Country Captain
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup flour
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1teaspoon dried thyme
- 2tablespoons butter
- 3pounds (about 8) chicken thighs
- 4slices bacon
- 1medium yellow onion, diced
- 1medium green pepper, seeded and diced
- 2ribs celery, diced
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 2tablespoons curry powder
- 3tablespoons currants
- 128-ounce can chopped tomatoes and their juices
- 3tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
- Cooked white rice
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1081 calories; 78 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 33 grams monounsaturated fat; 15 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 66 grams protein; 1583 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Step 2
Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and the thyme in a bowl. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it foams. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, and fry, in batches if needed, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet.
- Step 3
Return the skillet to medium heat, add the bacon and fry until crispy. Transfer to a plate. Once cool, crumble and set aside.
- Step 4
Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, curry powder and 1 tablespoon of the currants to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof casserole large enough to hold the chicken snugly in one layer. Arrange the chicken on top. Pour the remaining sauce over and around the chicken. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 15 minutes more.
- Step 6
Top with the crumbled bacon, remaining currants and slivered almonds. Serve with cooked rice and any condiments you wish.
Private Notes
Comments
Serving in Vietnam, my destroyer’s wardroom stewards (all from the Philippine Islands) were often requested to prepare “Curry Chicken” and it was a favorite. Served on rice. The condiments included chopped egg whites, chopped egg yolks, chopped peanuts, scallions, green pepper, and more. No doubt for me, this was originally Country Captain prepared by Southern black stewards in sailing ship days, carried on as a Naval tradition. I cook it myself. A nice memory of that time.
Tasty! A few notes: cook the bacon FIRST (and cut it up before cooking). That way you can brown the chicken in the rendered bacon fat (+ butter). Also, use a large cast iron skillet or braising pan, and finish it (oven) in the same pan. I don't see the point of transferring to a second dish for the oven phase of the cooking. Finally, consider using sliced almonds instead of slivered (or even peanuts) as slivered almonds can feel like a chicken bone fragment in the mouth.
I have made country captain for 40 years-- it was the dish served at the first grown up dinner party I attended and it is wonderful for entertaining. This version seems less labor intensive than my version and the flavor brighter. I left out the bacon, used raisins instead of currants, and served with basmati rice. Also served with orange and black olive salad from Cooking. Raves.
Yep, grew up eating this in Georgia. Though we didn't call it Country Captain, it was just "chicken and tomatoes". I guess we liked plain. Our rice was always white with butter. We ate tomatoes nearly every day, whether cooked, fried or fresh sliced. This morning I found a news article recipe from 1938, in London, which they called Country Captain. Instead of tomatoes, they used green chiles and onions fried in butter, then put into the oven to crisp. They added ground tumeric and coriander.
Does anyone have a chicken replacement option? I love cooking for my vegetarian husband. Just want to share different flavors with him even if it’s not being traditional to the recipe. Tofu? Lentil and rice combo.
Hubby can't stop raving about this! Made a few minor changes. As suggested by Karen, I soak currants in Sherry (brilliant!) Because we are gluten-free, I cut thighs into large chunks, browned in deep Dutch oven and did everything stop stove. Added extra TB curry powder, each one different plus half a jalapeno we had in crisper and an orphan carrot to use up. Ate two days after cooking so all the flavors had married and it was AMAZING! Leftovers for lunch were the bomb.
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