Warm Springs Country Captain (Southern-Style Chicken Curry)
Chicken simmered in a curry-scented tomato sauce, enlivened with currants and toasted almonds: the meeting, on Southern tables, of Eastern spices landed at Savannah and plantation cooking.
Chicken simmered in a curry-scented tomato sauce, enlivened with currants and toasted almonds: the meeting, on Southern tables, of Eastern spices landed at Savannah and plantation cooking.
At Warm Springs, where I came to treat my legs in the warm Georgia waters, they served me this chicken curry that old Southern families had from the merchant ships of Savannah. The scent of spices, the currants, the toasted almonds — here is a dish that warms a man tired by politics. I liked it slow-cooked, as they take their time down there, far from the turmoil of Washington.
- •Chicken pieces — 1 chicken (base)
- •Onions and green bell pepper — generous amounts (aromatic base)
- •Peeled tomatoes — a good amount (sauce)
- •Curry powder — to taste (spiced signature)
- •Currants — a handful (sweetness)
- •Slivered almonds — a handful (garnish)
- •Rice — for serving (accompaniment)
Warm Springs Country Captain (Southern-Style Chicken Curry)
Chicken simmered in a curry-scented tomato sauce, enlivened with currants and toasted almonds: the meeting, on Southern tables, of Eastern spices landed at Savannah and plantation cooking.
Why this dish? FDR regularly stayed in Warm Springs, Georgia, to treat his legs in the warm waters. This chicken curry, a Georgian specialty inherited from the spice port of Savannah, was among the Southern dishes served to him there.
At Warm Springs, where I came to treat my legs in the warm Georgia waters, they served me this chicken curry that old Southern families had from the merchant ships of Savannah. The scent of spices, the currants, the toasted almonds — here is a dish that warms a man tired by politics. I liked it slow-cooked, as they take their time down there, far from the turmoil of Washington.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chicken pieces — 1 chicken (base)
- Onions and green bell pepper — generous amounts (aromatic base)
- Peeled tomatoes — a good amount (sauce)
- Curry powder — to taste (spiced signature)
- Currants — a handful (sweetness)
- Slivered almonds — a handful (garnish)
- Rice — for serving (accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs — 6 (base)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (aromatic base)
- Green bell pepper — 1, diced (aromatic base)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (aromatic base)
- Crushed tomatoes — 400 g (sauce)
- Curry powder — 2 tbsp (spiced signature)
- Currants — 50 g (sweetness)
- Toasted slivered almonds — 40 g (garnish)
- Chicken broth — 200 ml (sauce)
- Long-grain rice — 300 g (accompaniment)
- Flour, salt, pepper — for dredging chicken (coating)
Method
- Dredge chicken pieces in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides in a Dutch oven. Set aside.
- Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the same pot until softened.
- Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
- Pour in tomatoes and broth, return chicken, add currants.
- Cover and simmer for 40 minutes over low heat, until chicken is tender.
- Serve over rice, sprinkled with toasted almonds.
How it was made : Country Captain owes its name and spices to maritime trade: the port of Savannah, Georgia, imported curry and spices from Asia, which blended into Southern cuisine as early as the 19th century.
The contemporary twist : Serve in bowls: rice on the bottom, chicken and sauce on top, finish with a shower of almonds and a few cilantro leaves for color.
Franklin D. Roosevelt · Charactorium
