By Cat, Feb 12, 2020 (image, right, from Wikipedia)
Chicken Paprikash
I love trying new dishes, especially ones of foreign origin. This wonderful dish comes from Hungary. Typically the dish is casserole-like, with a savory and spicy sauce (similar to goulash) accompanied with dumplings or egg noodles.
But the recipe from which I have made this adaptation is devoid of the traditional sauce; instead, the well-seasoned chicken pieces are roasted on a sheet pan (I use my cast iron skillet) with roasting potatoes and onion, then drizzled with a pan-drippings and sour cream sauce when served, and accompanied with buttered egg-noodles or dumplings/gnocchi on the side.
My first test of this recipe revealed that the onions are delicious, but potatoes don’t really work well with the paprikash seasonings, so I recommend using just the buttered noodles/dumplings/gnocchi instead of potatoes.
- Includes: 1. Full-recipe (serves 2 – 4); 2. Half-recipe (serves 1 – 2).
- See also: 1. Poultry & Fowl Menu; 2. Eastern European Ethnic Menu;
Chicken Paprikash, Oven Roasted
I’ve adapted this from a recipe originally in the Chicago Tribune, by Jean Marie Brownson (1). Use absolutely fresh paprika, preferably sweet paprika for this recipe; it should be bright red with a rich aroma. If it’s pale orange and flavorless, do not use it; wait until you can get a newly opened jar of Hungarian sweet paprika.
In addition to the potatoes roasted with the chicken, you can also serve this with buttered, broad noodles or gnocchi. Yes, gnocchi are Italian, but I think they are a good accompaniment, similar to the dumplings typically served with paprikash in Hungary.
The original recipe uses 6 large (6-oz) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to serve 3 – 6; I’ve adapted it to serve 2 – 4 so I can use my 10″ cast iron pan for roasting the chicken in my oven; or half recipe to serve 1 – 2, and use a 8″ cast iron pan.
Takes about 90 minutes total, from start to finish: 25 – 30 min prep, 45 – 50 minutes cooking time for chicken and sour cream sauce, and about 5 minutes for the noodles/gnocchi. The chicken, onions and sauce are delicious – very flavorful!
About potatoes in original recipe (1): As a result of testing, I conclude the added yellow Finn potatoes are not the best for this dish – the flavor of potato doesn’t work well with the seasonings; buttered gnocchi or noodles would be better, as well as more traditional. I’ve removed the potatoes from the recipe, but should you want to try them:
- Full recipe uses 3 – 6; half recipe uses 1 – 3 skin-on potatoes.
- Leave skin-on but scrub it well, then
- Cut lengthwise into quarters and arrange in pan with chicken and onion before the spice mix is sprinkled over.
About Noodles/Gnocchi: Buttered extra-wide egg-noodles or small dumplings are traditional with this dish. Gnocchi, an Italian pasta that resembles dumplings are my choice as an accompaniment to Paprikash.
About cast iron skillet/pan: If you don’t have one large enough, you can use a large rimmed baking sheet (as in the original recipe (1); however, it isn’t as easy to use on stovetop when making the sauce so you may want to scrape-up bits of skin, etc from bottom of baking sheet and transfer along with the juices to a fry-pan or saucepan. CAUTION: Don’t place any pan in the hot oven that is not intended for oven use.
Ingredients & Equipment (full recipe, serves 2 – 4)
- Chicken
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or other pieces), about 1½ pounds total (preferably brined)
- 1 medium, 6 ounce sweet onion (such as Walla-Walla onion), or more – so flavorful with the paprika
- Seasoning:
- 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced; or ½ tsp garlic powder
- 3 – 4 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
- 1 tsp unrefined sea salt, or to taste (omit if you brined the chicken)
- scant ½ tsp hot paprika or ⅛ – ¼ tsp cayenne
- 2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Sauce:
- ⅓ cup filtered water OR 2 Tbsp dry white wine (I use dry vermouth) plus water to fill the ⅓ cup
- 2 – 3 Tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche (I use Daisy-brand sour cream because it doesn’t have any additives.
- Cat’s Note: I’m eating keto so use 4 – 5 Tbsp sour cream
- Fresh, flat-leaf parsley for garnish
- Buttered noodles or gnocchi (optional – I don’t include this when doing keto)
- Filtered, salted water
- 8 ounces, extra broad egg noodles or 24 – 30 frozen gnocchi
- 2 Tbsp real butter
- Equipment:
- heavy-duty 8″ – 10″ cast iron skillet/fry pan (for use in oven and on stove-top)
- small cup/bowl for mixing garlic, spices and herbs
- tool for scraping browned bits from roasting sheet/pan
- saucepan for cooking the noodles/gnocchi
Ingredients & Equipment (half-recipe, serves 1 – 2)
- Chicken
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or other pieces), ~¾ pounds total (preferably brined)
- ½ medium, 6 ounce sweet onion (such as Walla-Walla onion), or more – so flavorful with the paprika
- Seasoning:
- 1 – 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced; or rounded ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 – 2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano or marjoram
- ½ tsp unrefined sea salt, or to taste (omit if you brined the chicken)
- ¼ tsp hot paprika or 1 pinch or so cayenne
- 1 – 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Sauce:
- ¼ cup filtered water OR 1½ Tbsp dry white wine (I use dry vermouth) plus water to fill the ¼ cup
- 1½ – 2 Tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche (I use Daisy-brand sour cream because it doesn’t have any additives.
