Nana's Chicken Paprikash

Try these desserts with Chicken Paprikash!!

Bring all the hostages home.

My grandmother was a gourmet cook and my grandfather had Hungarian ancestry. Thus Chicken Paprikash was a dish that my grandmother and then my mother served frequently when I grew up. One of the most famous and traditional Hungarian dishes, this one pot recipe is made of simple and available ingredients, most likely originally a peasant dish, slow cooked in a rich and flavorful sauce, served over dumplings or egg noodles. Chicken breasts, because of the abundance of sauce, will not dry out and will stay and as moist as legs or thighs. While many paprikash recipes contain sour cream, because my house is kosher, I do not mix meat and dairy. Feel free to add the sour cream if you like. Because bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini were added, this is a complete meal—no need to add anything else except desert! Now that the cooler weather is approaching, Chicken Paprikash is back on my table!

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In The Paperboy and the Spinster, set from 1955-58 in a small town on Long Island, a paperboy goes door to door to collect the subscription money. The setting is what so many consider an idyllic era and place. Yet as Leonard Lewis learns, after three years of delivering papers, “You never know what goes on behind closed doors.” This is a heartwarming and heartbreaking coming-of-age story of Leonard, 12-year-old paperboy, who thinks to himself, “I used to want to grow up. Lately, I haven’t been so sure. An awful lot of grownups didn’t seem so happy.”

Nana’s Chicken Paprikash

Yield: Serves 3

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 chicken legs, thighs or breasts

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon potato starch

1 large onion, sliced

2 bell peppers, colors of choice, deseeded and chopped

1 zucchini, unpeeled and sliced

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 14-ounce can (500 g) crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1-2 cups broad egg noodles

Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of a Dutch oven. Turn heat to medium high.
Combine paprika, salt, pepper and potato starch in a small container. Place chicken in a pan and sprinkle paprika mix over both sides. Place chicken into Dutch oven and sear each piece for about 5-7 minutes each side. Take out and reserve on a plate.
Slice onion, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic.
Place onion into same pot as chicken was seared and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. They should be soft and translucent. Then, add the bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic into the pot as well. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Place chicken back in pot. Re-season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.
Add half the parsley and the tomatoes. Use tongs to nestle chicken into the tomatoes. Add broth, which should almost cover the chicken.
Bring the pot to a boil, then lower to a simmer and loosely cover the pot. Cook for a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer the chicken is cooked, the more tender it will be. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid. If not, add more broth or water. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve with egg noodles.