I was looking for some new horizons to cook for stay at home Covid-19 dinners and hit on Hungarian Goulash. But it wasn’t quite right, I realized, as I began exploring the possibilities. I loved the idea of tons of Paprika, and I will come back to Goulash at some point, but along the way I zeroed in on Chicken Paprikash.
Perfect: hit the spot!
Ingredients (6 Servings)
Preparation
Take sour cream out of fridge so it will be close to room temp when you need it. This makes for a smoother sauce that won’t “break”.
Heat the butter (or bacon grease) in a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Salt and pepper your chicken on both sides while the pan is heating.
Once it’s hot, brown the chicken on all sides and transfer to a plate. It’ll take 8-10 minutes to brown the chicken.
Add the onions and fry until the onion is golden brown.
Add the Bell pepper, garlic, and tomatoes and fry another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Paprika, Salt, and Pepper (Cayenne too if you’re using it). Note, it’s important to remove from heat as the Paprika gets bitter if it is scorched.
Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 40 minutes.
Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream and cream mixture to form a smooth paste.
Stir the cream into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps.
Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then return the chicken to the sauce and simmer a few minutes to heat through.
Typically, you’d serve Chicken Paprikash over Hungarian nokedli which is similar to German Spetzle. I like to serve mine over rice.