Chicken Paprikash

I first had Chicken Paprikash when a chef I was working for made it for our kitchen's family meal. It was such an easy process and it turns out this really feel-good meal. I tend to forget about how simple and delicious this recipe is- but once I make it again- it gets added to my recipe circulation for a few months. This is my first time making it in over two years though and I must say- it was delicious. And the kids I babysit for loved it also! It's a great week night meal to add to your routine. 

Chicken Paprikash 

Fridge:

2-3 lbs of chicken (I used a combo of chicken tenders for the kids and drumsticks for the adults) 

2/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tbs butter 

6 oz white button mushrooms, sliced 

1/2 red pepper, julienned (about a cup or so) 

1/2 green pepper, julienned (about a cup or so) 

1 tbs Italian parsley, minced 

Counter:

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, sliced thin 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

Few lemon slices (optional) 

Pantry:

1 tbs olive oil 

2 cups chicken broth 

1 1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika 

1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika 

1/3 cup ap flour plus 1 tbs 

1 tsp salt 

Fresh pepper to taste 

Tools:

2 medium mixing bowls

Whisk 

Wooden spoon/spatula 

Tongs 

Measuring cups/spoons

Casserole dish 

Large oven proof pot 

Ladle or large spoon 

Cutting board

Chopping knife 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In medium mixing bowl- add 1/3 cup flour, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. 

Toss the chicken pieces into the flour mixture. Coat them well. 

Heat the large ovenproof pot over medium to high heat on the stovetop. Add the olive oil and 1/2 tbs of butter. Allow to melt but make sure the butter does not burn. 

Add chicken pieces in batches to the pot- cooking each side until there is a nice sear or color to it. I cooked the drumsticks first because they take longer. Add each chicken batch to the casserole dish and place in the oven to continue cooking while you make your sauce. 

Once chicken has been slightly cooked and place into oven- add the remaining 1 tbs of butter to the pot. Do not clean pot unless you burned the chicken. Turn stovetop down to medium at this point. Add the onions slices and garlic to the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes- allowing the onions to caramelize a bit. 

Next add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the red and green peppers and then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of ap flour. Mix well and then pour the chicken broth over everything. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

In the other medium mixing bowl, add the sour cream. Using a ladle or large spoon, add some of the hot cooking liquid to the sour cream. Whisk them well. Continue to do this slowly as you need to bring up the sour cream temperature- aslo called tempering it. This will help stop the sour cream from curdling. Once the sour cream is slightly warm- you can add the entire bowl to the simmering pot. Continue to stir as it comes back to a gentle simmer. 

Add the remaining 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 1tsp of hot paprika and fresh pepper to taste. Mix well. 

The chicken can be removed from the oven and added to the sauce at this point. You have two choices- to allow it to simmer for 15 more minutes on the stovetop- while stirring occasionally or pop the entire pot, covered, into the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Once sauce and chicken have melded for a bit- remove from heat and get ready to serve. 

Just before serving add the Italian parsley and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top if you like. 

Traditionally this is served with spaetzle- which is sort of a mix between dumplings and pasta. But I just use egg noodles when I serve it. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!! Xo