Bobby Flay's Chicken One-Pot-Wonder
One way to warm up cold winter nights is with a hearty meal.
On "The Early Show," resident chef Bobby Flay showed how to make an easy, one-pot classic dish called Chicken Country Captain that's sure to please even your toughest critics.
Country Captain is one of those dishes you may not have heard of before, but, according to Flay, by the time you've finished, you'll never forget it. Flay said this is a perfect one-pot wonder. He added the spices add a great kick.
"This will be some of the most flavorful chicken you've ever had," he said.
Nobody really knows where exactly the Country Captain name and recipe came from, but according to the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, the dish came from Savannah, Georgia, a major shipping port for the spice trade. However, Eliza Leslie, in her mid-nineteenth-century cookbooks, contended that the dish got its name from a British officer who brought the recipe back from his station in India.
Country Captain Chicken
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Curry Mix
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground fennel
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground chile de arbol
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
METHOD:
Combine all spices in a small bowl.
INGREDIENTS:
Country Captain Chicken
2 teaspoons canola oil
6 slices bacon, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups AP flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin off
Canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large bell pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 serrano chile, finely diced
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups homemade chicken stock
1 heaping tablespoon Mesa curry powder
1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained well and coarsely chopped, discard liquid
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Scant 1/4 cup golden raisins
Honey
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
Slivered almonds, lightly toasted and chopped
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large, high sided sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the butter and 1 tablespoon of canola to the rendered bacon fat in the pan and heat until it begins to shimmer.
3. 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 until golden brown. Remove to plate.
4. 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 the serrano 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, 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.
5. Remove the chicken to a platter and tent slightly to keep warm. Place the pan and sauce back on the burner over high heat and bring to a boil, let reduce slightly, season with salt, pepper, honey (if needed) and stir in the parsley. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and top with the bacon, almonds and more parsley
Coconut Rice with Green Onions
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely diced Spanish onion
2 cups long grain rice
1 can (13-14 ounce) unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 green onions, thinly sliced
METHOD:
1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the butter. Add the coconut milk, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stir once, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until tender, about 16 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and fold in the green onion and let sit 5 minutes before serving.