Chicken Paprikash

posted in chicken/poultry on Aug 24, 2008

There are so many dishes that I’ve heard of frequently, and always mean to try, but somehow never get around to them. As soon as I saw this recipe for Chicken Paprikash in Peter’s blog, Kalofagas, I starred it. Paprikash is precisely one of those things–something I always hear about and know I would love, but have never eaten.

I was confident I would love Peter’s rendition of this dish because in addition to the delicious smoked paprika, it calls for a bay leaf. I love bay. I’m fairly certain you could simmer a jug of Clorox bleach with a bay leaf and I’d find it tasty.

I did use chicken thighs in this recipe instead of chicken breasts because I like the flavor better and they are a little more tender, but of course you could use breasts. The only thing I was missing from this recipe was the green pepper so rather than go out and buy one, I just used frozen tricolored peppers. Also, I’m sure roasted tomatoes are great in this recipe but I had some leftover canned crushed tomatoes from the day prior, so I used that in place of the cherry tomatoes.

Served over some egg noodles (and with a salad), this was a delicious and hearty meal. In fact, it was almost too hearty. This may be the first time neither my husband nor I could finish our dish. We came close. Really close. In fact, I definitely gorged myself because this was good stuff. I absolutely love the way this sauce turned out and this will definitely be made again. Next time, though, I plan to make it when it’s cool out because I think the 90 degree weather we were having the day I made this didn’t really “go” with this comforting, hearty dish. 🙂

Chicken Paprikash

Adapted from Kalofagas
Serves 2-4

3-4 chicken thighs, skin removed
flour, for dredging
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 oz. white wine (this is where freezing extra wine in ice cube trays comes in handy!)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1/4 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
1 scallion, sliced
salt and pepper

egg noodles, for serving

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then lightly dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken to the saute pan with lid/dutch oven and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken.

To the pot, add the onions, bell pepper, bay, & garlic, sauteing until the vegetables are tender. Deglaze with the wine, being sure to scrape up the browned bits and cook the wine off. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Once the sauce is at a boil, add the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional 10, until the sauce thickens. Take the pot off the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve over egg noodles and top with the sliced scallion.