One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Note: I was sent an 11-Inch NanoBond Skillet from Hestan Culinary in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

Before I get to this awesome recipe for One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes, I wanted to share with you a new addition to my kitchen that I’m madly in love with. One of the most important tools in any cook’s kitchen is a skillet. I use my skillets more than any other pot/pan in my house (although my Dutch oven gets a pretty good workout too). So having a good, sturdy, evenly cooking skillet is super important. I’m not exactly kind to my pots and pans… they get frequent use, and my husband isn’t the best at remembering not to use metal utensils on my non-stick cookware (sigh)… so having a skillet that can put up with some abuse is really important to me.

Which is why I’m so excited to share the 11-Inch NanoBond Skillet from Hestan Culinary, handcrafted in Italy. Not only is it beautiful, the NanoBond technology makes this skillet darn near indestructible.

Here are some of the features:

• Molecular titanium bonds thousands of nanolayers for a lifetime of beauty
• 400% stronger than stainless steel
• 35% better heat conduction than aluminum-clad cookware

Additionally, the skillet is high-heat tolerant to 1050°F! So it’s perfect for searing meats or even cooking right on the grill.

To test out my new skillet, I wanted to make something I’ve been craving for a while now: Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes.

This one pot (or skillet) wonder simmers chicken and potatoes in a seasoned curry sauce until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Jamaican mild curry powder (I used Jamaican Choice)
• 1 habanero pepper
• 2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• cooked rice, for serving

Instructions:

Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ground pepper in a small bowl.

Add the chicken to a large bowl, and season with the spice mixture, tossing the chicken to evenly coat. Let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

While waiting for the chicken to come to room temperature, slice your onion, mince your garlic cloves, wash your potatoes, and gather the rest of your ingredients.

After 30 minutes, heat a skillet (like the Hestan Nanobond 11″ Skillet) over medium high heat. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add in your sliced onions and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add in your minced garlic, stirring constantly for 30 second to keep the garlic from burning.

Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a plate to reserve.

Return your skillet to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Drizzle in the additional tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes total, browning on both sides.

While the chicken cooks, cut your potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Next, sprinkle the curry powder over the entire skillet, allowing the curry to toast as you continue to brown the chicken.

Add back in the reserved onion garlic mixture. Pierce the habanero pepper with a paring knife, then add to the skillet. Add in the cut potatoes, stirring to coat the potatoes in the curry.

Carefully pour in the chicken stock (you may need less than 2 cups; you don’t want the skillet to overflow!), then add in the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.

Bring to a simmer. When you see a little bit of bubbling, remove the habanero pepper.

Continue cooking at a low simmer for 30 minutes, checking on it from time to time to make sure it is still lightly bubbling but not overflowing. After 30 minutes, check to make sure the potatoes are fork-tender. If they aren’t, simmer a bit more until they are.

When the 30 minutes is nearly finished, combine the 1/4 cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water, mixing to combine.

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken pieces, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs, then pour in the cornstarch slurry into the pan, stirring until thickened. (You can discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs)

Add the chicken back to the skillet, coating in the thickened sauce. Serve on its own, or over rice.

The mild curry has nice warmth, but isn’t overly spicy. If you enjoy heat, Jamaican Choice does make a hot curry you could substitute into this recipe.

The chicken and potatoes are cooked to perfection; my husband and I gobbled this up in no time!

Even better, clean up was a cinch – the skillet just needed some warm water and soap to return to its original shiny glory.