Jamaican Curried Chicken Batch
This richly spiced Jamaican curried chicken yields 6 generous servings and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, making it an ideal batch component for meal prep. The aromatic curry sauce with tender chicken, potatoes, and carrots multiplies easily across weeknight dinners when paired with rice, roti, or simple greens. Marinate ahead and simmer hands-off for a foundational protein that transforms quick assembly meals throughout the week.
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Dutch Oven
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
Marinade
- 6 lb Chicken bone-in, skin-on — legs, thighs, drumsticks, or a whole chicken cut into pieces
- 2 cups Onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 stalks Scallions chopped
- 1 whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper optional for heat
- 2 tablespoon Thyme fresh, or 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Ginger fresh, minced
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar or lime juice
- 3 tablespoon Jamaican Curry Powder divided — 2 tablespoon for marinade, 1 tablespoon for sauce
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt Morton brand
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Cooking
- ¼ cup Avocado Oil or lard or beef fat
- 2 cups Coconut Milk
Instructions
Marinade
- Season the chicken with onion, garlic, scallions, thyme, ginger, vinegar, 2 tablespoon curry powder, turmeric, paprika, allspice, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
- Massage the spices into the chicken.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Cook
- Heat avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
- Working in batches, brown the chicken lightly on all sides.
- Set chicken aside.
- Add the reserved marinade to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to deglaze the bottom.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder and the coconut milk.
- Stir to combine.
- Add the whole Scotch bonnet pepper if using.
- Return the chicken to the pot.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
- Simmer for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove and discard the Scotch bonnet pepper.
- Taste and adjust salt.
Notes
The overnight marination isn't optional—it builds the deep, layered flavor that defines authentic Jamaican curry. Browning the chicken before simmering creates fond in the pan that enriches the sauce; don't skip this step even when batch cooking. Store in portioned containers with sauce covering the chicken to prevent drying; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or coconut milk. The whole Scotch bonnet adds fragrance without overwhelming heat, but remove it before storing to prevent the spice level from intensifying. Substitute chicken thighs entirely for richer flavor, or use white potatoes instead of Yukon golds if that's what you have. This scales up easily—double the recipe and use a large Dutch oven for maximum batch efficiency.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
