Chicken Paprikash

True story:  I spent days eating this and then spent a full fifteen minutes this morning wondering why I gained four pounds.

I had forgotten all about chicken paprikash (can you believe that?) until my friend MK reminded me. THANKS MK. Thanks, MK, for the four pounds and reminding me of another use for sour cream. 

My grandmother made a version of chicken paprikash, with a lot less spice.  And much more cream. I don't know if that was a preference, a reflection of the availability of cream, the expense of spice or a regional quirk. It was made with an eggy spaetzel (called nokedli in Magyar).

I liked this recipe very much from A Full Measure of Happiness. It felt closer to my version of authentic, without strange peppers and whatnot. 

Chicken Paprikash (serves 6-8 people)

• 2 lbs chicken (traditionally, you would use drumsticks and thighs. I used drumsticks and a big, fat, chicken breast to health it up a little)
• 1 large or two small onions
• 2-3 T paprika
• salt and pepper
• 6 C water or chicken stock -- or a combination
• 1/4 C flour
• Sour cream

For the nokedli

• 6 eggs
• 2 C flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking powder

1.  Cover chicken parts with paprika.  Brown in a big sturdy dutch oven.

2.   Toss in diced onions, brown slightly.

3.  I added chicken stock.  Simmer, simmer, simmer for a couple hours til the meat falls off the bone.

4.  Now, this is where I differed from Full Measure of Happiness. I separated the meat/bone from the liquid, picked off the meat to return to the pot AND poured all the liquid through a fat separator. Not to save calories -- but reducing the amount of fat will increase the flavor intensity of the sauce.

5.  Simmer, simmer, simmer.  Thicken with flour/water  OR potato starch and water.

6.  For the nokedli,  combine all the ingredients  and drop by the spoonful into a pot of boiling water until the noodles float.  Remove with a slotted spoon. You may need a few rounds.

7.  Serve this lovely chicken stew over a big scoop of nokedli with a dollop of sour cream. I used to mix the sour cream in -- until I was informed that not everyone likes sour cream. I know, a day without sour cream is like a day without sunshine. I don't understand it either. 

 

And, man, did this get me like a punch straight to the heart. One million memories. I think it's absolutely wonderful.  My husband described it as a "Big Bowl of Awesome."  But me, I wasn't quite sure if I was tasting the food or the nostalgia.  

I don't know if this is authentic, but it's authentic to me.