Georgia Country Captain

How to make Georgia Country Captain Recipe - Georgians claim this dish as their own. According to legend, a mysterious captain drifted into Savannah through involvement in the spice trade and entrusted this recipe to his Southern friends.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients:
1 (5-pound) stewing chicken
2 quarts water
4 to 5 fresh sprigs thyme or marjoram
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 (16-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, or 1 quart home-canned tomatoes
2 to 6 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon each ground thyme, salt and sugar
1/8 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup blanched whole almonds
Additional currants
Cooked brown or wild rice
Chopped peanuts
Shredded coconut
Chutney, purchased or homemade

Method:
Place chicken in a large pot. Add water and fresh herb sprigs. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Remove from broth; strain broth. Return broth to pot and boil down until it measure 3 cups. Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken.  Pull meat into large shreds; refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In a large heavy skillet, heat oil. Add onions, garlic and green pepper. Saute about 5 minutes or until soft. Add tomatoes with juice. Cook 5 minutes.

Stir in curry powder, ground thyme, salt, sugar, red pepper and 1/2 cup currants. Simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken. Turn into a 3-quart casserole. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until heated through.

Sprinkle with almonds and additional currants. Serve over cooked rice. Add chopped peanuts, coconut and chutney to each individual serving.

Note:
As with many recipes where chicken is cooked and then boned, the work can be done ahead in stages and the components of the dish assembled and reheated at serving time.