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1-3 minced habanero chiles and/or 1 diced bell pepper
5 tbsp curry powder (divided)
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 lb potatoes, peeled, 1 inch dice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice or cumin (optional)
1 tbps minced ginger (optional)
3 green onions, chopped (optional)
1 tsp habanero hot sauce (optional)
2 cups water
DIRECTIONS
========
1. Prepare the chicken. Now, if you want to go traditional and put in some work, you get leg quarters, pull the skin off, and then cut them up into 2-inch chunks, bones and all. This takes a good, heavy knife and a lot of effort. If you don't feel like all that work, or don't like/care about the bones, just get boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut 'em up into 2-inch pieces. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and 2 tbsp of the curry powder. Mix it all up with your hands, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil.
3. Put chicken in pot, and stir for about 3 minutes until chicken starts to brown and the spices are getting toasty.
4. Add onion, habanero/bell pepper, green onions (if using) and ginger (if using), and saute with the chicken for 3 minutes or so until softened.
5. Add remaining 3 tbsp curry powder, thyme, allspice/cumin (if using) and hot sauce (if using). Stir another 2 minutes to toast the spices.
6. Add 2 cups water, bring pot to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Remove cover, add potatoes, and return to an aggressive simmer (leaving the cover off) to allow sauce to thicken and potatoes to cook. The sauce will not be thick at all, but should coat the back of a spoon. If you like a thicker sauce, use less water. Once potatoes are tender, you're done.
Serve over steamed rice of your choice.
NOTES
=====
1. As far as curry powder goes, you may find [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00451ZH08]this[/url] in your "ethnic foods" section or somewhere. It is a good choice, and is about 1/3 the price of the curry powder you'll find in the spice aisle.
2. As far as the hot sauce goes, [url=http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Scotch-Bonnet-Sauce-4-8/dp/B002LEKLJ8]something like this[/url] is ideal, since it's from Jamaica and made with actual scotch bonnets (a close relative of habanero). But if you can't find that, then any habanero sauce should work. Or any other hot sauce, who cares?