This Air Fryer Curry Chicken recipe is a modern twist on the traditional Jamaican dish. It is flavorful, hearty and ready in 30 minutes! Pair it with rice and your favorite veggie and you've got the perfect meal.
What is curry?
I LOVE curry in all forms: tikka masala, Thai curry, peanut curry, all of it. However, "curry" is a very general term that can be used to describe many different dishes from various countries and cultures.
Curry originated in India and made its way across the world from there, resulting in different versions of the dish. Regardless of the dish, curry is typically a combination of meat and vegetables in a gravy-like sauce.
Curry powder is a mixture of spices that typically takes on a yellow hue due to the main ingredient, turmeric. You can read all about curry powder on The Spruce Eats.
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Jamaican Curry Chicken
Traditional Jamaican curry chicken is cooked slowly over low heat to allow the bold spices and flavors to develop. It's said to have been brought to Jamaica by workers from East India in the 17th or 18th century. In this recipe, I use those same flavors to marinate the chicken but cook it quickly in the air fryer for a more modern take on the dish.
Ingredients
- Chicken- boneless, skinless chicken thighs are ideal for this recipe because they are more flavorful and tender than chicken breasts
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Curry powder- I use this one from Blue Mountain that you can get off Amazon, Walmart and also possibly at your local Costco. You can also make your own, Recipes from a Pantry has a great recipe.
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Adobo seasoning- this can usually be found at any traditional grocery store. Brands to look for: Goya and Badia.
- Salt
- Olive oil
Instructions
Start by marinating the chicken thighs in the spices (curry powder, paprika, cayenne, adobo seasoning and salt) in a large bowl. Then add diced yellow onion, minced garlic and olive to the bowl. Finally, stir or massage the mixture until all sides of the chicken are coated in the spices.
Ideally, you should allow the chicken to marinate for a few hours in the fridge, but at least 30 minutes will work.
Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees, I find this temperature works best for chicken. Then once preheated, add the chicken thighs to the basket and set the timer to 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. Chicken should be at least 165 degrees internally.
I love serving this chicken with Jasmine rice or coconut rice and roasted or sautéd veggies such as broccoli or zucchini.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Jamaican Style Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs to a large bowl with all of the spices (curry powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, adobo seasoning and salt)
- Add diced yellow onion, minced garlic cloves and olive to the bowl
- Mix with a spoon or massage with hands until all sides of the chicken are coated with the seasonings
- Cover bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally for a few hours
- Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees
- Once preheated, add chicken thighs to basket and cook for 15 minutes
- Flip chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until chicken has reached 165 degrees internally
- Serve and enjoy!
Megan says
Tried this recipe for dinner and it was a success! So easy to make and delicious. The chicken pairs well with rice. Thank you for sharing this 🙂
Sarah Holt says
So glad you liked it Megan! One of my favs