• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Andrea Meyers logo

  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Photography
    • The Farm Project
    • Cooking with Kids
    • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Featured

    Country Captain Chicken

    Oct 14, 2011 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Country Captain Chicken - Andrea Meyers

    Country Captain sounds like such an unusual name for a chicken dish, but once I learned the origins it made sense. A “country captain” was a captain of native troops paid by England in the colonial days, and it’s very likely that this dish or something very similar was introduced to England by a native officer. The dish spread to the American south which has claimed country captain chicken as its own.

    It’s a curry at heart, with plenty of spices and vegetables in a tomato sauce with pork of some kind, often bacon, and dried currants. I researched quite a few recipes and found many similarities, even right down to the measurements, but one thing that varied was the preparation of the chicken. It can be poached for stock, then deboned and chopped and added to the sauce, or it can be fried then nestled in the top of the curry to finish cooking on the stove or in the oven. You can even make another version of this in a slow cooker. No matter which method you choose, this makes a delicious autumn meal.

    Traditionally the dish is served with white rice in the south, but in keeping with the Indian flavors, I serve it with savory yellow rice spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves.

    Due to the time required, plan on making this for a weekend meal.

    Country Captain Chicken - Andrea Meyers
    Print Pin

    COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

    Adapted from The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook, by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
    Total Time1 hr 50 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Southern
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: chicken, curry, rice
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 344kcal

    Equipment

    • small saucepan
    • 2 small bowls
    • platter
    • 5 to 6 quart enameled cast-iron pot or Dutch oven
    • aluminum foil

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup gluten free chicken broth (divided (homemade or purchased)
    • ½ cup dried currants
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder (We recommend S&B for best flavor.)
    • 1 tablespoon garam masala
    • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 4 ounces slab bacon (or thick-cut bacon, diced)
    • 3 pounds whole chicken (or 8 thighs, skin on, trimmed)
    • 1 pound carrots (peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds)
    • 2 medium yellow bell peppers (diced)
    • 2 medium yellow onions (diced)
    • 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
    • 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes with juice
    • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

    Serve With

    • rice (spiced or white)
    • slivered toasted almonds
    • bacon pieces (See ingredients list.)
    • chopped flat-leaf parsley
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    • Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F/175° C.
    • In the small saucepan, bring ½ cup of the chicken broth to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the dried currants and let them to soak for about 15 minutes.
    • In the small bowl, whisk together the curry powder, garam masala, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
    • Sauté the diced bacon in the pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, just until golden brown. Transfer the bacon plus all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings to a bowl. Brown the chicken pieces in the remaining bacon drippings over medium-high heat until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add another teaspoon or so of bacon drippings if the pot becomes dry. Transfer chicken to a bowl or platter.
    • Add the carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot pot and sauté until slightly softened, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spices, ginger, currants with their broth, plus the remaining chicken broth. Stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the sauce cooks down to a puree and coats the vegetables, not too dry, about 8 to 10 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat. Arrange the browned chicken pieces on top of the vegetables and sauce, skin side up above the surface of the sauce. Tent the pot loosely with foil and place in the oven.Bake until the sauce has a rolling boil going around the chicken, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking until the chicken skin begins to crisp, about 15 minutes.
    • Remove from the oven and skim excess fat from the surface. Serve a piece of chicken along with the rice and vegetables with each plate or bowl and top with garnishes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 868mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 9873IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

    More Chicken Recipes

    Chicken Cacciatore - Andrea Meyers
    Chicken Cacciatore
    Chipotle Chicken with Creamy Spinach - Andrea Meyers
    Chipotle Chicken with Creamy Spinach
    Slow Cooker Paprika Chicken - Andrea Meyers
    Slow Cooker Paprika Chicken

    More Chicken Recipes from Other Blogs

    • Kalyn’s Kitchen – Baked Pesto Chicken
    • What We’re Eating – Spicy Tequila, Chipotle and Citrus Marinated Smoked Chicken
    • Kitchen Parade – Fast Roast Chicken
    • Use Real Butter – Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
    « Indian Savory Yellow Rice (The Kids Cook Monday)
    Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) and Where Women Cook: Celebrate! Book Release »

    Reader Interactions

    Thanks for visiting! Let me know what you think! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Andrea Meyers photo

    Hi, I'm Andrea Meyers: educator, photographer, tea drinker, avid cook, and gardener. I love helping people learn how to do great things.

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice
    • Baked Boston Brown Bread
    • Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans (Kids Cook Monday)
    • Slow-Cooker Chicken Korma
    • Roasted Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

    Trending

    • Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
    • Dry Beans and Legumes Cooking Chart (From the Pantry)
    • Colombian Hot Chocolate
    • Cincinnati Chili
    web hosting

    Footer

    Return to the top


    About

    • About Andrea
    • Contact
    • Advocacy
    • FAQs
    • As seen in
    • Work with me

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

    ALL PHOTOS AND ORIGINAL TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2005-2022 ANDREA MEYERS PRODUCTIONS LLC
    YOU MAY NOT USE ANY PHOTOS OR ORIGINAL TEXT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.