Deborah Drummond grew up in Jamaica and learned to cook curry chicken from a young age. The oldest child of three in a single-parent home, she remembers being responsible for many of the evening meals. Her mother, Faye Johnson, taught her important tips, like how to stretch a meal by adding potatoes when money was tight. By 10 years old, she was in charge.
At the age of 16, Drummond and her family immigrated to New York, and then moved to Virginia and then Maryland, where she spent many of her adult years. In 2020, Drummond and her husband, Michael Malone, MD, FASC, relocated to Southeast Missouri to work at Saint Francis Healthcare System, she as a nurse practitioner and he as a vascular surgeon.
“I had never heard of Cape Girardeau, but we were looking for a small town,” Drummond says. “It was the first time I had neighbors from across the street bring us cookies. I thought that only happened in movies.”
Being new to the area, Drummond looked for community. She found it at Gateway Church, an affiliate of her church back home, and through those connections, she found pickleball.
“It was a lot of old folks,” Drummond says. “And it went disastrous a couple of times. But I’ve always liked physical activity. I learned how to hold the paddle and took lessons. Now, I play four days a week.”
As a nurse practitioner, Drummond encourages people to move and exercise. She says she also tries to practice what she preaches. For her, that includes putting good food in her body, eating lots of vegetables and protein, and staying away from too many carbs. Her favorite type of food is Thai, but when she’s craving something from home, she makes yellow curry chicken.
“It’s my go-to when the church wants me to bring something authentic to Jamaica,” Drummond says. “We know how to flavor — a dash of this and that. And it’s a yellow curry, which has more of a Caribbean feel. It’s good for those who can’t handle the spice.”
Drummond says green curry is typically used in Asian food, and it’s sweeter and blander. Red curry is spicier and used in Indian dishes. The yellow curry she prefers comes from New York, where Drummond says Jamaican food stores are on every corner, though she admits other brands of yellow curry will also work.
“You have to let it cook first,” Drummond says. “Put the curry in the oil, and make it cook before adding the chicken.”
Drummond also recommends adding pimento or clove to the chicken to enhance the Caribbean taste. She says it’s not a taste people would recognize immediately, but without it, she can tell a difference. Other than that, the ingredients are simple. The recipe serves four and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
“I love a good meal,” Drummond says. “I don’t cook as often these days, but when I do cook for myself, it’s typically a Jamaican meal, and I remember how good it is.”
Curry Chicken With Potatoes and Yellow Lentil Rice
Curry Chicken Ingredients:
1 pound chicken (breast or thigh)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
