Chicken Paprikas

Csirkepaprikas



My parents arrived about 4:00pm. They'd flown in to Boston, rented a car, and driven up to Nashua, New Hampshire where I was living at the time. If they'd flown in to the Manchester airport I would have picked them up, but I rank driving in Boston right up there with having a root canal -- and the worst bit of Boston driving is to and from the airport. So I made them drive.

It could have been worse. Although it was bitterly cold, it had quit snowing the day before so the roads were clear, and Christmas was still a couple of days off so the traffic was no worse than usual. They were going to spend the night at my house and then we were driving up to my brother's house in Vermont for Christmas.

I'd had to work the day they arrived (although I left early) and I didn't want to dash home and cook dinner. I wanted to show them my new house, sit down and a have a cocktail or two in front of the fire, visit a bit, and then whenever we were hungry just set the table and eat. All things considered, some sort of stew or soup that I could make a day or two before seemed the best bet. But what kind of soup or stew?

I knew they'd like whatever I fixed, but I wanted something a bit out of the ordinary: Something that satisfied one's expectations for soup or stew and still managed to surprise. I had just the dish -- Chicken Paprikas.

It's a solid, rib-sticking, savory meal that, like many such dishes, improves with age. It's also unusual with its spikey flavors of paprika and dill rounded off with sour cream. I figured on a cold winter night after a day in airports and planes it would be perfect on noodles with a salad. It was.

Chicken Paprikas (Csirkepaprikas)

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs -- cut into 1" cubes
5 tbsp olive oil -- separated
1/2 lb mushrooms -- sliced
1 ea onion -- diced
1 ea sm ripe bell pepper -- cut into 1/2" x 2" strips
2 cloves garlic -- sliced
1 c chicken stock
1/3 c white wine
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika
salt and pepper
1/4 c minced fresh dill
1 c sour cream

Liberally season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown chicken 1/2 of chicken and reserve on a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and brown remaining chicken. Reserve.

Add another tablespoon of oil and sauté mushrooms until they begin to brown. Add onions and peppers and cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute.

Add white wine to pot and reduce, scraping up the browned bits. Return chicken to the pot along with chicken stock, paprika, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low -- do not allow to boil. Cook at a medium simmer for one hour. Stir in dill and serve over egg noodles with a dollop of sour cream. Serves 6.

The next day dawned clear and we had a beautiful drive through snow-covered contryside to the cabin on a lake where my brother and his family lived. It was a good visit.

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