Chicken Paprikash is a dish of Hungarian origin and one of the most famous Hungarian stews. Chicken Paprikash was my father-in-law’s favorite meal yet his favorite food was potatoes. So sometimes, my mother-in-law would add potatoes to the pot as well, to make for a very starchy and scrumptious treat. This recipe is to honor my father-in-law’s memory by celebrating with food.
Chicken Paprikash
Servings
5 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs split into legs and thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium Spanish onions thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons paprika I like to mix sweet and hot
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cup chicken broth
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ cup water beer, or chicken broth
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or schmaltz
- Garnish: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat ⅛ inch of evoo over medium heat in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven. Brown chicken pieces on all sides. Add onion, garlic, paprika, flour, and broth. Cover and braise in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Dumplings:
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
- In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, water, eggs, salt, and evoo with a fork to create a smooth and thick dough.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough into boiling water. Cover, decrease heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes until floating and fluffy.
- Spoon dumplings into serving bowls or plates and top with chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley.
I made this for Shabbos and it was really good. Now on to the next country (TBD by the wife).
I was raised in a household ‘governed’ by a my step-dad’s Hungarian mother, and I enjoyed a version of this without the dumplings.
Later, when I was an adult and running a Renaissance Festival business, I would make this while living on the festival grounds (we had electricity in our live-in booth.)
I would load up the crockpot with whole chicken leg quarters; sliced onions, carrots, and potatoes; and season simply with salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, basil, and a little garlic powder. Topped with water, and cooked all day while I worked on my business.
I usually shared this with a sweet elderly woman who also had a live-in booth near my own.
Great memories…
I haven’t had this dish in such a long time. Our next door neighbor, a Hungarian woman whom we called “Aunt Kate” made it and I remember it being absolutely wonderful. Nice memories for me.
It is a very touching story, and I am sorry for your loss. The dish looks delicious, but it is definitely not a traditional Hungarian chicken paprikash. I am from Hungary and I love that dish. It is a very easy recipe, also suitable for pesach, because the original does not contain any flour, but chicken, onions, garlic, paprika powder, fresh paprika (bell pepper), oil and water. The non-kosher and very Hungarian version contains sour cream as well. I like your recipe so I will try it as well, but I gonna figure out a new name for it. 🙂
Yummy looking recipe-can’t wait to try it. Loving tribute to your father-in-law. Sounds like he knew food nourishes the soul!