Chicken Paprikash

One of my pet peeves about recipes blogs is the long story about the journey to the recipe, so I promise to always keep it short, which likely defeats the purpose of a blog. But, hey, that’s me. People who know me, know that I am direct and to the point.

I found this recipe in the NY Times Cooking Section, but made modifications after cooking to accommodate my preferences. I also make some adjustments to ingredients which may ruin the traditional sense of the recipe. Sorry!

In this recipe, rather than serving over the traditional egg noodles, I chose to serve over a bed of Near East Couscous with a side of roasted Brussel Sprouts

Serving Size: 4 Adults

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons Sweet Hungarian paprika
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can crushed or whole tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup sour cream

PREPARATION

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. The original recipe said to do so “aggressively” which I did not realize was a cooking term. I would say salt and pepper generously.
2. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven at a medium heat on the stovetop, until the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pre-mix paprika and flour together in a small bowl. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, so mixture does not burn.
5. Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then place the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up.
6. Cook on stove top for an additional 20-25 minutes, with top on, over low heat.
7. Remove chicken and plate separately
8. Add sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over chicken