Chicken Paprikash

This is one of those recipes that I've been meaning to write down for years because it's such a family classic! If I had to sum up Chicken Paprikash in just a few words, I'd say - Hungarian comfort food. My mom's family has been cooking big batches of this rich, rustic dish for family dinners since I can remember. My Aunt Rita is the keeper of the recipe I'd say. I cook it with her every chance I get when I'm visiting family! Each branch of the family tree puts their own little spin on it, and the recipe below is my contribution to the family recipe book. :)

For those of you who have never heard of Chicken Paprikash, it's basically chicken and dumplings in a sour cream and smoky paprika sauce made with sauteed onions, bacon, and tomatoes. The Galuska dumplings are doughy pillows of goodness. They're kind of like big hunks of pasta, a little firm. Basically - heaven. The paprika and bacon both give the dish an undeniable smoky flavor which is balanced by the tang of the sour cream. It's quite decadent, just like comfort food should be.

Now let's be honest - this dish isn't winning an beauty pageants. But take one bite, and you WILL NOT EVEN CARE because it's so delicious! It's rich, smoky, creamy, meaty, and satisfying. And don't be intimidated by the number of steps in this recipe! Each step is very easy, I promise!

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Chicken Paprikash

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen June-7-2016

This Hungarian comfort food brings together chicken and Galuska dumplings in a sour cream and smoky paprika sauce made with sauteed onions, bacon, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bone-in chicken breasts
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 batches Galuska (http://www.saucyjoceyskitchen.com/2016/06/galuska.html)
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley and a little sprinkle of paprika for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Slice bacon into ¼ inch pieces. Chop onion and tomato.3. The first phase of cooking takes place on the stove top. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove top until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate covered with paper towels. (If you have a Dutch oven or some other pot with a lid that can be used both on the stove top and in the oven, that’s ideal. If not, use a deep saucepan or pot on the stovetop and a different oven-safe dish in the oven for the second phase of cooking.)4. Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and black pepper on both sides. Cook chicken in the bacon fat in the pot for 5 minutes on each side, just to get the outside golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot.5. Sauté chopped onion and tomatoes in the bacon/chicken fat for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent.6. Add paprika, water, and cooked bacon to the pot and stir. Return chicken to the pot skin side up.7. Cover and move the pot to the oven (if you need to, switch contents to an oven safe dish) to bake for 15 minutes. 8. Prepare Galuska while the dish is baking in the oven.9. After 15 minutes of baking, take the top off the pot and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the interior of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees F.10. Pull the pot out of the oven and remove the chicken. Remove the meat from the bones and chop the meat in 1 – 2 inch chunks. Return meat to the pot. 11. Add sour cream to the pot and stir. Add Galuska and stir.12. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Top with a sprinkle of paprika and chopped parsley, and enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 1 hour 25 mins Total time: 1 hour 30 mins Yield: 5 servings

Note: Recipe inspired by "Paprika Chicken" in George Lang's "The Cuisine of Hungary"

Step 1 - 2: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice bacon into ¼ inch pieces. Chop onion and tomato.

Step 3: Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove top until crispy, about 8 minutes. Aaaaall of those little brown bits on the bottom are going to infuse the bacon flavor in the whole dish! Yum!

Step 3 continued: Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate covered with paper towels. 

Step 4: Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and black pepper on both sides.

Step 4 continued: Cook one side of the chicken in the bacon fat in the pot for 5 minutes....

Step 4 continued: Then cook the other side for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot.

Step 5: Sauté chopped onion and tomatoes in the bacon/chicken fat for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent. This is where those brown bits in the bottom of the pan from the bacon and the chicken come in! All of that smoky, meaty goodness gets absorbed into the onions and tomatoes.

Now for MORE smoky flavor! The paprika gives the dish such a deep flavor AND color.

Step 6: Add paprika, water, and cooked bacon to the pot and stir. Return chicken to the pot skin side up.

Step 7: Cover and move the pot to the oven (if you need to, switch contents to an oven safe dish) to bake for 15 minutes.

Step 8: Prepare Galuska while the dish is baking in the oven. Pictured here is 1/3 of a batch. You'll make 2 full batches!

Step 9: After 15 minutes of baking, take the top off the pot and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the interior of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees F.

This is what it looks like when the baking is done!

Step 10: Pull the pot out of the oven and remove the chicken. Remove the meat from the bones and chop the meat in 1 – 2 inch chunks. Return meat to the pot.

Step 11: Add sour cream to the pot and stir. Look at that beautiful color!

Step 11 continued: Add Galuska and stir.

Step 12: Taste and add additional salt if desired, sprinkle with some paprika and chopped fresh parsley, and DIG IN! This dish will absolutely warm your soul. It's so creamy and meaty and smoky but the tang of the sour cream balances those flavors very nicely. And the Galuska is the PERFECT vehicle for all the saucy deliciousness. Enjoy!