Country Captain
Don’t let the long-ish ingredient list deter you! Here, pieces of tender chicken are lightly spiced, breaded and fried until golden brown. Then, they simmer until perfect in a sauce built on tomatoes, onions, and beautifully aromatic spices. My recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken, but traditionally it’s made with bone-in cuts, which you are more than welcome to substitute, here. I like to finish my Country Captain with toasted almonds and coconut, and a shower of fresh parsley.
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Southern Cooking
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2 chicken breasts, halved crosswise into cutlets
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t love heat)
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper (any color) finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced (optional, and not traditional)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate
- 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire roasted if you can)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Cooked basmati or white rice for serving
- Serving suggestions: Freshly chopped parsley, toasted sliced almonds, toasted flaked coconut
Instructions
- Put the chicken pieces in a large zip-top plastic bag (or something similar). To the bag, add the flour, cornstarch, paprika, cayenne, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and toss to thoroughly coat the chicken, shaking off any excess.
- Add a thin layer of oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat (I love my braising pan for this) and, when it’s hot, brown the chicken pieces (in batches as needed) for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or tray for now, and wipe/clean out the pan.
- With the heat set to medium now, add a couple tablespoons of oil to the pan. When it’s hot, add the onion, bell pepper and (if using) the celery. Cook until softened and tender, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, and nutmeg and cook one minute more.
- Add the stock concentrate and the tomatoes, along with the butter. Put a lid on the pan and allow the gravy to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes put the chicken (and any collected juices) into the pan, nestling it down into the sauce. Put the lid on once more and let everything simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, another 6 to 8 minutes.
- Serve topped with sliced almonds (I like to lightly toasted them in a dry skillet over medium heat), and some freshly chopped parsley. Highly recommend a little toasted coconut as well.
Find it online: https://mykitchenlittle.com/2024/10/17/country-captain-recipe/