Recipe: Trinidad-Style Curry Chicken, Mango Chow

You're invited to take a tasty trip to Trinidad, and you only need to go as far as the grocery store. Our guest is Chef Rodney Dhanraj. He was born in Trinidad and raised in the US, and now runs Pepper's Island Restaurant in Ybor.

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the recipe below. If you make it, let us know how it turns out! 

Email us, DinnerDeeAs@fox.com or message us on Facebook or Instagram.

Watch the recipe again any time by clicking on the video at the top of the page, and see Dinner DeeAs every weekday at 1pm ET on FOX13. 

Trinidad-Style Curry Chicken 

Ingredients 

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic, peeled into cloves
  • 1" piece fresh ginger
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1 bunch culantro
  • 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers
  • ⅛ to ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 1 ½ - 2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 oz paprika
  • 1 oz garlic powder
  • 1 oz black pepper
  • 1 oz salt
  • 1 oz turmeric
  • ⅓ cup curry powder
  • vegetable oil, for coating pot
  • 1 whole chicken or chicken quarters, skin removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3-5 cups rice

Directions

  1. Start by making Green Seasoning by combining onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, culantro, and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers in blender.
  2. Blend, adding vinegar as needed to create sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  3. If milder flavor is desired, add peppers in quarters to reach preferred level of heat. For spicier seasoning, use whole pepper, including seeds.
  4. Wash chicken with flour and lime juice, drain until water runs clear.
  5. Place chicken in bowl and season with prepared green seasoning mix and additional seasonings (paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and turmeric).
  6. In pot, add vegetable oil and heat over high heat.
  7. Add curry powder and ground green seasoning, sautéing until mixture starts to reduce.
  8. Add seasoned chicken to pot and mix well.
  9. Reduce heat and let cook 25–30 minutes.
  10. To make rice, bring water to boil in pot then add rice and salt.
  11. Allow rice to boil 20–30 minutes, then strain.
  12. Serve curry chicken alongside or on top of rice. Garnish with more green seasoning if desired.

Mango Chow

Ingredients

  • 2 green mangoes
  • Green Seasoning (see recipe above)
  • hot pepper (such as habanero), to taste
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Peel and slice mangoes into "French fry" cuts, resembling shape and size of fries.
  2. Place sliced mangoes in bowl. Add Green Seasoning to taste, mixing to ensure pieces are well coated.
  3. For heat, slice or mince hot pepper (habanero) and add to bowl according to heat preference.
  4. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly.

To grab more recipes from Dinner DeeAs, click here.