Chicken Paprikash

In the 19^th century Hungarian cooks discovered a secret ingredient for their stews. Expensive black pepper got replaced by humble paprika, growing abundantly in Hungarian gardens for hundreds of years. Paprika transformed simple peasant dishes into staple delicacies and Csirke Paprikas soon rose to fame by simmering in households all over the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A whole century later the original recipe still remains unchanged. Thanks to my Mum’s philosophy: you can't go wrong with paprikash, it was the first dish I ever learned how to prepare.

 

Ingredients:

Serves 4

6-8 whole chicken thighs (child friendly version: skinless and boneless tights cut into pieces)

1 big white onion, finely chopped

5 tablespoons sunflower oil (originally cooked with lard)

1 red pepper halved (chop the stem off and take out the membranes with seeds)

3 tbsp ground sweet paprika

Salt

200 ml water (if you cook with skinless/boneless meat use chicken stock for more intense flavour)

Serving suggestion: Paprikash and Spaetzle are a marriage made in heaven. Even simple egg noodles or puffs (as pictured) would beat by a mile any type of dry pasta.

Note: Don’t be shy to cook with lard (if you can get your hands on it). It’s pure and natural and adds deeper flavour to the dish. Goose or duck fat would also work a treat in this recipe.

Method:

1. In the oil (or lard) first sauté the onion. When the onion is evenly translucent add the chicken. Turn your heat up high and brown the meat while stirring constantly.
2. Add salt, ground paprika, mix well and top up with the liquid. Let it quickly boil and then turn down the heat to low, cover and let it simmer. After 10 minutes add pepper pieces and cook for another 20 - 30 minutes. Check the meat for tenderness.
3. Take out the pepper halves before serving. Top each portion with a pinch of fresh chopped parsley and a generous spoonful of sour cream.

Important fact: 

Coating the chicken in ground paprika before cooking is a recipe for disaster, as soon as the meat hits the hot pan the paprika will burn and turn bitter.