Chicken Paprikás
Popular Hungarian dish of stewed chicken and onions in a rich, paprika-infused sauce.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken
- 4 Tbsp lard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 onions, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced optional
- 1 green or red bell or Hungarian pepper, chopped optional
- 4 Tbsp Hungarian paprika, divided sweet édes nemes
- 4 roma tomatoes, diced optional
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sour cream best with full fat sour cream
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 pound spaetzle or Hungarian nokedli
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into pieces and pat dry. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Melt lard in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides. Remove to another dish.
- Sautee onions until glossy but not brown; add the garlic, bell pepper and 2 tablespoons of the paprika. Turn down the heat so the paprika doesn't burn and cook another minute more.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and water; mix. Bring the vegetables to a simmer.
- Turn the heat down to low and place the chicken pieces in the pot. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the remaining paprika on the chicken; save the final tablespoon for the other side of the chicken pieces.
- Cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Add more water if necessary, checking periodically.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, heavy cream and flour; stir until smooth.
- Meanwhile, cook spaetzle or noodles. Drain when done.
- Flip the chicken pieces over in the pot. Season with remaining tablespoon of paprika. Cover and contine to simmer another 10 minutes or until tender.
- Remove the chicken pieces to a serving dish or platter.
- Ladle a few spoonsful of sauce into the bowl of sour cream; stir to temper it. Adding cold cream to a hot, acidic sauce will cause it to curdle.
- Stir the tempered cream mixture into the sauce until blended. Cook for a few minutes uncovered, simmering but not boiling. The sauce will thicken somewhat.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces. Serve chicken and sauce over or beside cooked noodles. Garnish with extra sour cream and paprika.
Notes
The garlic, peppers and tomatoes are optional in this recipe. I think they add depth of flavor to the dish. If you use tomatoes, you may prefer to peel them first; peeling them is optional, too. The only obligatory, truly traditional ingredients in chicken paprikas are the chicken, onion, paprika and sour cream.