Country Captain Chicken (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 05, 2008)

* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup currants or raisins
* 1 tablespoon curry powder (I used McCormick's Red Curry Powder)
* 1 tablespoon garam masala
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
* 4 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
* 12 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of excess skin and fat
* 1 pound carrots, sliced
* 2 yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped
* 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
* 4 cups cooked white rice
* 1/2 to 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring broth to boil in small saucepan; stir in currants. Remove from heat and let soften. In small bowl, mix curry powder, garam masala, salt, and pepper.

Scatter bacon in large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until firm and golden, about 6 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings, but reserve excess, if any.

In batches, cook chicken in drippings until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side, adding additional bacon drippings (or olive oil) if necessary. Transfer chicken to clean plate. After browning chicken, spoon off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan.

Add carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring often, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until slightly softened, 6 minutes.

Add tomatoes, ginger, spice mixture, and currants and broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tomatoes have cooked down to a puree and sauce has thickened, 8 minutes.

Nest chicken in sauce, skin side up and above surface. Tent pot loosely with foil or cover with lid askew. Transfer to oven. Bake 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling. Uncover and bake until sauce is very thick and chicken skin is just beginning to crisp, about 15 more minutes.

Skim off fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put 1 cup cooked rice in each of 4 bowls; top each with chicken and then sauce. Sprinkle with reserved bacon, almonds, and parsley.