Trinidad Chicken Roti
Trinidad Chicken Roti Recipe – Juicy bite-sized chicken and chickpeas enveloped in warm Indo-Caribbean sauce loaded with spices make for an unforgettable meal. This dish comes together in no time and gets everybody excited about sitting around the dinner table.
This dish is one hundred percent approachable despite sounding like something elaborate. You’ll need to gather up several spices, yes, but otherwise, it’s a piece of cake. You simply add everything to a pot and let it simmer.
In fact, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is, especially when the rave reviews start pouring in. I’m not exaggerating when I say everyone loves this dish!
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Trinidad Chicken Roti?
Technically, roti is an unleavened flatbread popular in Indian and Caribbean cuisine. Trinidad chicken roti refers to the curry-like chicken filling that goes inside. This dish hails from Trinidad and Tobago, where the island nation’s inhabitants like to pay homage to their Indo-Caribbean roots. That delivers some insanely good curries and seafood dishes.
And this chicken roti from Trinidad is no exception. Think buttery-rich, spicy chicken without the copious amount of butter. Equally delicious, and maybe slightly healthier? That’s what I’m telling myself anyway. 😜
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – Grab some boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Chickpeas – Canned chickpeas pack added fiber, protein, and flavor to this roti dish.
- Potatoes – Cubed potatoes add substance and texture to this meal. They also taste divine slathered in the spicy sauce.
- Chicken Broth – Trinidad chicken roti is saucy! It gets that way, thanks to the chicken broth.
- Spices – This dish is so flavorful, thanks to an amazing list of herbs and spices. Here’s what you’ll need: diced onion, minced garlic, white pepper, thyme, chicken bouillon powder, cumin, smoked paprika, allspice, curry powder, nutmeg, and if you like some heat, a little cayenne powder too. 😅
How to Make Trinidad Chicken Roti
Marinate
- Prep Chicken – Place the chicken in a large bowl or saucepan. Then, add the salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper, and curry powder. (Photo 1)
- Season – Mix the chicken with a spoon or your hands until it is well coated with the seasonings. (Photo 2)
- Marinate – Set it in the fridge and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Cook it Up
- Saute – Heat a large saucepan with oil. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, cumin, allspice, smoked paprika, nutmeg, and curry powder, and stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes. The onions should be translucent.
- Chicken – Next, toss the chicken into the pan. Sauté everything for 2-3 more minutes. (Photo 3)
- Simmer – Finally, add chickpeas, chicken bouillon, potatoes, cayenne, white pepper, and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer until the sauce thickens, which might take about 20-30 minutes. (Photo 4)
- Serve – Taste test and adjust the salt, spiciness, and thickness by adding more broth as needed.
Recipe Variations
- Use a different cut of chicken. Any cut of chicken will work in this dish. Just debone it (if needed), cut it into bite-sized pieces, and proceed.
- Make it vegan. Skip the chicken altogether and replace chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegan roti. Just make sure you double or triple the chickpeas.
- Add extra veggies. Feel free to add peas, carrots, or any other veggie you love that tastes great in curry.
Tips and Tricks
- Add a little chicken broth if you notice the chicken sticking and starting to burn.
- Cut up the chicken before you marinate it. That way, the spices have even more area to penetrate and can add plenty of flavor.
- Get all your spices together before you start sauteing. Otherwise, you might burn the onions, garlic, and chicken as you poke around for the seasonings. (It’s a long list, as you probably noticed.) 😆
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make the chicken roti, let it cool, and store it in the fridge for up to three days before serving. You can also freeze it for up to three months. Reheat thawed roti on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. The same goes for leftovers.
What Goes With Trinidad Chicken Roti
Serve chicken roti with Buss Up Shut—Paratha for a more authentic take on this Trini dish. It also goes great with a steamy bowl of garlic rice and fried plantains or some Jamaican rice and peas. Wash it down with some sorrel drink, especially if you made it extra spicy. ❤️🔥
More Mouthwatering Trinidadian Recipes to Try
This blog post was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos
Trinidad Chicken Roti
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2½-3 pounds (1-1.5kg) chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, and cut into bite-sized pieces)
- ½ teaspoon (1g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1g) dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) chicken bouillon
Chicken Roti
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil (more if needed)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1½ teaspoons (3g) thyme, fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons (3-4g) smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground allspice
- 2-3 tablespoons (14-22g) curry powder
- 1 teaspoon (2g) ground nutmeg
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 1 tablespoon (10g) chicken bouillon
- 2 cups (260g) cubed potatoes
- ½-1 teaspoon (<1-2g) cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) white pepper
- 3-4 cups (700-950ml) chicken broth
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large bowl or saucepan, then add salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper, and curry powder.
