Country Captain Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe

Hello! I'm going to share my absolute new favorite recipe of all time with you today. Hold on to your socks---this is a great one, and no one will ever know how super simple it was to throw together.

It'll be our secret.

I got excited to make Country Captain after watching an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, where this was the featured dish.

[aside: am I the only one who feels badly for the poor challenger who thinks he/she is being filmed for their own Food Network special? My heart just breaks for them.]

There are lots of listed ingredients, but chances are you already have most of the stuff on hand.

The Ingredients.
serves 6

1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (mine were frozen solid)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced (someday I want one of those peeler thingies)
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup raisins (or 2 T currants. I like raisins.)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup raw long-grain basmati white rice (to add later)
1 pound fully cooked shrimp (to add later, I used frozen already-shelled)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your stoneware. Add chopped apple, onion, and bell pepper. Add garlic and all spices. Toss in the raisins and the entire can of diced tomatoes. Stir in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is tender, but still intact. Using tongs, remove chicken carefully from the slow cooker and place in a covered dish to keep warm.

Stir in raw white rice. Cover and cook again for about 30 minutes, or until rice is bite-tender. Stir in frozen shrimp, and recover cook for about 15 minutes, or until shrimp is heated through.

Serve rice and shrimp mixture on a plate with chicken pieces arranged on top.

The Verdict.

I wish I had eaten more of this--I mistakenly wandered from the table to tend to the baby. The rice cooks beautifully in the curried sauce, and the shrimp softens nicely and provides a great texture against the rice and raisins. My kids love how raisins plump when slow-cooked. My dad ate all the leftovers, and called twice with high praises.

The shrimp is the most expensive component to this dish, and while I adore all things shrimp, it isn't a necessity. Your chicken and rice will be still be quite lovely if you choose to omit this ingredient.