Country Captain
In the early 1800s, sea captains on the spice routes to India and America came to be known as country captains. Inspired by the dishes of India, they brought a simple curried chicken dish to the southeastern United States that came to be known as Country Captain.
Served with fresh, hot cooked rice and garnish with sliced almonds, this dish is a win for chicken lovers everywhere.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Serves 4
The essentials
- 50 g (1/4 c) all-purpose flour
- 2 g (1/2 tsp) paprika
- 2 g (1/2 tsp) dried thyme
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 150 g/1 1/2 lb)
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) canola oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped (or a mix of red and green)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) curry powder
- 1 can (400 g/14.5 oz) low-sodium chopped tomatoes, with juice
- 125 ml (1/2 c) low-sodium chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 10 ml (2 tsp) brown sugar
- 125 g (1/2 cup) raisins
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) ground black pepper
The process
1. Stir together the flour, paprika and thyme in a shallow dish. Using tongs, dip in the chicken to coat all over, shaking off any excess.Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, three to four minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
2. Add the onion and green pepper to the pan and cook until just tender, three to four minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, broth, lemon juice, brown sugar, raisins and pepper.
3. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken juices run clear when pierced (about 70°C/160°F on an instant-read thermometer), 10 to 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces with tongs now and then.
Serve this dish with a bit of history and educate your guests while you feed them. Or do some reading while you savor these rich flavours and relish the product of your labour.
Nutritional information per serving: 372 Calories, 6 g Fat (1 g Saturated Fat), 37 g Carbs, 43 g Protein, 4 g Fibre, 99 mg Chol, 421 mg Sodium, 117 mg Calcium