- Mix chicken with a spoon or your hands until well coated. Set aside in the fridge and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat a large saucepan with oil. Add onions, garlic, thyme, cumin, allspice, smoked paprika, nutmeg, and curry powder. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Then add the chicken, stir, and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add chicken stock if necessary to prevent burning.
- Next, add chickpeas, chicken bouillon, potatoes, cayenne, white pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens (it might take 20-30 minutes).
- Adjust with salt, pepper, and broth for taste and consistency.
Tips & Notes:
- Add a little chicken broth if you notice the chicken sticking and starting to burn.
- Cut up the chicken before you marinate it. That way, the spices have even more area to penetrate and can add plenty of flavor.
- Mise en place is essential, so tet all your spices together before you start sauteing.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Loved this. So much flavour and straight forward to make.
Awesome! Thanks for taking time out to let me know .
Have a great weekend.
This turned out great! First time making Caribbean food for my family and father in law (who is from Trinidad). Was a huge hit! I did have a bit of trouble getting the thickness / consistency that I wanted, but once it cooled a bit, it did thicken up. I think next time Ill use less chicken stock. We ate it as a roti wrap and I picked up dalpuri from a local roti spot. Will def make this again!
Hi Ashley! I’m so glad to hear it was a hit with your family and your father-in-law—especially since he’s from Trinidad! That’s such a compliment! It sounds like you nailed it, even with the consistency adjustment. Using less chicken stock next time is a great idea to get that perfect thickness from the start.
And pairing it with dalpuri was such a smart move—that combo is always a winner. I can already imagine how delicious those roti wraps must have been! Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m so happy this recipe will make it into your rotation. Let me know how it turns out next time! ❤️
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it is SO good. I did have trouble thickening it up though and ended up throwing corn starch in. Could that be the brand of curry I used? I’m not sure what would cause the meal to thicken on its own.
We are eating low-carb from now on, but I really was craving this roti. I’m no pro at carb counting, so I left in the chickpeas, but substituted fresh cauliflower for the potatoes and it was wonderful.
This is my bookmarked favourite recipe. Reminds me of the roti at the competition on the beach in St Lucia..
Made this dish a few nights ago. Was a HUGE hit with the family. Ate with Caribbean rice and peas and Naan from Costco. Will try your Paratha recipe next time. As always you provide the most delightful recipes! Thanks!
You are very welcome, Rachel! 🙂
Hello, do you use chicken thighs with bones in?
Hello Lisa. You could buy bone-in chicken thighs and debone them yourself, then slice them up into smaller sizes for this recipe. Here’s how to debone chicken thighs https://www.africanbites.com/how-to-debone-chicken-thighs/
I actually did this tonight. I thought it was cheaper to get the bone-in, skin on thighs and take care of them myself…but I won’t do that again. Took way too much time and pieces were inconsistent in size.
Forgot to add the 5 stars on my first comment. Making it again today!
Awesome! Thank you for your feedback, Tiffany!
Made this for the first time for my family yesterday. It was sooo good! I changed nothing in the recipe besides adding an extra can of chickpeas (my son does not like chicken but loves chickpeas). I did have to add a little cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken up the sauce. Wonderful flavor!! I paired it with your Caribbean rice and buss up shut paratha roti recipes. It was all excellent. My new favorite dish! Thank you!
Hi Tiffany,
I’m super happy you loved it. Thanks so much for your comment and I hope you try more Caribbean recipes soon:)
Forgot to add the 5 stars
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
I’ve made this recipe so many times. It’s just perfect. Sometimes I’ll add a little this or a little that, but the base recipe always ends up the best. Brought it in for pot luck and surprised a lot of my coworkers!!!
Yeah great idea for potluck, and don’t forget to share with me about yoru guestes impressions. I would love to hear 🙂
I love this recipe. Making it again. I’m trying chicken breast because I bought by mistake. Has anyone tried chicken breast?
Thanks for your kind words. 🙂 There’s no reason it won’t work with chicken breast. I use thighs because they’re juicier.