Country Captain Food

COUNTRY CAPTAIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
• 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.
• Return the skillet to medium heat, add the bacon and fry until crispy. Transfer to a plate. Once cool, crumble and set aside.
• 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.
• 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.
• Top with the crumbled bacon, remaining currants and slivered almonds. Serve with cooked rice and any condiments you wish.

LEE BROS. COUNTRY CAPTAIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour the broth into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Put the currants in a small bowl and pour enough broth over them to cover. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine the curry powder, garam masala, salt, and black pepper and reserve.
• Scatter the bacon in a 4 to 6 quart enameled cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir the pieces around occasionally until the bacon is firm and just golden brown, about 5 minutes. With the slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl and reserve.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot, reserving the excess fat in a small bowl. Brown the chicken thighs in batches over medium-high heat, taking care not to crowd them in the pot, until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add the reserved bacon fat, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the pot becomes too dry. Remove the chicken and reserve in a medium bowl.
• Add 2 teaspoons reserved bacon fat to the pot (if there is none left, use 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil). Add the chile and toast the chile in the fat, about 30 seconds per side, until very fragrant.
• Add the carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spice mixture, ginger, and the currants and their broth. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down to a puree and the sauce has thickened around the vegetables, about 8 minutes.
• Nest the chicken thighs gently in the vegetable sauce so that the skin side faces up and is above the surface of the gravy. Tent the pot loosely with foil and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the country captain resembles a roiling stew around the chicken thighs, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the sauce has thickened further and the chicken skin is just beginning to crisp, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven, skim any excess fat from the surface, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the chile. With tongs, transfer 3 thighs to each of 4 wide, deep bowls filled with 1 cup hot white rice. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and the rice and garnish with the reserved bacon, almonds, and parsley.

THROWDOWN'S COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the coconut rice with green onions:
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the butter. Add the coconut milk, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stir once, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until tender, about 16 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and fold in the green onion. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a large, high sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the butter and 1 tablespoon of canola to the rendered bacon fat in the pan and heat until it begins to shimmer.
• Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour and tap off any excess. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown. Remove to plate.
• Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the serrano and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by 3/4. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and reduce slightly. Stir in the tomatoes, currants or raisins, thyme, 2 teaspoons of honey and season with a little salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken thighs into the pan, cover with a tight fitting lid and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the lid after 35 minutes and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a platter and tent slightly to keep warm. Put the pan and sauce back on the burner over high heat and bring to a boil. Let the sauce reduce slightly, then season with salt, pepper, and honey, to taste. Stir in the parsley. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and top with the bacon, almonds and more parsley. Serve with Coconut Rice with Green Onions.
• Combine all the spices in a small bowl.

COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut chicken into 8 pieces.
• Wash pieces and pat dry.
• Coat THE CHICKEN PIECES with a mixture of the flour, salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet; brown the chicken on all sides over medium high heat.
• Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and add the onion, green pepper, garlic, curry powder and thyme.
• Stir over low heat to loosen the browned particles.
• Add the stewed tomatoes . . . and then return the chicken to skillet, skin side up.
• Cover and cook slowly until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Stir the currants into the sauce and serve accompanied by almonds.

COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place chicken in a large bowl. Mix flour, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper; sprinkle over chicken and toss to coat. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches on all sides; remove from pan., Add onions, peppers and garlic to drippings; cook and stir over low heat until tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Add curry powder; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, currants, parsley, thyme and remaining salt. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan., Bake, covered, 35-45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Skim fat. Serve chicken and sauce over rice; sprinkle with almonds and, if desired, additional parsley.

COUNTRY CAPTAIN FOR THE SLOW-COOKER

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet, season chicken and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to platter, let cool a bit, remove and discard skin. Put chicken in crockpot.
• Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon fat and cook onions and bell pepper with about 1/2 teaspoon salt until somewhat tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add broth, tomatoes and tomato paste and scrape up browned bits and cook and stir until slightly thickened and smooth, only about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add chutney, garlic, curry powder, thyme, paprika and cayenne.
• Pour this mixture over chicken in crockpot.
• Cover and cook on low 5 hours.
• Stir before serving over white rice.
• Add coconut and sliced almonds on top. This is necessary for the most authentic taste of Country Captain!