Chicken Paprikash

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I made this Chicken Paprikash for a Sunday dinner a few weeks back. It was a huge success, there wasn’t much left! I mentioned before, we reinstated the Sunday dinner in my house. It’s the only day of the week that we are usually all home together with no interruptions. No one has to rush off to work, we don’t usually make plans for Sundays, and we try not to run any errands on Sunday, unless it’s really important. I also try to avoid working on Sundays. I may crochet at night after the house is put back in order, laundry is done and the dishes from dinner are all picked up, but I try to save it for when everyone else has gone to bed. It’s all about family on Sunday!

It also gives me a chance to get in the kitchen and make a slow cooked meal from scratch. It’s hard to do that when you have a million things going on, and I do love my kitchen time. So this was our first Sunday dinner, and it was one for the books. Recipe books, that is.

This dish kind of reminds me of a hungarian version of Stroganoff. You have the earthy spices, the rich sauce, the tender meat and the tangy sour cream. You can serve this over noodles, but I prefer to serve it along side roasted red potatoes. I guess that’s the Irish in me. I can’t have a meal without potatoes. Well…I can…but why?

Even though this dish takes some time to prepare, and may have several steps, it’s actually simple. I have tried versions of this recipe that want to rush you through so you can make this a weeknight meal, but I advise against it. It’s just not the same. Save this recipe for a day when you know you’ll have the time, and you’ll be happy with the results.

If you don’t cook with paprika often, I have one tip for you: buy the good stuff. Do not put the cheap paprika in this recipe. Even the good stuff isn’t really that expensive, so it won’t break the bank to spend $6 on a tin of Szeged brand Hungarian Paprika. I used sweet paprika for this recipe, but if you want to add a kick you can use half sweet and half hot, or you can really kick it up and go all spicy. Whatever you like. Save the cheap stuff for sprinkling on your macaroni salads and french breads.

In the end, for all your time and effort, you’ll have a brilliantly colored dinner, full of flavor, and full of comfort. You’re going to the love the pinkish red color the paprika adds and the flavor? Amazing! Since Paprikash is a heavy dish, I served it with a garden salad and my homemade Ranch dressing. And of corse, roasted red potatoes. I followed it up with this icy-cold dessert - chocolate banana freezer pie.

Chicken Paprikash

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Serves	6
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	2 hours
Total time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3lb bone in chicken breasts
• 2-3 pinches salt and pepper (to season chicken with)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 3 medium garlic cloves (minced)
• 3 tablespoons Hungarian Paprika (sweet or hot, or a combination)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (low sodium is best)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I used wheat flour, and it was fine)
• 8oz container (sour cream)

Directions

Step 1

cut chicken breasts in half (cross wise) to make smaller pieces. Season each piece with a pinch of salt and pepper on all sides.

Step 2

In a large dutch oven or large stew pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.

Step 3

Brown chicken pieces in batches until evenly browned on the outside, but not cooked all the way through. About 5 minutes on each side.

Step 4

Remove chicken pieces, and set aside on a plater. Do not drain off fat from the pan.

Step 5

Add onion to the pan and sauté quickly until transparent.

Step 6

Add garlic and sauté a minute more, stirring to combine with the onions.

Step 7

Sprinkle in the paprika, stirring to coat the onion and garlic mixture.

Step 8

Add chicken broth to the pan slowly to deglaze. Scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan while stirring the broth in.

Step 9

Add canned tomatoes (including the juice from the can).

Step 10

Add chicken pieces back into the sauce mixture, making sure to poke the pieces down into the liquid. If you need more liquid, it's ok to add a little more broth or water. Make sure the chicken is at least half way submerged.

Step 11

Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook at a simmer for 1 hour.

Step 12

Check once or twice to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom and to stir the chicken pieces around.

Step 13

Once chicken has cooked for an hour, thicken the sauce if needed by mixing flour and a quarter cup cold chicken broth until flour is dissolved. Add the flour mixture to the sauce, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Step 14

Let simmer for 15 more minutes with the lid off to thicken.

Step 15

Once the sauce has thickened, turn the heat off and move the pot to a cold burner. Let the chicken and sauce cool ion the pot for about five to ten minutes before adding the sour cream as a final touch. Stir the sour cream in until smooth and creamy. Or, you can wait to add the sour cream, and instead serve it at the table for everyone to add themselves. I prefer to mix it in ahead.

Hope you enjoy!