With the formal hunting season upon us, it’s time to add new hunt breakfast recipes to our collection! The following recipe, sent to us by Bill Getchell, comes with an interesting history and a connection to a famous American foxhunting general and Master of Foxhounds. We have a wonderful resource of recipes (point your cursor to the Social dropdown menu), and we invite your additions.
Country Captain has been a staple of southern cooking since the first half of the nineteenth century. Originating in India, the name may be a corruption of Country “Capon.” Legend has it that a British sea captain in the spice trade brought it to the United States through the ports of Savannah and Charleston.
Mary (“Miss Mamie”) Bullard of Columbus, Georgia revived the recipe for her frequent guest, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and later served it up for Army officers passing through nearby Fort Benning, including the Master of the Cobbler Hunt, General George S. Patton. In the early days of World War II, Patton sent a message to the Bullards: “If you can’t give me a party and have Country Captain, meet me at the train with a bucket of it.” In Patton’s honor the U.S. Army added it to the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (“MREs”) rations in 2000.
Made in a six-quart slow cooker, this recipe can serve 10, so long as there are other offerings on the table! It would have to be made ahead in batches to serve as a hunt breakfast, but, being a favorite of a famous American foxhunting general, it will be worth the effort! (This was adapted for the slow cooker from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown.)
Some recipes add rice to the mix during cooking; here it is served separately. Charleston Gold rice adds authenticity, but any long grain white rice will do. (This was adapted for the slow cooker from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown.)
Country Captain for Slow Cooker
1 ½ – 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into large bite-sized pieces
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored, and diced
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (use a Madras blend-others may turn bitter with prolonged cooking)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup raisins (2 tablespoons currants can be substituted)
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes½ cup chicken broth
Optional: 1 lb fully cooked or frozen shrimp, to be added to covered cooker in the final 15 minutes.
Place the chicken at the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the chopped apple, onion and bell pepper. Add garlic and spices. Sprinkle in raisins and the diced tomatoes. Stir in chicken broth. Cover and cook for up to 6 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve over rice and provide your favorite chutney as a condiment.
Posted October 22, 2014