Curry Chicken & Roti

This is a special blog post because I’m partnering with SHOWTIME® to promote their new series, Flatbush Misdemeanors. Flatbush Misdemeanors is a raw comedy of city life following Dan and Kevin, who play characters struggling to thrive in their new surroundings in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Since the show is featured in Flatbush, about 20 minutes from where I live in Bed-Stuy, I went with my good friend Ari or ‘Caribbean Queen’ as I call her, to explore their amazing Caribbean food scene. Flatbush has so much culture it inspired me to come back to my kitchen and make curry chicken & roti. 

I absolutely love Caribbean food. I’m Black and Puerto Rican but Caribbean food holds a dear place in my heart. When I was younger, back in Maryland my mom and I used to go to this Caribbean carryout on the weekends and get THEE BEST jerk chicken with rice & peas. We would literally sit in silence the whole time because we were too busy eating, licking our fingers from all the jerk sauce and also, drinking homemade fruit punch in between because it was so spicy. It was AMAZING! 

My mom started making her version of curry chicken when I was younger and I’ve always been obsessed with this dish. Also, my best friend in high school was Jamaican and her mom’s kitchen always smelled glorious and would make us the most amazing dishes so curry chicken has a special place in my heart. As I got older, I had roti for the first time and WHEW - the flakey, tender dough dipped in curry chicken is *chef’s kiss! 

I’ve made Roti before and referenced a ton of recipes and found one I really like - from Cane, a Caribbean restaurant in Washington, D.C. I lean on a slightly sweeter roti dough so I added a little more sugar. For the curry chicken, I swear by toasting your curry powder to really develop the curry flavor BEFORE you add in the onions and garlic. It truly, truly makes a difference. 

Try it below and let me know what you think! Also, be sure to check out new series Flatbush Misdemeanors  Now Streaming, Only on SHOWTIME®. Try SHOWTIME® free for 30 Days, and then just $4.99/month for 3 months. Offer expires 6/30/2021. New customers only. To cancel your subscription and avoid being charged, you must cancel before the end of the free trial period. 

Ingredients

Curry Chicken 

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces 

• 1-2 tablespoons hot curry powder 

• 2 heaping tablespoons of green seasoning or sofrito (the flavors are super similar and this is the recipe I like for green seasoning) 

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

• 1 teaspoon cumin 

• 1 teaspoon coriander 

• 1-2 vine ripe tomato, cut into chunks 

• 5 sprigs of thyme

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 or 2 scotch bonnet peppers (1 is totally fine) 

• 2 Yukon gold potatoes, skin removed & cut into chunks 

• 1 cup chicken stock (low sodium)

• Salt & pepper 

• Vegetable oil for sauté
  

• Roti 

• 2-3 cups of all purpose flour

• 1-2 teaspoons sugar 

• 1 teaspoon baking powder 

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

• 1 cup coconut oil or vegetable oil (also, reserve some oil for brushing of the dough or you can use unsalted butter)

• 1-2 tablespoons coconut cream 
  

Directions 

• Season your chicken with salt, pepper, green seasoning, onion & garlic powder, cumin, coriander & smoked paprika. Throw in the chopped tomatoes & sprigs of thyme. It’s best to let it marinate for at least 6-8 hours but overnight is better. 

• In a dutch oven or wide sauté pan with a lid, add about 1 tablespoon or so of vegetable oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the curry powder and stir it around. You are technically toasting or “burning” your curry powder to really bring out the deep flavors and the curry powder will turn brown. This will take about 1-2 minutes. 

• Add in the onions and let sauté for about 3 minutes then add in the garlic last so you don’t burn it and sauté for 1 minute. Add in the chicken that has been marinating along with the tomato & thyme. Stir to combine so the curry is mixed in with the chicken.

• Add in the chicken stock and throw in the scotch bonnet pepper and let it simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, add in the chopped potatoes and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. This will also help thicken up the sauce from the starch being released out of the potatoes. 

  The Roti

• Note: Now, I watched a ton of videos on this because I’m a visual learner so if the breakdown below doesn’t make sense, here is a video that helped me. 

• Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. 

• Add 1 tablespoon of coconut cream and crumble it into the dough with your hands until the dough is “crumbly”. Basically, incorporate very well into the flour. 

• Then gradually add in the coconut milk, and it will slowly but surely combine into a very sticky dough. Add in the coconut oil a little at a time and a dough will form. If you feel like you need more coconut milk or oil add in a little bit more. 

• Start to knead the dough until a soft, pliable dough forms. Separate the dough into 6 balls and let it rest covered for 15-30 minutes. 

• Roll out the dough into a rough circle then brush it with coconut oil. With a knife you are going to cut directly in the center down the middle of the dough to separate the dough but keeping it together at the top. 

• With one side of the dough that is “separated” start to fold the dough around so it looks like a fruit roll up. Once you get to the end, take the other side of the dough and tuck it into the top of the fruit roll up and keep tucking and rolling into a ball so the oil doesn't escape. That’s how the roti gets its layers and flakiness. Let this dough rest for 45 minutes to 3 hours. 
  

• After resting, roll the dough out again into a circle. If you don’t have a roti pan and non-stick pan will work just fine. 

• Heat the pan on high heat, and add the rolled out dough onto the pan. When the bubbles start to form about 30 seconds, flip the dough and then brush it again with coconut oil. Let it cook on that side for 20 seconds then flip it over again and brush the other side of the dough with coconut oil. Remove from the heat onto a pan and fold over. 

• Then the clapping comes to reveal the layers! With a kitchen towel or if you’re brave and use your hands. Clap  the dough to reveal the layers.