Name: Chicken Paprika
Yield: Makes 6 Servings
Cuisine: Hungary
Ingredients: 1 can (about 1 pound) whole tomatoes, drained if in water but not if in puree, broken up; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1¾ cups homemade or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth; ½ teaspoon dried marjoram; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 1⅓ cups sour cream; ⅓ cup medium-hot Hungarian paprika or ¼ cup sweet paprika plus 2 tablespoons hot paprika; 4 garlic cloves, minced; ½ pound white mushrooms (or use wild or a combination of white and wild; Mushroom Basics), stems trimmed flush with caps, stems coarsely chopped and caps thickly sliced; 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch dice; 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded (Bell Pepper Basics), and cut into ¾-inch dice; 4 to 4½ pounds chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breast halves), excess fat removed; 3 celery ribs, strings removed (Celery Stringing), and sliced ½ inch thick; 4 carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick; 4½ cups chopped onions (4 or 5 medium); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat; Salt, to taste

Preparation info

Makes
6
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Get in There and Cook

By Richard Sax

Published 1997

About

This is a lightened version of the wonderful traditional Hungarian dish, which I ate in endless variation on two long visits to Budapest. The gravy is thickened only with a puree of its cooking vegetables, no flour—it makes for “purer” flavors. This recipe looks like it goes on forever, but it’s actually a simple, easy braise—you brown the meat first, then simmer it in a small amount of liquid, covered, until very tender. And it’s even tastier if you make it a