Jamaican Curry Chicken Patties (Printable)
Flaky turmeric pastry stuffed with spiced curried chicken and potato, a classic Jamaican street food favorite.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pastry Dough
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
04 - 1 teaspoon curry powder
05 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
06 - 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
07 - ½ cup ice water (more as needed)
→ Curry Chicken Filling
08 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
09 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
11 - 1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional, adjust to taste)
12 - 2 teaspoons Jamaican curry powder
13 - ½ teaspoon ground allspice
14 - 14 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced small
15 - 1 small potato, peeled and diced
16 - ¾ cup chicken broth
17 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
18 - Salt and pepper, to taste
19 - 2 green onions, sliced
20 - ¼ cup coconut milk
→ Assembly
21 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash, optional)
# Directions:
01 - In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, turmeric, curry powder, and sugar. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Drizzle in the ice water gradually, mixing until the dough comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
02 - Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion until softened and translucent, about 3–4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and scotch bonnet pepper, stirring for 30 seconds. Stir in the curry powder and ground allspice, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the diced chicken to the skillet and brown lightly on all sides. Stir in the diced potato, chicken broth, and fresh thyme leaves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the potato is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
04 - Stir in the sliced green onions and coconut milk. Continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool completely before assembling.
05 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Using a 6-inch round cutter or bowl as a guide, cut out as many circles as possible, re-rolling scraps as needed.
06 - Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of cooled filling onto one half of each dough circle. Fold the other half over to form a half-moon shape. Press the edges firmly with a fork to crimp and seal. Place each patty onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
07 - Brush the tops of the patties with the beaten egg for a golden, glossy finish. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and crisp to the touch.
08 - Remove from the oven and let the patties cool slightly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve warm as a main dish or handheld snack.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The turmeric stained pastry dough is almost fun to make and impresses everyone who sees those golden half moons coming out of the oven.
- You can freeze a whole batch unbaked and cook them straight from frozen whenever the craving hits.
02 -
- Warm filling will melt the butter in your pastry dough before it even hits the oven, so cool it completely or even chill it for the best flakiness.
- Scotch bonnet peppers can burn your skin on contact, so wear gloves or wash your hands immediately and whatever you do, do not touch your eyes.
03 -
- Grating the cold butter instead of cubing it creates even smaller fat particles and makes the dough flakier with less effort.
- Double the filling recipe and freeze half for a night when you want curry chicken over rice instead of patties.