Rohan Kamicheril’s Country Captain
Updated Dec. 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons ginger-garlic paste (see Tip)
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder or ½ teaspoon cayenne plus ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, for frying
- 1large onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1large russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- Salt
- Soft white bread, such as a Pullman loaf or Japanese milk bread, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
915 calories; 67 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 40 grams monounsaturated fat; 19 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 1015 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
Combine the ginger-garlic paste with the turmeric, chile powder and vinegar in a large bowl, then toss the chicken in the marinade to coat. Let the chicken rest at room temperature while cooking the vegetables to give the spices time to infuse the meat.
- Step 2
Heat an inch of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high until it reaches 340 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. (If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, drop a nub of potato into the oil to test: If you get a fervent sizzle, the oil is hot enough.) Add the onion and fry, turning occasionally with a spider or slotted spoon, until the onion is soft and uniformly dark chestnut brown in color, 9 to 11 minutes. Scoop out the onion and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Step 3
Bring the oil back up to 340 degrees. Add the diced potato and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Scoop out the potatoes and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Season generously with salt while still hot.
- Step 4
While the potatoes cook, set a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over high heat. When the pan is just beginning to smoke, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil from the saucepan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Add half of the marinated chicken, making sure to leave space between the pieces. Let cook undisturbed until browned and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook to brown the other sides, another 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape chicken and any accumulated juices onto a serving platter or bowl. Repeat with remaining chicken, cooking in 2 tablespoons oil from the saucepan.
- Step 5
Add the onion and potato to the dish with the chicken. Stir gently, just enough for the juices from the chicken to gloss the onion and potato. Serve immediately with the bread.
- You can find ginger-garlic paste at Indian markets, but it’s easy to make at home, too. For the 2 tablespoons called for here, chop 3 large cloves of garlic and a fat 1-inch piece of ginger, then smash them together using a mortar and pestle or continue chopping until very finely minced. Season with a tiny pinch of salt. For a larger batch, keep a 1:1 ratio of garlic to ginger and combine in a blender with salt to taste.
Private Notes
Comments
This can be prepared in a sheet pan method in a 425 convection roasting oven. Cover all ingredients with oil and spices, place parchment paper on the bottom of a flat roasting pan, sliced potatoes spread out on the parchment, sliced onions on top of the potatoes and chicken thighs on top of vegetables. Roast until chicken is 160° F and serve with raita and naan.
Thank you! I get tired of people insisting on "authenticity" when the reality of food is hybridity. . . all the time borrowing, changing, making new versions. I also get tired when people jump in with "expertise" having clearly ignored explanatory text, just wanting to claim superior knowledge. No food police, please.
Excellent! I added a couple of tablespoons of water after the last batch of chicken to deglaze and add those brown bits to the dish as well.
For the American South version of Country Captain (which I love too) - use currants NOT raisins (hate raisins). Delicious!
It seems like a vindaloo dish, but without the masala and sauce (and thus flavor). Vindaloo originated in Goa, a Portuguese colony, from a dish called “carne de vinha d’alhos,” i.e. meat with wine vinegar and garlic. It's made with many kinds of meat and seafood, with some variation in spice mixes (masalas). Thus it can get much more interesting than this recipe (and with less clean-up). If you like this recipe, explore vindaloo options too.
Not joining the "food police," but this is an endlessly re-imaginable dish: recipes from the US south to the old "Joy of Cooking's" boneless skinless breasts (easily dried out), to NYT Cooking's own 2019 version with bone-in-skin-on thighs (nice!) to Bobby Flay's overengineered recipe with skinless-bone-in thighs to these boneless-skinless thighs. While curious what "ginger garlic paste"/"Kashmiri chili powder" add, I'll stick with Joy of Cooking's version plus bone-in-skin-on thighs, BTW.
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