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Guyanese Curry Chicken Recipe

Homemade Guyanese Curry Chicken Recipe

It's time to share with you the actual recipe itself, along with all the ingredients needed to make yourself one of the best dishes ever!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
MARINATING TIME 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 780 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the chicken:

  • 4 lbs chicken legs and thighs, skin removed, and thighs cut in half
  • 1 lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Madras curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons of green seasoning

For the homemade green seasoning

  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 wiri wiri peppers or 1 small Scotch bonnet or 1 habanero
  • 2 scallions
  • 2-3 tablespoons water

For the curry paste

  • 2 tablespoons green seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons geera (ground roasted cumin)
  • 1/4 cup water

For the curry sauce

  • 1/2 cup neutral cooking oil such as canola, vegetable, or avocado
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small scotch bonnet, habanero, 2 wiri wiri peppers
  • 6 cloves
  • 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more if needed
  • Kettle with 4-6 cups boiling water
  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped lengthwise into 5-6 slices
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon geera (ground roasted cumin)

Instructions
 

  • Start by tenderizing your small pieces of chicken. This is done by placing your chicken thighs and legs that are cut in halves inside a large bowl. Pour water inside the bowl until it reaches halfway, then squeeze a freshly cut lemon on the chicken. Leave them in the lime water for 10 to 30 minutes until it softens the chicken meat and flavor it, then drain the water and move on to the next step.
  • Prepare the green seasoning needed for the chicken while the chicken are being tenderized in the lime water to save time. This is done by adding the onion, garlic, pepper, scallions, and water in your blender. Blend them till your seasoning forms a pesto-lick consistency, which is somehow thick, but also runny.
  • You would only need two tablespoons of the green seasoning for this recipe. So, go ahead and mix in two tablespoons of the chicken once you have drained the lime water and carefully pat them dry using a paper towel. Add the curry powder and garam masala. Make sure to coat the chicken well with the seasoning while massaging it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Longer time is preferred.
    • For the rest of the green seasoning, place it into an airtight plastic bag or airtight container and try to squeeze out as much of the air as possible before tightly sealing it. Place it in the freezer.
    • Another option is to spread the paste into ice cube trays and freeze them so that whenever you want some of the green seasoning, all you would need to do is just pop the cubes you would need and that's it.
  • Now for the curry paste, you would need to mix the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric powder, geera, and only 2 tablespoons green seasoning with water into a small bowl. Then pouring this mix into hot oil spread on a Dutch pan over medium-high heat.
  • Make sure to constantly stir the curry paste and not allow it to burn. You will know it’s ready once the amazing smell fills up your kitchen and the mix dries up a bit and browns in color. Only then you would add your marinated chicken and mix everything together.
  • After giving your chicken 1 or 2 good stirs, add in the onions, pepper, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, salt, and tomato paste. Allow them to cook together while stirring them occasionally, every 15 or 20 minutes. The water released from the chicken will allow it to cook well. Once it dries, pour in extra water till it fills the pot halfway. Place your potatoes inside the pan and mix it up with the chicken and the rest of the spices.
  • Lower the heat tomedium-low to allow the gravy to thicken and reduce. This should take from 20to 25 minutes. Stir in the scallions and Geera.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and taste test to add salt if needed.
  • Serve your dish with rice and roti after scooping some of the curry paste over them.

Video

Notes

  • Avoid storing leftover Chicken curry in plastic containers as the curry will most probably stain it. I prefer it inside a glass dish with a lid.
  • You can refrigerate leftover chicken curry for up to a week and freeze it for even longer. You can freeze it in a freezer bag or a plastic container (It will probably be stained). Once you are ready to enjoy your frozen chick curry, place it in a pot over low heat and allow it to reheat slowly. Freezing chicken curry doesn't mess up the consistency or the taste.
  • To keep your cut potatoes from darkening in color, place them in a bowl filled with cold water until ready to cook them.
Habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers are good substitutes for Wiri wiri peppers, since I know how difficult it is to find these little cherry peppers that are sourced from the Caribbean.