COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

One of my favorite cookbooks is one I ordered through the mail from Tabasco many, many years ago. It's called 16 CLASSIC AMERICAN RECIPES (and the stories of how they began). Unfortunately, it is no longer available. In the next few days I am going to be posting some hearty recipes for fall, several of which come from this book. I'll also try to paraphrase the stories of the recipes origin.

Country Captain Chicken is one of my all time favorite recipes! It is a very southern curry dish that has it's origins with the spice traders who sailed into Savannah from the Spice Islands. It was one of Franklin Roosevelt"s favorite dishes, and he always requested it when he was in residence at the resort in Warm Springs, GA. I served this at carry ins a number of times, always with great success. Now, if I could just find Grandma Clarke's recipe for Currant Tarts, which I used to serve along with it!

Ingredients:
2 3lb Chickens (fryers) , quartered (or cut up)
1 cp Flour, seasoned with 2 tsp Salt, 1 tsp. Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/3 cp Peanut Oil (any oil will work, but I prefer peanut because of its higher burning temp)
3 Tbls. Bacon drippings
2 lg. Yellow Onions, chopped
3 lg. Bell Peppers (I usually use 2 green, 1 red)
3 lg. Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbls. Curry Powder
1 28 oz can tomatoes (reserve liquid and chop tomatoes)
2 tsp. Tabasco
1 cp. Currants
2 cps. Long Grain Rice (cook as directed)

Directions:
Dredge Chicken pieces in seasoned flour and let sit on cooling racks for about ten minutes. In a large dutch oven (NOT cast iron) or high sided skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Brown chicken pieces, remove from pot and drain. Remove all but two Tbls. Oil from the pot. Add Bacon drippings and saute the Onions, Peppers, Garlic and Curry Powder over med. low heat until soft. Add Tomatoes w/juice, and Tabasco. Push Chicken pieces down into sauce and spoon some sauce over top of pieces. Adjust heat so liquid bubbles gently. Cover and cook for thirty minutes. Add Currants,cover, and cook for thirty minutes more or until Chicken is tender. Taste for salt and add as needed. Serve with Rice.