Ahoy Captain...Country Captain

On a recent weekend, Mark and I were relaxing in the backyard.  I was in need of some serious kitchen inspiration, so I perused a couple of cookbooks pulled from the recesses of a rarely used kitchen cabinet.  The weather was still warm enough to feel like the middle of summer, but the calendar adamantly stated it was Fall.  In anticipation of the cooler weather to come, I paid particular attention to recipes for comforting stews and soups laden with the vegetables of Autumn.  I came across a recipe I had not heard of before called, Country Captain.  The ingredients intrigued me, so here is my version. We both loved it!

California Country Captain

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C flour (I used GF Cup 4 Cup blend)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
salt to taste
3 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Madras curry powder
3/4 C red wine
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 T poultry seasoning
1 small jar (3/4 C) Major Grey's Mango Chutney
4-6 C cooked quinoa or rice

1/4 C slivered almonds
1/4 C chopped scallions
1/4 C shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:
1) Combine flour, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, pepper & pinch of salt in a large ziplock bag.  Drop chicken breasts into flour, tap off excess and brown in a 6 qt French oven heated to med/ high with 1.5 T olive oil.
2) Brown approximately 4 minutes each side (in batches if necessary) and set aside on paper towels to drain.
3) Add remaining olive oil to pot and cook the onions, bell pepper, garlic & curry powder over medium heat until the onions and pepper become soft about 5 minutes.
4) Add the red wine and cook for about another 10 minutes.
5) Stir in crushed tomatoes and poultry seasoning.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
6) Stir in the chutney and chicken.  Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Serve over cooked quinoa or rice and top with almonds, scallions and coconut.