This dump-and-bake Country Captain Chicken recipe is an updated shortcut version of the quintessential Southern dish. With minimal prep time, it’s ready for the oven in just ten minutes!
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This classic Southern dish was originally an exclusive rice for my email subscribers, included in my 30 Days of Dump-and-Bake Dinners series. It’s so darn good, I figured it deserves a spotlight of its own!
If you’re sick of plain old chicken recipes, this Country Captain recipe is exactly what you need! It’s so full of flavor, but it’s also incredibly easy and gets you in and out of the kitchen in a matter of minutes. If you’re a fan of my dump-and-bake dinners, it’s time to add this one to your list.
What is Country Captain Chicken?
If you’re not from the South or have never heard of Country Captain Chicken, let me fill you in. It’s a curried chicken and rice dish introduced to America through the Southern United States—Charleston and Savannah, as well as New York and Philadelphia (harbor cities). While the exact origins of this dish are debated and somewhat unknown, the flavor profile of the dish makes it clear that it originated in India and was brought over state-side through the spice trade.
The original recipe is more of a stewed chicken—browned chicken pieces cooked with onions, tomatoes, and seasoned with curry powder. A lot of chefs add slivered almonds, currants, and golden raisins to the recipe, which is reminiscent of the traditional version. The recipe has obviously changed a bit as it made its way through the American South, and every home cook has their own version they swear by.
Let me tell you—you won’t need any other recipe once you’ve tried my dump-and-bake twist on Country Captain Chicken! It’s quick and easy, with a great depth of flavor from curry powder and hearty aromatics. It’s a staple of Lowcountry cooking that you can now bring into your own kitchen!
Ingredients for Dump-and-Bake Captain Chicken
The hardest part about preparing this dish is prepping the chicken and vegetables—the rest is simply dump, mix, and bake! The flavors in this Southern-inspired chicken and rice dish are warm, savory, and a little sweet. Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed to make dump-and-bake Country Captain Chicken. The full ingredient list is in the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but it can also be made with boneless chicken thighs.
- White Rice: traditionally served as a base for this dish, but we’re baking it all together! Brown rice can also be used.
- Tomato Paste: for that concentrated tomato flavor.
- Curry Powder: the warm, aromatic spice used in the classic recipe. I recommend McCormick Curry Powder.
- Garlic & Onions: the usual aromatics for flavor.
- Green Bell Peppers: you can use any color, but I prefer green pepper for its slightly sweet flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: canned diced tomatoes are the perfect shortcut for this dump-and-bake recipe.
- Mango Chutney: a sweet-and-zesty nod to the recipe’s Indian heritage!
- Chicken Broth: the liquid element that will help to cook the rice, veggies, and keep the chicken moist.
- Optional Garnishes: shredded coconut (unsweetened), golden raisins, slivered almonds, fresh parsley, or chopped green onions.
What other seasoning and spices can I use in this Captain Chicken recipe?
Because this is already an ingredient-packed dish, I like to keep the seasonings simple. As you’ll see above, curry powder is the only seasoning I list. Of course, you can use kosher salt and black pepper to season the dish. You can add fresh or dried herbs like thyme or rosemary. Spices like cayenne pepper, paprika, and nutmeg can deepen the flavor of the tomato sauce.
How to Make Easy Country Captain Chicken
This dump-and-bake Country Captain Chicken is one of our favorite dishes! The traditional recipe requires a large skillet, cooking chicken on the stovetop before stewing the recipe in the oven. All those steps are removed in this simplified recipe! It’s hard to mess up and make a simple dinner option that you’ll turn to time and time again for a family-friendly weeknight meal.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Whisk together the tomato paste, chicken broth, mango chutney, garlic, and seasonings.
- Add the unbaked rice, vegetables, tomatoes, and raw diced chicken.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then stir the ingredients.
- Bake, uncovered, for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the rice and chicken are cooked through.
Preparing the Captain Chicken Sauce
Once the chicken is prepped and diced up, mix together the sauce. This mixture is the liquid that will cook the rice, chicken, and vegetables, so making sure it’s perfect is the key to a delicious Captain Chicken recipe! You can make the sauce in a small bowl or right in the prepared baking dish to save on dishes.