- Cat’s Note: I’m eating keto so double the amount of sour cream
- Fresh, flat-leaf parsley for garnish
- Buttered noodles or gnocchi (optional – I don’t include this when doing keto)
- Filtered, salted water
- 4 ounces, extra broad egg noodles or 12 – 16 frozen gnocchi
- 3 Tbsp real butter
- Equipment:
- heavy-duty 6″ – 8″ cast iron skillet/fry pan (for use in oven and on stove-top)
- small cup/bowl for mixing garlic, spices and herbs
- tool for scraping browned bits from roasting sheet/pan
- saucepan for cooking the noodles/gnocchi
Method (both recipe sizes):
- Chicken:
- Brine chicken pieces 60 – 90 minutes (optional).
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F (conventional oven), or 400°F (convection oven).
- Prep: Remove chicken pieces from brine and pat dry. Place in cast iron skillet/pan (or on large-rimmed baking sheet). CAUTION: Don’t place any pan in the hot oven that is not intended for oven use.
- Cut onion in half, then slice each half into thin wedges. Arrange around chicken pieces.
- Mince garlic cloves and place in small cup or bowl (or use garlic powder). Add salt (not needed if you brined the chicken), sweet paprika, oregano/marjoram, and hot paprika/cayenne to the cup/bowl and mix well.
- Sprinkle the herb/spice mix over all sides of chicken, potatoes and onion; drizzle olive oil over all.
- Roast: Place pan in warmed oven to roast for 20 minutes, then stir vegetables well. Continue roasting until chicken juices run clear and chicken pieces have reached 160°F, about 20 – 25 minutes more.
- Transfer chicken and vegetables to serving platter.
- Sauce: Set sheet-pan or cast iron skillet over a burner and turn heat to medium. Stir ⅓ cup water (or water/wine mix) into pan; bring to a boil, scraping-up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- When it comes to a boil, remove pan from heat. Stir in sour cream and season with salt to taste (if needed).
- Drizzle pan sauce over the chicken and vegetables on serving platter. Garnish with parsley and serve with buttered noodles or gnocchi
- Buttered Noodles or Gnocchi: (optional)
- Heat a large saucepan of salted water to boil.
- Cook noodles/gnocchi:
- Noodles: Add extra-broad egg noodles to the water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain off the water.
- Frozen gnocchi: Do not thaw before using; add them, frozen, to the boiling water; cook 1 – 2 minutes, just until they begin to float. Drain off the water.
- Add butter (to noodles or gnocchi): Add 2 Tbsp real butter, tossing to melt the butter.
- Season with salt and serve.
- Reheat Leftovers:
Corningware Square Baking dish
-
- Paprikash:
- Single serving: Let it warm at room temp about 20 minutes, then reheat in my 300 – 325F oven, using a small, single-serving casserole dish with glass lid, such as Corning Ware (pictured right – without lid – from Wikimedia Commons).
- More than a single serving: Reheat in oven, using a larger deep Corning Ware casserole dish with glass lid; or on stovetop using a heavy-bottomed saucepan with lid, over a simmer plate.
- Buttered noodles/gnocchi: I recommend making only enough for each meal, as gnocchi will fall apart upon reheating, and noodles will get overcooked.
- Paprikash:
Testing:
Testing 3/14/20: Used 10″ cast iron chicken fry-pan/skillet. Made full recipe using 4 bone-in, skin-on thighs, brined, 1 yellow Finn potato (quartered), 1 med onion (wedges); Seasoning: ½ rounded tsp garlic powder. 3 T paprika, 1 tsp salt each and marjoram, ⅛ tsp cayenne. Drizzled w 3 Tbsp olive oil. Into preheated 425°F oven at 6:30 PM; roasted 20 min (’til 6:50 PM), stirred and sprinkled with a bit more garlic; Back into oven at 6:55 PM; checked again after 20 min (7:15 PM), potatoes are almost done, everything is bubbling in the juices, but thighs are large and need more time. Checked again after 10 min (7:25 PM); chicken pieces had reached 160F; total 50 min in oven. Removed to platter. For sauce, used ⅓ cup water/vermouth mix and 4 Tbsp sour cream. Added about ½ tsp tapioca starch to thicken, as there was a fair amount of fat in the sauce. Poured over chicken and veggies, and served. Did not make buttered noodles/gnocchi, but did serve with a small Greek salad and braised green beans. Result: Chicken, onions and sauce are wonderfully delicious. But I don’t think potatoes are the best addition to the dish. A side of buttered gnocchi would be much better. I made buttered gnocchi for the remaining servings and ditched the potatoes. Much better! I removed potatoes from the recipe, but include them in a note just before the recipe, should you want to give them a try.
