Country Captain Chicken is cooked in a super flavorful curry tomato sauce with bacon. It has a wonderful sweet spiciness to it. This delicious chicken stew is a southern dish like no other.
Bring the broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the raisins and remove from heat. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine curry powder, garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven, preferably enameled cast iron, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.In 2 batches, brown the chicken in hot bacon grease, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.
Add the carrot, bell pepper, and onion to the grease. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally.
Add the chile pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the curry powder mixture, the tomato paste, and ginger. Stir for 30 seconds.
Add the broth/raisin mixture and the diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Place chicken thighs in the sauce. Cover the Dutch oven and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove lid and bake for 15 more minutes.Discard the chile.
Serve with rice and top with slivered almonds and crumbled bacon.
Notes
The guajillo chile can be omitted without sacrificing flavor too much.