A while back I bought Hungarian paprika. Hungarian goulash is one of my favorite dishes, and I don’t think it really matters whether you use regular paprika or the Hungarian variety, but I like to feel like its authentic when I eat it.
So last week I bought a new book titled Food To Live By from the Earthbound Farm. As I was browsing through cookbooks trying to find something to cook for next week, I came across "Chicken Paprikash." It sounded yummy, but called for chicken breasts and chicken thighs, which I rarely use.
The ingredients list is long, and I glanced to make sure I had everything. I did, except for the chicken. At the grocery store, I decided thighs would be fine without the breasts since I’m using breasts for something else later in the week. So I bought an 8-pack of thighs.
Little did I know, I was supposed to purchase boneless, skinless thighs, but I didn’t. At first I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal just to cook them in the bones and skins, but then I realized this was a very saucy dish and gnawing on little chicken thighs covered in sauce wasn’t going to be that easy.
So I started deboning and removing skin. A very nasty process. I have to say, I’m not one to be easily grossed out by raw meat during the cooking process. I happily stick my hand up that turkey cavity every Thanksgiving, and sometimes on Christmas. I’ve also deboned whole chickens before, but only after it was cooked. The thigh thing was disgusting. It almost ruined dinner for me, but the peanut gallery said it was very tasty.
I say all of that, not to gross you out, but to stress the importance of reading the instructions. Buy boneless!
Chicken Paprikash
8 to 10 oz. boneless chicken thighs, cut into ½ inch strips
1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breast halves, cut into ½ inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbs garlic, minced
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ tsp hot Hungarian paprika (optional)
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat butter and oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through (about 5 minutes or so). Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Add onion to skillet and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Add chicken broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and add chicken back in. Cover skillet and simmer about 5 to 10 minutes.
Whisk flour into sour cream in small bowl. Add mixture to skillet and stir to blend. Cook over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not let sauce boil or sour cream will separate.
Add hot paprika, if using. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice or potatoes.
This dish was tasty, even after the chicken thigh grossness during preparation. But I still felt like it was missing something. Perhaps it needed vegetables in the dish. It was just chicken, chicken, chicken and then rice. If you like dishes like that, definitely try it. If not, try throwing in some veggies and let me know what happens.
So last week I bought a new book titled Food To Live By from the Earthbound Farm. As I was browsing through cookbooks trying to find something to cook for next week, I came across "Chicken Paprikash." It sounded yummy, but called for chicken breasts and chicken thighs, which I rarely use.
The ingredients list is long, and I glanced to make sure I had everything. I did, except for the chicken. At the grocery store, I decided thighs would be fine without the breasts since I’m using breasts for something else later in the week. So I bought an 8-pack of thighs.
Little did I know, I was supposed to purchase boneless, skinless thighs, but I didn’t. At first I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal just to cook them in the bones and skins, but then I realized this was a very saucy dish and gnawing on little chicken thighs covered in sauce wasn’t going to be that easy.
So I started deboning and removing skin. A very nasty process. I have to say, I’m not one to be easily grossed out by raw meat during the cooking process. I happily stick my hand up that turkey cavity every Thanksgiving, and sometimes on Christmas. I’ve also deboned whole chickens before, but only after it was cooked. The thigh thing was disgusting. It almost ruined dinner for me, but the peanut gallery said it was very tasty.
I say all of that, not to gross you out, but to stress the importance of reading the instructions. Buy boneless!
Chicken Paprikash
8 to 10 oz. boneless chicken thighs, cut into ½ inch strips
1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breast halves, cut into ½ inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbs garlic, minced
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ tsp hot Hungarian paprika (optional)
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat butter and oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through (about 5 minutes or so). Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Add onion to skillet and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Add chicken broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and add chicken back in. Cover skillet and simmer about 5 to 10 minutes.
Whisk flour into sour cream in small bowl. Add mixture to skillet and stir to blend. Cook over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not let sauce boil or sour cream will separate.
Add hot paprika, if using. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice or potatoes.
This dish was tasty, even after the chicken thigh grossness during preparation. But I still felt like it was missing something. Perhaps it needed vegetables in the dish. It was just chicken, chicken, chicken and then rice. If you like dishes like that, definitely try it. If not, try throwing in some veggies and let me know what happens.
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