Country Captain Recipe (2024)

bone in is always better. more flavor. this recipe took my mind off Trump for 45 min

Serving in Vietnam, my destroyer’s wardroom stewards (all from the Philippine Islands) were often requested to prepare “Curry Chicken” and it was a favorite. Served on rice. The condiments included chopped egg whites, chopped egg yolks, chopped peanuts, scallions, green pepper, and more. No doubt for me, this was originally Country Captain prepared by Southern black stewards in sailing ship days, carried on as a Naval tradition. I cook it myself. A nice memory of that time.

Tasty! A few notes: cook the bacon FIRST (and cut it up before cooking). That way you can brown the chicken in the rendered bacon fat (+ butter). Also, use a large cast iron skillet or braising pan, and finish it (oven) in the same pan. I don't see the point of transferring to a second dish for the oven phase of the cooking. Finally, consider using sliced almonds instead of slivered (or even peanuts) as slivered almonds can feel like a chicken bone fragment in the mouth.

I have made country captain for 40 years-- it was the dish served at the first grown up dinner party I attended and it is wonderful for entertaining. This version seems less labor intensive than my version and the flavor brighter. I left out the bacon, used raisins instead of currants, and served with basmati rice. Also served with orange and black olive salad from Cooking. Raves.

Was intrigued by its similarity to an Indian curry and searched for the origins of this dish online. It began as a curry cooked for Indian ship captains - "country" or local as opposed to "English" captains - then moved to the ships of 18th century Britishers - who took it to America through the port of Savannah, Georgia in the early 19th century. Its earliest published reference in America is from 1857. We can so infer this was one of the earliest Ango-Indian fusion dishes!

What kind of thighs should I use? Are boneless, skinless OK?

My husband loves this recipe. I have made it many times for special occasion dinners with great success. I always prepare it the day before and bake it just before
the guests arrive. I serve it with Uncle Ben's rice and a
green vegetable like asparagus or green beans.

I had to laugh! Sounds like a good dish, Yasmeen, but NOT Country Captain. One or two minor substitutions may be okay, but you have a whole different dish. Give it a different name, please.

The recipe in the old Craig Claiborn NYT Cook Book, IMO is way better than this - whole cut up chicken, no bacon and the addition of chopped apple to give it a nice flavor with the curry.

This recipe is a keeper. Maybe because I didn't expect much, but it really surprised me. I used boneless, skinless thighs (so my finicky kid will think they are breasts), and the meat was fork tender, moist, almost fluffy in the flour coating. The sauce is sweet, even without the currants, pleasantly chunky, and sufficiently curry-infused (something happens in the baking to bring out the curry). And the crumbled bacon makes the dish--the smoky, salty meat giving the sauce added depth.

I Have cooked this for years with the Craig Claiborne recipe. The can ofStewed Tomatoes gives the sauce a lighter feel. This recipe was in regular rotation when my kids were little. They called it“Chicken In Yummy Sauce.” You can’t get a better recommendation.

Instead of rice try sweet mashed potatoes (mashed with unsalted butter and a little fresh ground black pepper). Yummy.

Absolutely stunning dish. I followed the advice of another reviewer, made it ahead and baked the next day. The flavors in the sauce deepen. Use a good, hot curry. We needed more than 4 slices of bacon. Slivered almonds added a great crunch. I would use rice rather than potatoes because there is so much sauce to soak up into the rice.

The curry flavor got drowned in my first try with this - the tomato sauce overwhelmed it. Next time I think I'll increase the curry powder by a smidge and thin out the tomato sauce a little.

Hubby can't stop raving about this! Made a few minor changes. As suggested by Karen, I soak currants in Sherry (brilliant!) Because we are gluten-free, I cut thighs into large chunks, browned in deep Dutch oven and did everything stop stove. Added extra TB curry powder, each one different plus half a jalapeno we had in crisper and an orphan carrot to use up. Ate two days after cooking so all the flavors had married and it was AMAZING! Leftovers for lunch were the bomb.

Soaking the currants in sherry for an hour before adding makes all the difference.

I made some minor tweaks with major flavor payoff. I upped the amount of curry powder—2 Tbsp. was just too subtle for me. I used 4 which was offset a little by adding one additional small can of tomatoes for a more saucy sauce. Two Tbsp. of currants went into the sauce too. I cooked and baked the whole thing in a deep dish overproof skillet and nestled the chicken down in the sauce when it was done simmering—less mess and no flavor loss of any little bit of deliciousness.

I would make this dish for Christmas when my children were small. Everyone loved it because it seemed festive with red and green colors. If memory serves, my recipe came from the Joy of Cooking that I received as a wedding gift in 1971. I think it's time I find that old cookbook!

Made a version of this today. It was insanely delicious. Did it all on top the stove in a huge stainless steel skillet.Used a whole chicken, cut up. Added paprika to flour mix. Cut up veggies & herbs & put them in the blender. After cooking bacon, added butter & oil, then browned chicken pieces on all sides. Set chicken aside, added curry powder & garam masala, then added blender of veg & cooked till dry. Added can of tomatoes & currants. Added back chicken, covered, cooked 15 min. Perfect!

it didn't even come to a bubble in the oven, so I put it back on the stove where it simmered nicely and got to "fall off the bone" after about another hour. The bacon didn't add much, in fact i picked a couple of bits out of my teeth thinking it was a bit of bone! I had doubled the recipe, so quite a lot of stew, and doubling the curry got it a bit spicy for a less adventurous crowd, so I added 1/2 cup of half and half (sort of a Country Captain Bolognese), which worked beautifully. Delicious.

Reminiscent of a curry, we added mango chutney at the table as a condiment. I found it not “saucy” enough so I liquified it a bit. It was also somewhat bland, so with the addition of the chutney, there was a better flavor profile. Don’t skimp on the fresh chopped parsley or the toasted slivered almonds as they add not only flavor but some texture, too.

I'd use less curry powder next time

Good recipe but I prefer more flavor. I extended the leftovers by making more sauce with proportionately more curry (and other recipe seasons) plus some sugar to round out the taste and make it less harsh/acidic. I don't know how the authentic dish from the Carolinas should taste, but I know that for my preferences, this recipe was rather bland. The recipe benefits from more liquid as well. With more seasoning, I'd give it 4 stars and make it again. As itis, I wouldn't.

This was really unremarkable for me. I am an experienced cook and made it exactly as described. Maybe it needs more curry or salt? MSG? I don't know but it was very disappointing. Don't understand all the rave reviews.

I agree with others that this was good the first night, but even better the next day. I ran out of regular curry so filled-out the recipe with about 1 tsp of red curry and I’m glad I did. The red curry gave a bit of zip which I enjoyed. I chopped up a can of whole San Marzano tomatoes because most prepared tomatoes are loaded with salt. Served over basmati rice. Delicious!

I made this tonight since it is cold and windy out and it sure warmed us up! I followed the recipe exactly except I cut up the bacon and fried it first, then fried the chicken in the grease. I had to add a little grape seed oil as the bacon was a good quality. The only downside to doing this is the cook has a tendency to nibble on the bacon…Anyway, the family has licked their plates clean!

I added a Tbl. of minced ginger, and when I removed the foil I added small cauliflower florets and served it with a cucumber raita and basmati rice with sultanas.

Has anyone tried this with coconut added?

Excellent. I used chicken breasts and they turned out moist and tender. Stewed tomatoes were a good switch for regular; like another reviewer, I didn't think the crumbled bacon on top added much. Sliced green onions were nice, though, as was a scattering of sweet and spicy Hungarian peppers in oil I found in the grocery store and bought on an impulse. I'll definitely be making this again!