Mix together the tomato paste, chicken broth, minced garlic (use fresh garlic cloves or pre-minced jarred garlic for ease), curry powder, and mango chutney. Don’t be afraid to taste the sauce for seasoning!
If you don’t have tomato pasta, you can use regular tomato sauce instead. If you use tomato sauce, halve the chicken broth to avoid an overly liquidy dish (too much liquid and the dish will be soupier than intended).
Dumping and Baking Captain Chicken
Once the sauce is prepared, dump everything else into the prepared baking dish (I spray mine with nonstick cooking spray)—the onions, bell peppers, tomatoes (and their juices), uncooked rice, and diced chicken.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Then, you want to stir everything to make sure the rice, chicken, and vegetables are cooked evenly. Return the casserole dish back to the oven, uncovered, until the chicken and rice are cooked through. There you have it! A delicious, easy Southern classic ready in under an hour.
What to Serve with Country Captain Chicken
This Southern staple goes with almost any side dish, but we love pairing it with vegetables, rolls, or hearty bread. Here are some side dish options to try:
- Sautéed Zucchini, Marinated Vegetable Salad, Roasted Green Beans with Bacon, Onion, and Garlic
- Southern Caesar Salad, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad Recipe
- Southern Cornbread, Cathead Biscuits, No-Knead Cast Iron Focaccia
- Garlic Bread, Homemade Breadsticks, Crusty Baguette
Southern Captain Chicken Recipe Tips and Variations
- For ease, I use frozen chopped peppers and onions, but you can use fresh if you don’t mind the extra prep time.
- You can also replace canned tomatoes with fresh chopped tomatoes, but you want them to be extra ripe, soft, and juicy. To replace one 14.5 oz. can, you’ll need about 2-3 medium fresh tomatoes.
- Captain Chicken is incredibly freezer-friendly. Prepare the recipe as directed and store in gallon-sized freezer bags until you’re ready to bake. Thaw in the fridge for a day beforehand.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to three months. Leftovers will store well in the fridge for up to three days.
- This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker! Dump in all the ingredients, give it a good mix, and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the chicken and rice are cooked through.
- Cooking for two? Half all the ingredients in the recipe and use a smaller baking dish.
More Easy Southern Recipes to Try
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake Country Captain Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons curry powder
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup mango chutney
- 1 ½ cups uncooked instant white rice
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes NOT drained
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenderloins diced into bite-sized pieces
- Optional garnish: toasted shredded coconut, sliced toasted almonds, sliced green onion, fresh herbs, golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared dish (or in a separate bowl) whisk together tomato paste, curry powder, garlic, chicken broth, and mango chutney.5 tablespoons tomato paste, 1-2 tablespoons curry powder, 3 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth, ½ cup mango chutney
- Add uncooked rice, onion, bell pepper, diced tomatoes (with juice), and raw chicken to the baking dish, then combine with the sauce.1 ½ cups uncooked instant white rice, 1 cup diced onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenderloins
- Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and give it all a stir.
- Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.Optional garnish: toasted shredded coconut, sliced toasted almonds, sliced green onion, fresh herbs, golden raisins
Notes
- For ease, I use frozen chopped peppers and onions, but you can use fresh if you don’t mind the extra prep time.
- You can also replace canned tomatoes with fresh chopped tomatoes, but you want them to be extra ripe, soft, and juicy. To replace one 14.5 oz. can, you’ll need about 2-3 medium fresh tomatoes.
- Captain Chicken is incredibly freezer-friendly. Prepare the recipe as directed and store in gallon-sized freezer bags until you’re ready to bake. Thaw in the fridge for a day beforehand.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to three months. Leftovers will store well in the fridge for up to three days.
- This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker! Dump in all the ingredients, give it a good mix, and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the chicken and rice are cooked through.
- Cooking for two? Half all the ingredients in the recipe and use a smaller baking dish.
I’ve never head of this dish before, but I love the sound (and looks) of it! I love the curry flavor and veggies in here. And only 10 minutes of prep? Sign me up! Sounds like such a delicious weeknight meal that would be devoured in no time! And even better that my husband would adore this, too! 🙂
Thanks so much, Gayle! It’s a great combination of flavors!
Sounds delicious! My family LOVES all of your recipes and they have saved me from being chained to the kitchen! Question: How can I substitute the instant rice with regular rice? Increase the liquid and bake time? I would love to prep it the night before and then bake it for dinner the next night but would the rice be all mushy?
Hi, Alice! Thanks so much for your kind note — I’m so glad that your family enjoys the meals! 🙂
I haven’t tried this dish with regular white rice, but if you want to give it a shot, here’s what I would do:
– Increase the chicken broth to 3 cups total
– Bake (covered) at 375 degrees F for about 60 minutes (or maybe as long as 75 minutes), until rice is tender.
– Everything else can stay the same!
If you want to prep ahead, I wouldn’t combine the rice with the other ingredients overnight (because you’re right — I think the rice would get mushy). Instead, I would combine the first 5 ingredients (the tomato paste through the chutney) in a small bowl and keep that covered in the fridge. Then dice the onion, the bell pepper, and the chicken and keep those 3 ingredients in a big Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. That way, when you come home from work and want to bake it the next night, you just need to stir together the liquid mixture with the rice, veggies, chicken, and tomatoes. Dump it in the pan and bake! There really won’t be any prep work at that point.
Let me know if you give it a try with the regular rice, and how that works out! 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I will try it out this week and let you know how it turns out! Mmm, can’t wait to have my curry!
Wonderful! Enjoy, Alice!
This sounds divine, I’m sure we’d love it., but I can’t find mango chutney around here. Can I substitute anything else. Thanks Blair 🙂
Hi, Angelina! I can’t remember — are you in this country or are you abroad? Just about every grocery store in the US offers at least 1 type of mango chutney — I was surprised to even find it in our teeny-tiny little country grocery store here in Madison! 🙂 It’s either found on the jams/jellies aisle or with the international foods.
If you’re in another country, you could try using apricot preserves as a substitute (or another type of chutney if you can find one). It obviously won’t taste exactly the same, but the texture and sweetness will be similar! Enjoy! 🙂
ALL OF THIS. YES. OMG. LOVE how simple and delicious this is- perfect for busy weeknights!
Hah! Thanks, Karly! So darn easy!!!! 🙂
I’ve never heard about this recipe but it looks so colorful and tasty that I’m going to try it very soon!! I will have to look for the mango chutney@
Thanks, Nanetta! The mango chutney is probably located in either the jams/jellies aisle or in the international foods aisle (often near the Indian food). Even my tiny little rural grocery store carries it! 🙂
I’ve never heard of Country Captain Chicken but this sounds delicious! And so easy!!
Thanks, Kristy!
After a series of unfortunate events that wound up in FIVE separate trips to the grocery store for all the ingredients, I was desperately hoping it was going to be worth my time… and OH was it ever!!!! This is delicious!!! My first recipe of yours that I’ve tried but definitely won’t be the last!
Oh, good! I’m sorry about all of the trips to the grocery store, but I’m so glad that you enjoyed the meal! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Can you use apricot preserves in place of the mango chutney?
Hi, Lynn! Yes — that would be a great substitute! 🙂
Thank you for posting the directions for regular rice. I don’t like to use Minute Rice so that was a big help for me.
Also I was planning to use 4 whole thighs and figured I would cook them for some 20 minutes before adding them to the recipe.
But with the increased cooking time for the regular rice I can just put them in at the beginning.
I have lived in the south for 70= years and never heard of this recipe.
It sounds wonderful and I an eager to try it.
Thanks for posting it!
Thanks for your kind note, Jim! I’m so glad that you’ll give it a try. I can’t wait to hear what you think! It’s definitely a unique combination of flavors, but it’s one that I really enjoy. 🙂
I agree with you
The only problem, after loading the Instapot. I plugged it in and it wouldn’t come on. I ended up putting it back in a skillet and do it the old way. I hadn’t owned it a year and hadn’t been used in 5 months.
This sounds amazing. I was thinking of using your instructions for using regular white rice but also using pre-cooked chicken. Would it work to add to add the c hicken for about the last 20-30 minutes?
Yes, that should work!
Thanks
This sounds great! Do you think I could substitute quinoa in place of the rice?
Thanks, Pamela
Hi Pamela! We haven’t tested this recipe with quinoa and can’t say for sure but think it will work. We’d love to know how it goes if you give it a try.