Chicken and Potato Roti is a Bajan favourite, and can be picked up at various locations across the island as a snack or you can cook it at home as a main meal. This is great dish to serve when entertaining as people can help themselves, it is very filling and for those with a larger appetite they can go back for more!

You will need the following ingredients:

For the roti skin you will need:

* 1lb of flour
* 3 tbs of shortening
* Salt
* Water

For the filling you will need:
* 6 chicken breast cubed
* Parsley
* Thyme
* Jerk seasoning
* Salt
* Sugar
* Black pepper
* 2 large onions
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
* 1/2lb potatoes

Put 3 tablespoons of sugar in to a large saucepan on high and cook until the sugar caramelizes, then add the cubed chicken breasts, stir until the chicken browns. Now add the chopped onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, jerk seasoning, salt and the whole scotch bonnet pepper - do not cut up the pepper! Reduce the heat to low and let this simmer for 25 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl sift the flour, and add a pinch of salt to taste. Now add the first tablespoon of shortening, with your fingers rub the flour in to the shortening, until it starts to form a breadcrumb like consistency, then add the second tablespoon of shortening and rub against the flour, again until it starts to look like breadcrumbs, now add the third tablespoon of shortening and repeat the process. 

You should by now have used all the flour and your bowl should be all breadcrumb like, if you still have fresh flour in the bowl, then use another tablespoon of shortening until your fresh flour is all used up, now add a small amount of water and mix with a butter knife, just keep adding small amounts of water until your mixture forms a soft dough. Now dust your surface with flour and roll out your pastry, you want to roll wafer thin rounds - this mixture should make at least 12 roti skins. Cover with a tea towel whilst you go back to pot.

Now peel the potatoes and cube into small bite size pieces. After 25 minutes of simmering of the pot add 1/2 pint of water and add the potatoes to the pot. Now cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on a low heat.

Take a flat baking tray and turn upside down, lightly cover with oil and place on the stove top on high, cook each roti skin for 1 minute each side until the brown but not crisp.

Now pile up your cooked roti skins, remove the pot after the 30 mins and take out the whole scotch bonnet, then take the whole pot to the table with a pile of plates, each person takes the roti skin and lays it flat on the plate and then spoon some filling into the middle of the roti skin and fold around the filling and then eat and enjoy!

Submit a Review or Comment

Visitor Comments:

By: rose
never heard of jerk seasoning curry/madras depending on how hot you want it but no jerk seasoning
Date: May 12, 2008


By: K & S Schneller
My husband wanted to do this receipe for me. I also think that jerk seasoning should not be added. Ive never known Bajan food to have jerk seasoning, but ive known it to have curry powder.
Date: Mar 13, 2008


By: B. Clarke
I never heard of jerk seasoning in Bajan roti use curry and some good hot pepper.
Date: Sep 25, 2007


By: Divapat
Indeed, no jerk seasoning -- but plenty of curry! (I actually opened this recipe looking for the dahl (bread) recipe; I can make my own curry for the filling.) Am really looking for an authentic Trinidadian/East Indian dahl with seasoned split peas/channa in the middle of the bread round. Can anyone help with that? (Many years ago, the New York Times printed some recipes, but the bread came out hard as rocks...!)
Date: Aug 28, 2007


By: A. Yearwood
I agree. No please for the jerk. It's fine on it's own, but I can't imagine it in a roti!!
Date: Apr 30, 2007


By: J. Gittens
This recipe looks ok, but being a born and bred Bajan, i've never seen or heard of Jerk seasoning being used, that is a jamaican seasoning, we use curry in my family... not jamaican jerk seasoning
Date: Feb 22, 2007