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Would the real Country Captain please come forward?
Primarily, this guy resides in the South (Georgia, actually), and I’d like to invite him for dinner. There happens to be a bit of controversy over his true roots, though. Hmmmm……time to do a little research before I commit to the invitation.
Alright, Country Captain isn’t a “who,” but a wonderfully different and comforting “what.” The chill of March is still quite evident, and, yes, my inspiration needing to be fed, Country Captain intrigued me. I want some sort of stew, but am tired of beef, and the now mundane flavors of braised meats and wine. I’ve simply had enough. Country Captain has been on my mind for days and days. As usually happens to me when giving thought to many dishes, a recipe for it pops up in one of my magazines. I picked up the latest issue of Bon Appetit, and what did I discover? Yep … another version (albeit, updated with their twist) of Country Captain. This one includes cauliflower and peas. I’m willing to give that one a shot, but having younger kids, I’m thinking it would be more prudent of me to stick with the old tried and true recipes. All three kids here seem to have aversions to both cauliflower and peas.
Purging through all of my resources yielded many similarities in the way of descriptions and origins. All the books and web outlets I’ve consulted include the description of Country Captain being a curried chicken dish. Every one mentions it as being a common offering in the South, mainly in Georgia. But then, there is a little discrepancy as to how it originated. My bet is that Craig Claiborne had it right, but of the six or seven recipes I’ve pulled, his is the only derivation of the recipe that makes the most sense to me.
In The New York Times Cookbook, Mr. Claiborne says that “according to authoritative sources, it is a dish from India, and the word captain is a corruption of capon.” Other recipes mention its derivation as being an old recipe from Georgia, most of them noting that it was FDR’s favorite. Multiple sources cite that he, and General Patton, were served this dish when in Warm Springs, Georgia, thus bringing rise to the popularity of the dish in Georgia. By way of another link to Georgia, other sources have stated that back in the early 1800’s, a British sea captain having spent time in Bengali, India, shared this with friends in Savannah, Georgia. At that time, Savannah was a major port for the spice trade, so the somewhat exotic flavors making up a curry became quite common there. Upon having this dish, and thoroughly enjoying it, it was so named in honor of the officers stationed in India, known as “Country Captains.”
Whatever the true origins of this dish, and the its countless variations, there is something to be said for it. Yumm! Below is my own way of doing it. Feel free to use whatever parts of chicken you wish, whether whole pieces, boneless breasts, or a combination of the two, shredded into bite sized pieces. It’s all a matter of preference.
Country Captain Chicken
Serves 6
- 1 whole chicken, cut up
- 1 t salt
- 1 t curry powder
- 1 t dried thyme
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped*
- 4 green onions, chopped*
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 ½ t curry powder
- 1 ½ t dried thyme
- 1 t paprika
- 1 t cayenne pepper (optional)
- 5 whole allspice
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 t freshly grated ginger
- 2 T flour
- 1 ½ c chicken stock
- 1 t salt
- 1 t fresh ground black pepper
- 1 can (28 oz.) whole plum tomatoes
- ¼ c raisins, currants, or dried cherries
Major Grey’s chutney (hot mango chutney)
1 c toasted slivered almonds (optional)
Fresh, chopped cilantro or parsley (optional)
* If you can find them, try using 5 “baby Vidalia onions” instead of both onions and green onions. They’re a new product offered in a nearby market, and they’re wonderful.
Method
Season the chicken with salt, curry powder and thyme. Heat oil in large Dutch oven or stew pot, and brown chicken, working in batches if necessary.
Remove chicken. Drain off fat, leaving enough to be able to sauté vegetables. Add chopped pepper, onions and garlic to pot, and sauté 5-6 minutes. Add the next 9 ingredients, and cook 1-2 minutes. Add flour, and stir to thicken. Add chicken stock, and stir, scraping bits off bottom of pot. Add black pepper and tomatoes. Stir to thoroughly combine, and put chicken back in pot, submerging all pieces. Bring to simmer for 10 minutes, add raisins, remove from heat, cover, and place in 300 degree oven for 1 hour.
Serve over rice, with chutney, almonds, and cilantro or parsley, if desired.
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