As I mull over what dishes I ate on my recent Portugal vacation — and there were so many and such good food — that I can make in my Dutch oven, I thought I’d share a recipe from an exotic vacation that I didn’t get to go on. So we can be in the same boat for this week.
The best part about not getting to go on an international trip with my family is that they’ll bring back and share the recipes from their cooking class.
So, when my mom got back from her eastern European vacation last year, I got a PDF of the Hungarian dinner they had one night. Perfect since I’ve always wanted to make chicken paprikash.
I’d say it was almost like being there … but obviously not. Still, it was great to be able to try authentic food without leaving the house (other than to get groceries). Mom even was kind enough to buy extra paprika and send me some, so I had plenty on hand for the paprikash and an extra side dish (the Hungarian salsa!) I decided to make.
The paprikash was a delight. It was a little too saucy for me, but the chicken was slightly spicy and extra creamy, as I expected and hoped, and the really ugly dumplings I made based on the recipe to go with the chicken turned out good if incredibly ugly.
All in all, it was a good substitute for being there and a chance to enjoy some authentic Hungarian food without a lot of effort or the airfare. Now, you can too.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
For the paprikash
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 4 T. oil
- 4 t. salt (I probably used less!)
- 1 t. ground pepper (I probably used more!)
- 5 t. paprika powder (I split the mixture between smoky and spicy, but you do you)
- ~10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (the recipe calls for 6 bone-in legs but I like boneless)
- 12 oz. sour cream
- 1 T. flour
- Water
For the nokedli (dumplings)
(or use egg noodles or similar if feeling lazy)
- ~1 c. flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 t. Salt
- Water, as necessary (if mixture is dry)
Directions
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Take off heat and add salt, pepper, and paprika. Add about ½ c. water to keep the powder from burning. Place mixture back on heat, add the chicken, and pour water on top until just covered. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through (can probably check earlier if using boneless — I think I did about 35 minutes). Meanwhile, mix the flour and sour cream together.
Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the sour cream mixture. Bring to a boil again.
Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings by bringing a separate pot of water to a boil. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, flour, and salt, and adding water if necessary until a hard dough forms. Tear dough pieces and place in the boiling water, removing pieces as they float and are cooked through. Serve the chicken (and the sauce) with the nokedli, and enjoy!