Chicken Paprikash

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(from Bethany’s recipe box)

Serves 4

Use any combination of white and dark meat. For even cooking, halve breasts crosswise and separate leg quarters into thighs and drumsticks. Reduced-fat sour cream can be used in this recipe. We like to serve this chicken over egg noodles or rice.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces gave our Chicken Paprikash the best flavor of all the possibilities we tested. If left on, the skin imparted an unwelcome greasiness to the sauce. We easily remedied this by discarding the skin after browning the chicken.

We discovered that not all vegetables were right for this dish. Some were slimy, others added too much bulk, and many detracted from the sweetness of the paprika. Caramelized onions and red bell peppers worked best. We really needed to pile on the paprika before it became noticeable in our Chicken Paprikash. But in large quantities it tasted harsh and gritty. A bit of tomato paste offset the bitterness of the paprika while allowing us to include enough of the spice to do justice to the dish’s namesake.

Source: Cook's Country October/November 2009 (CC and CI collection)

Categories: Poultry

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken pieces, (see note)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup paprika, (see information at left)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup sour cream, (see note)

Directions

  1. BROWN CHICKEN Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin.

  2. COOK VEGETABLES Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and bring to boil.

  3. SIMMER CHICKEN Add browned chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until white meat registers 160°F (or dark meat registers 175°F), 20 to 25 minutes. Off heat, stir in sour cream until incorporated and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

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