Day 8 Blogtoberfest - Keeping it in the Family (Chicken Paprikash Recipe)

For dinner on Sunday I made chicken paprikash. It's a Hungarian dish: chicken and dumplings in a paprika and sour cream sauce.

I've been eating this dish since I can remember.  My great grandma made it, my grandma made it, my mother makes it and now I make it. Its the one dish that all three of my children unequivocally love.

As I was standing at the stove I had a bit of a moment. My great grandmother and grandmother are no longer here so only my mother and I are left to make this dish (I've never known my sister to make it). If I wasn't here would my children know how to make it?

So I called my oldest (age 11) into the kitchen and said to him "Do you know how to make chicken paprikash?"And he replied "sorta." So I made him tell me the ingredients and the steps for making it.

As he shared what he knew, I found myself adding details here and there, sharing the small differences between how my great grandma, grandma, mother and I made/make it and some tips I have picked up over the years in making it.

When we had finished talking through the recipe, my oldest asked why I had wanted to know. And I told him that it was a dish that was important to our family (part of our heritage and traditions) and I wanted to make sure that we were keeping it in the family; that he and his sisters would be able to make it for their families. He told me not to worry:)  Cyndy


Chicken Paprikash

• 1 kg chicken legs and thighs with the skin on
• 1 onion chopped finely
• 1-2 fresh tomatoes diced
• 2-3 heaping tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• water
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
• green pepper (capsicum) slice thinly

Pull some of the skin off the chicken and brown with chopped onions. After about 5 minutes remove chicken skin and add chicken pieces (most with skin still on) and brown chicken.

Once chicken has been browned, add water to just cover chicken pieces, paprika, salt, diced tomatoes and simmer gently with the lid on for 50-60 minutes or until chicken begins to fall off the bones.

Remove chicken pieces from broth. In a glass or small bowl mix flour and some of the broth. Keeping adding broth until a smooth and silky texture is achieved. Add this back into the broth and stir until well incorporated. Make sure there are no lumps.

Next place the sour cream in the glass or small bowl and add some of the broth. Keep adding broth until a smooth silky texture is achieved. Add this back into the broth and stir until well incorporated. Make sure there are no lumps.

Add the chicken pieces back into the broth. Add the dumplings and simmer until warm all the way through. Just before serving add some green pepper slices.
 
Dumplings

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1-2 tablespoons water

Place flour in a bowl. Add salt and mix together. Make a well and crack the egg into well. Mix egg into flour using a fork. When you have achieved a crumbly mixture add 1 Tablespoon of water. Continue to mix using fork. Switch to using your hands to mix/knead the dough and add water in small amounts until mixture begins to form a ball.

Dough should be well mixed and begin to appear slightly shiny. Drop small pieces of the dough into boiling water (I use a small spoon or you can use a knife to cut off small pieces) and remove when they float to the surface (this should take about 30-45 seconds). Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place directly into the Chicken Paprikash or place into a covered bowl to add them later.

Note: I generally make 2-3 batches of dumplings for the Chicken Paprikash recipe above. I make the dumplings in small batches as I have found that the dough does not come out well mixed or with the right texture when I make it in larger batches.

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