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.
Making this now. Smells so good. Going to put over rice instead.
Sounds delicious :)!!
I only discovered rotis about a year ago, but my wife was born and raised here in South Africa, where they are quite common. Finding allspice was a bit of a mission but we managed to get some whole berries we could grind. We were both thrilled with how this recipe turned out. It’s pungent, spicy, and delicious. Exactly what we were craving and as good as any roti we’ve had. We’ll definitely make this again!
Fantastic!! I am glad you went to the trouble of finding allspice. It really does make this dish extra special. Thank you for the feedback, Dave!
It’s rare that I find a recipe that pleases the whole family (all with very different palates) but this one is a winner! Great balance of flavours. I’m only familiar with Malaysian chicken roti (Caribbean cuisine is rare in New Zealand) but this recipe is equally delicious.
You must eat it with traditional roti bread!
That’s a win in my book. Thanks for letting us us.
It was delicious – My husband loved it! – but it turned out more curry- coloured than the lovely reddish colour in your photos. Just wondered – what you added to get that darker colour?
Wanted to add a huge thank you for this recipe… it is definitely a keeper and my husband asked if it could go on regular meal rotation! (He said like -every other day! lol. We wrapped it up in chickpea Roti- so tasty- and my kitchen smelled just heavenly!
Wow, wrapped in chickpea Roti, that must have been Delicious!!! No wonder your husband has taken a liking to this dish :). Thank you for stopping by, Maggie.
Awesome!! I am so glad you loved it, Maggie. As for the reddish color, it is probably the paprika :).
Awesome! I was hesitant to believe this was the real deal. 10 years ago I had Roti in Barbados and never had it again but always remembered it and looked for it. Couple weeks ago I was craving that taste I remembered so well and came across this. Wow. Just wow. Super authentic from what I can tell. Making again tomorrow. Going into the dinner rotation. Ate wrapped in roti we bought from the local Bazaar. Thanks so much!
Fantastic! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Jim :). Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this feedback.
Love this recipe, it turned out soooooo flavorful and soooooo good! My first time trying roti and the smell while it was cooking was fantastic. Delicious, thank you for sharing! I added a habanero pepper in the step with the onions to kick up the heat. Served over rice…. will keep this recipe in the dinner rotation for sure. ♥️ all of your recipes I’ve tried so far… thanks again!
Awesome!!! I am thrilled this was a hit with you, Trina! Thanks for the feedback!
Amazing! I don’t have access to the west Indian food in TO, because I don’t live there anymore. But this recipe is the real deal! A tad too much oil for my taste, but the spice profile is perfect!
Thanks for the feedback!
Fantastic recipe, its my new favorite meal.
I make it for a meal and before the afternoon is out I have to hide a bowl or Ill not have any for my dinner.
Thank you very much.
Ron
I followed your recipe to the letter but some how its a bit thin, is there a way to thicken it up a little bit? I have been simmering it for 35 minutes to thicken it but its not working for me.
Thanks
Ron
Hi Ron. Just keep simmering for a few more minutes and it will thicken. Thanks for stopping by!
I find if that happens just mash some of the potatoe and chickpea and its helps thicken it up.
This is absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
My friends and family will literally place orders with me when they know I’ll be making this curry and buss up shut. It is no joke, it is that good! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
You are such a good person to take their orders haha! This makes me very happy Celine, thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m Guyanese so I usually cook our version of curry but I decided to try this one and it was amazing. I am blown away by all the flavors! I halved the recipe for fewer people, but I used the whole can of chick peas because I didn’t want anything to waste. I also only used 2 tbsp of oil because when I usually make curry that’s enough. After about 25 mins when the potatoes were soft and the chicken was cooked, I removed the solid ingredients to a serving dish and turned the heat up on the stove to reduce and thicken the liquid. It came out perfect! I love trying your recipes and experiencing different versions of familiar dishes.
I made this, along with the buss up shut, yesterday and it was fantastic! I’ve lived in Trinidad and Guyana and have struggled to find any chicken and roti recipe that tastes authentic to the West Indies. This is the real deal! It was soo good and everyone who tried it loved it! So thank you for posting this 🙂
Thank you Jason! I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂
The best roti I’ve ever had hands down!
This was amazing! Whole family enjoyed. First time visiting your site but will for sure be long back for more
Can I use regular paprika instead of smoked? I love your recipes I have made many of your recipes and they are also great.
Yes, you can. Enjoy!
How can I make this vegetarian? Have some Jamaican friends who don’t eat pork and beef and chicken. What’s a good replacement to make this vegetarian and still taste just as good? I used your recipe and it’s phenomenal. I’d love to share it with my friends in the future
Hi Tomas. I haven’t tried the vegan version for this yet, however, I’ve read online how others use potatoes and chickpeas to make it vegan. Hope this helps.
When you make this with the buss up shut, do you fill with chicken, then fold/wrap, and then you’re done? Is there anything else you do for the wrap version of this?