Hungarian Chicken Paprikash

Paprikás Csirke.

"Waiter, there is too much pepper on my Paprikash" ... Straight from the movie, When Harry Met Sally... "But I would be proud to partake of your Pecan Pie"....

We had no Pecan Pie to partake in, just the traditional Hungarian Chicken Paprikash. Another comforting case of food coma. Seriously, the Hungarian's really know how to eat. So Good. Another meal that Elie ate-up. Atta Girl Els. I think the experiment is settling in with her. She would have NEVER tried this last year, based on the look of it. So proud of her. Katy tried one bite and then settled into a bowl of cottage cheese. I was so tempted to sprinkle paprika on it, like our mom's used to do when they served that delicious pear halve placed on a lettuce leaf and topped with cottage cheese. But I ran out, using it in the Paprikash. Back to Penzie Spice I go tomorrow...for more Paprika!

This one-pot classic dish combines five key Hungarian ingredients -- onions, green peppers, tomatoes, paprika and sour cream. The soul of the Paprikash is the paprika, the Hungarian spice that accompanies most dishes in Hungary. We served this with whole wheat egg noodles. 

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash 

Makes 6 servings  Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut up (I used a pack of boneless chicken breasts)

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped 

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped or 1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes undrained

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon sweet or hot Hungarian paprika 

Salt and black pepper 

3/4 cup water 

1 cup sour cream 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation:

1. Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large skillet with a lid. Add onion and saute over low heat until translucent.

2. Add chicken pieces and brown lightly on both sides. Add green peppers, tomatoes, garlic and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 35 minutes or until chicken is tender (about 20 minutes if using only chicken breasts).

3. Remove chicken to a heated platter and keep warm. In a small bowl, mix sour cream with flour. Temper mixture with some of the pan juices. Return tempered sour cream mixture to pan and simmer until juices are thickened. Return chicken to pan to rewarm.

4. Portion into heated bowls or plates, and serve with boiled rice, nokedli, which are similar to German spaetzle. Or arrange on a platter of noodles for a family-style presentation. (I used whole wheat egg noodles)