Country Captain Chicken

Name: Country Captain Chicken
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (see page 99); Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more if needed; 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 tablespoons canola oil; 1 large onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped; 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped; 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon curry powder, preferably Madras; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice; 1 cup golden raisins; 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, lightly toasted (see page 196), for garnish; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish; $20,000 Rice Pilaf (page 158), for accompaniment

December 9, 2011

This is not a family recipe, but one I was introduced to while testing recipes as an apprentice for Nathalie Dupree. Country Captain is said to have taken its name from a British army officer who brought the recipe back from India. Curry powder is actually quite common in Southern cooking due to the seaports of Charleston and Savannah. The term describes any of a number of Indian spice blends from mild to fiery that typically contain, among other spices, ground coriander, nutmeg, ginger, cumin, pepper, and chiles. Commercial curry powder comes in two types: standard, which is a golden color and mild, and Madras, which is red and spicy hot.

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