Country Captain Chicken

Cook the bacon: In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it's browned and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon; reserve the fat in the Dutch oven.

Coat the chicken: While the bacon cooks, in a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the curry powder. Dust the chicken thighs in the flour mixture until they're evenly coated; discard the remaining flour mixture.

Brown the chicken: Return the reserved drippings to medium-high heat. Place the coated thighs, skin-side down, in the Dutch oven. Cook, undisturbed, until the chicken skin is crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent over-browning. Transfer the partially-cooked chicken to a plate.

Make the sauce: Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to the now-empty pot. Cook, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining 4 teaspoons curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice and the raisins.

Finish cooking the chicken: Bring the tomato mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the sauce, adding any accumulated juices from the plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring the tomato mixture around the chicken occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the chicken registers at least 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice and garnish with almonds, if using, and reserved chopped bacon.