Country Captain Chicken

1. Heat oven to 350F. Place water in small saucepan and boil over high heat. Place raisins in small bowl; pour enough boiling water over just to cover raisins. Let stand. In another small bowl, combine curry powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Reserve.
2. In large, oven-proof skillet, cook bacon pieces over medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon; place on paper towels and drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet. Add chicken to skillet and brown over medium-high heat, turning. (Add excess bacon fat if pan becomes too dry.) Remove chicken thighs to plate and set aside.
3. In same skillet, add carrots, bell peppers, onion and garlic; cook 6 minutes or until lightly softened. Add tomatoes, spice mixture, ginger, and raisins with the water. Simmer sauce to thicken, about 8 minutes. Place chicken thighs in sauce, skin-up. Tent skillet loosely with foil; transfer to middle rack of oven. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil from skillet; cook the further thicken sauce, about 15 minutes more.
4. Remove chicken from oven. Spoon rice on serving platter; top with chicken thighs and then with tomato sauce. Garnish with bacon pieces, almonds and parsley.

Adapted from The Lee Brothers Cookbook: Stories & Recipes from Southerners And Would-Be Southerners, by Matthew and Ted Lee, W.W. Norton, 2006.