Funny name, huh? I had never heard of the dish before a recent family wedding. It's chicken braised with tomatoes peppers, garlic, golden raisins and a bit of curry powder. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it's origins. My long-term plan is to adapt it to the crockpot (I know, I'm obsessed), but for now I made it the old fashioned way. This recipe takes some time, love and patience, but the end result is so lovely that it was worth it. I read through several recipes online and ended up using Bobby Flay's recipe on Food Network as my jumping off point. His recipe has you make your own curry powder with a southwestern twist. The curry powder alone is delicious, and I've already used the leftovers in another dish.

Country Captain Chicken

serves 4-6

adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Curry Mix

3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground fennel
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground chili de arbol
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Chicken Ingredients

4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups AP flour
salt and pepper
8 boneless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 heaping teaspoons of curry mix (see ingredients above)
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 can plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
~ 3 teaspoons honey

Directions

Mix all curry ingredients together and set aside. Store any leftover curry in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large, high sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour and tap off any excess. Sear the chicken on both sides (about three minutes a side) until golden brown. Remove to plate.

Toasting the curry powder.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by 3/4. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and reduce slightly. Stir in the tomatoes, currants or raisins, thyme, 2 teaspoons of honey and season with a little salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken thighs into the pan, cover with a tight fitting lid and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the lid after 35 minutes and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a platter and tent slightly to keep warm. Put the pan and sauce back on the burner over high heat and bring to a boil. Let the sauce reduce slightly, then season with salt, pepper, and honey, to taste. Spoon the sauce over the rested chicken. Serve with coconut, basmati or brown rice.