Chicken Paprikash

Since I’m half Hungarian, I’d like to pretend that I’ve been making this dish since birth. The truth is I’ve only been making it for a few years. While you can make it spicy with the addition of cayenne or hot paprika, I like the way the onions and paprika mellow into a slightly sweet and smoky dish. Some dishes don’t need to be spicy hot!

This version uses chicken on the bone (I generally use thighs because they are so good and relatively inexpensive), but you can substitute boneless meat. The volume of onions will seem huge, but they cook down pretty quickly. The longer the onions braise, the more they melt into the sauce.

If you’re making this for a party, transfer the browned meat and onions to a crockpot and cook on low for several hours. I prefer using cut-up boneless thighs if I’m making this for a party.

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By Kassia Krozser Published: March 30, 2014

Yield: 4 - 6 Servings
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Ready In: 60 mins

Chicken paprikash is a great gluten-free dish that works as a hearty weekend meal, or is perfect for a party. Warning: you won't have leftovers if you let your friends taste this dish!

Ingredients

2 1/2 - 3 pounds whole cut-up chicken or your favorite pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
3 - 4 large white or yellow onion cut into half moons
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons paprika
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or deep skillet until the foaming stops. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until well-browned, about five minutes per side. A hot pan is essential to keep the skin from tearing when you turn the chicken.
Set the chicken aside and keep warm.
Add the sliced onions to the pan and stir to coat in the remaining fat. You will have a lot of onions -- don't worry, they cook down. Saute the onions over medium-high heat until they are light brown. You're not caramelizing them, but you want good, rich color and flavor from your onions.
Add the black, pepper, paprika and cayenne, if using, to the onions and saute for about a minute. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape up all the brown bits from the chicken and onions.
Nestle the browned chicken on top of the onion mixture, lower the heat, and let braise for 40 minutes to an hour. The longer you let the chicken cook, the more tender it becomes; it will fall off the bone at about the hour mark. The longer the onions cook in the liquid, the more they melt into the sauce.
Remove the chicken from the pot, and set aside. Stir the sour cream into the braising liquid and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Serve over rice, potatoes, or gluten-free pasta. Add an extra dollop of sour cream if desired.