Country Captain (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 2 1/2- to 3-pound broiler fryer chicken, cut up

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cups finely chopped green sweet pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder

1 16-ounces can tomatoes, cut up

2 tablespoons snipped parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper

3 tablespoons currants

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  In a heavy 12-inch skillet, cook the chicken in the oil about 5 minutes per side or until it is browned.  Transfer the chicken to a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

3. Pour off most of the oil from the skillet.  Cook and stir the onion, sweet pepper and garlic over low heat, until the onion is translucent.  Stir in the curry powder.  Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, the thyme and the 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the skillet.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Pour the sauce over the chicken in the pan.

4. Cover and bake the chicken in the 350° oven for 45 minutes; uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

5. Place the chicken on a large warm platter.  Skin any fat from the sauce.  Stir the currants into the sauce and pour some over the chicken.  Sprinkle the almonds and remaining parsley over the chicken.  Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Tips:

To cut up canned tomatoes quickly and easily, we use sharp kitchen scissors and cut them right in the can.

In India, the spices that got into curry depend on the cook and can be a blend of as many as 16 different spices.  If you'd like to make your own, try the following combination:

2 tablespoons ground coriander

5 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 tablespoon ground cardamon

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground fenugreek

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.

We suggest you serve Country Captain over fluffy rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

From : America's Best-Loved Community Recipes