Country Captain Chicken 🐓🍗🐣

Amarante

Wed, Jun 07 2023, 1:52 pm

Country Captain Chicken is a very old dish - some say it is British origins as there are a lot of Anglo-indian dishes that were popularized during the Raj.

It was one of the first "exotic" dishes I made but it isn't very foreign. This was a pretty good version and the "Indian" influences are very subtle - I wouldn't classify this as Indian food. LOL

COUNTRY CAPTAIN

MAKES 4 servings. HANDS-ON 50 min. TOTAL 2 hours, 15 min.

Excerpt From: Southern Living 2016 Annual Recipes:

1 (3- to 4-lb.) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces - or use the chicken parts you like
3 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
¼ cup vegetable oil - I didn't use this much oil to saute the chicken
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
⅔ cup dried currants, divided
2 Tbsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 (14.5-oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. cane syrup - I subbed honey but evidently corn syrup can also be used. I suspect sugar would work as well since this is a stew and changing 2 tablespoons of liquid for regular sugar wouldn't impact the result the way it might with baked goods.
⅓ cup slivered almonds
Cooked white long-grain rice

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1½ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper. Cook chicken, skin side down, in hot oil in a 5-qt. Dutch oven over medium heat, turning once or twice, about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in Dutch oven.

2. Cook chopped yellow onion, next 5 ingredients, and ⅓ cup dried currants in hot drippings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are tender.

3. Stir garam masala, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 2 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper into onion mixture, and cook, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes or until spices are toasted. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and cane syrup. Cover and reduce heat to low.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Simmer mixture in Dutch oven over low heat, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until mixture thickens into a chunky sauce. Add chicken pieces, pressing gently to submerge in sauce; cover.

5. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining ⅓ cup currants. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice.