COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

Adapted from The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook, by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Diet Gluten Free

Keyword chicken, curry, rice

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings

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

Instructions

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