(I’ve Nothing to Fear) Chicken Paprikash

STORY

I had an unnatural, unwarranted fear of Hungarian food. A fear that was reinforced by the fact that certain words in Hungarian didn’t sound appetizing to me. As a child I kept associating goulash with galoshes. And paprikash, was just lumped into things that sounded, and therefore tasted, yucky (succotash!). And so, for the better part of my life, I had the misfortune of not trying chicken paprikash, and beef goulash (more on that later).

Which was a great tragedy, because, boy is chicken paprikash good.  When I finally mustered the courage to try it, I couldn’t forgive myself for the years I lived without eating this delicious dish. Savory, sweet, and so filling. I like to cook this on a cold winter night. Or one of those dark and stormy nights, when I don’t want to bother with a difficult meal. After all, with chicken paprikash, I’ve got nothing to fear.

RECIPE

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 45  minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes

TOOLS

• 8-inch chef knife
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 small spoon
• cutting board
• oven-safe casserole dish
• tong
• oven
• kitchen timer
• meat thermometer

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion
1/2 chopped tomato
1/4 cup of chicken stock
1 tbsp of butter
1 clove of garlic (crushed and chopped)
1 tbsp of fresh Dill (chopped), extra for garnishing
2 chicken thighs (patted dry, with skin intact)
1 tbsp of sweet paprika
1/2 tsp of hot paprika
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp of sour cream

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 450° F/ 230° C.
2. Using 8-inch chef knife, thinly slice onion into half moon pieces.
3. Place onion and chopped tomato in casserole dish.
4. Pour chicken stock over onion and tomato.
5. Use tongs and place chicken thighs in casserole dish on top of onion and tomato mixture.
6. In a small mixing bowl combine, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 crushed and chopped clove of garlic, and 1 tbsp of fresh, chopped dill. Stir until combined.
7. Carefully lift the chicken skin with your fingers and spread the butter and garlic mixture under the skin.
8. Wash your hands, and salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs.
9. Generously sprinkle sweet and hot paprika over chicken thighs on both sides.
10. Place casserole dish in oven and bake at 450° F/ 230° C for 10 minutes (set a timer so that you remember.)
11. Lower the oven temperature to 375° F/ 190° C and cook for an additional 35 minutes. (Check and make sure chicken’s internal temperature is 175° F/ 80°C).
12. Once chicken has baked, remove from oven, and stir in 1 tbsp of sour cream into sauce.
13. Garnish with dill, and serve with a nice piece of crusty bread.

(Photo Credit: Matthew G. Piccolo)