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Chicken Paprikash

By Tom Landshof
(Modified from America's Test Kitchen)

Chicken, onions, butter, stock, paprika, salt, sour cream. That's about it, and all you need for one outstanding, tasty meal; chicken paprikash. Uncomplicated. Unpretentious. Easy and cooks up quickly too.

Paprikash is a traditional Hungarian stew made with chicken with paprika as the primary seasoning. Paprikash is usually served over egg noodles. Some people add tomatoes and peppers, some a lot more paprika, or more or less sour cream. Experiment with the amounts to find what works best for your taste. By the way, there is no single paprika pepper. The powdered spice we call paprika comes from a variety of peppers that range in intensity and flavor from the sweetest bells to the hottest chilies to smoked peppers.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2-2 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces, preferably thighs and legs (see notes)
salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian
1/2 teaspoon (or to taste), smoked paprika (see note)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 ounces gin

Preparation:

1. Salt the chicken pieces well and let them sit at room temperature while you cut the onions.
2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter and oil. When the butter is hot, pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and place them skin-side down in the pan. Let the chicken pieces cook 4-5 minutes on one side, until well browned, then turn them over and let them cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin.
3. Add the sliced onions to the sauté pan and cook them, stirring occasionally, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and bring to boil.
5. Add browned chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes to finish chicken. Add gin and stir in.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan. Allow the pan to cool for a minute and then slowly stir in the sour cream and add salt to taste. If the sour cream cools the sauce too much, turn the heat back on just enough to warm it through. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce. Serve.

Notes: This recipe calls for chicken with skin-on and bone-in, but this recipe will easily work with boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well, which we prefer. Use any combination of white and dark meat. For even cooking, halve breasts crosswise and separate leg quarters into thighs and drumsticks

Paprika will go flat and tasteless if it is too old. So check your paprika first, before starting this dish. This recipe is based on fresh paprika. If yours is not fresh, you will have to add more to achieve the right flavor. If you don’t have smoked paprika, don’t sweat it. Use more sweet paprika.