Chicken curry – Guyanese style

My family is from Guyana, so Guyanese curry will always hold the top spot for me. Partially because I love potatoes, and the amount of garlic and heat that goes into it! I mostly free-hand cook so a lot of recipes are hard for me to document. Chicken curry is one of the best things I make but I very much free-hand the way I add spices. I’ve tried to document it to the best of my ability! You can add more or less depending on your tastes, especially around the curry powder, garam masala, and cumin.

Guyanese-style chicken curry recipe for 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups of uncooked basmati rice
• 4 pounds of chicken, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Curry seasoning for chicken and potato marinade (see below for ingredients)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 head of garlic
• Your desired amount of habanero, wiri wiri or scotch bonnet pepper
• Salt to your taste
• Optional: Cilantro garnish

Curry

• 4 cups water
• 4 tablespoons garam masala
• 4-5 tablespoons curry powder, I use Lalah’s brand
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves
• Salt to your taste

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to package.
2. In a blender, combine medium onion, head of garlic, pepper, and 1/4 cup water. Blend until thick and smoothie-like in texture.
3. Wash and clean the chicken. Remove fat if not using lean chicken and chop into 3-inch pieces. Pat dry with some paper towel; set aside.
4. Add three tablespoons of the seasoning to the chicken.  Massage into the meat and let it sit for a minimum of two hours. Add two tablespoons of the seasoning to potatoes before cooking.
5. In a bowl, mix the remaining seasoning, curry powder, cumin and 1/3 cup water into a paste.
6. Heat a pot with the oil.  Add the curry mixture and sauté for two-three minutes, constantly stirring until mixture looks darker and is not watery.
7. Add chicken to the pot and stir to coat with the curry mixture.
8. Cover pot and let the chicken cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat stirring every once in a while.  Remove lid and allow water from chicken to evaporate.  The chicken will then start to look dry. Add salt and stir.
9. Add boiling water, tomato paste, and chopped potatoes and cover with a lid.
10. Let the curry boil on medium-high heat until gravy has reduced by 1/3 and thickens to your desired thickness.
11. Serve with the rice.

Approximate nutritional information for 1 serving (Based on brands and amounts used in the recipe)

• Calories: 331 g
• Fat: 9.2g
• Carbs: 40 g
• Protein: 34g