I suppose I am feeling a bit nostalgic lately and therefore I can think of nothing better than to share with you my favorite family meal. Until now, I have never been willing to share this recipe with anyone. Why, you may ask? Because this meal to me is my family, tradition, and love. You may think that is silly, but for me, making this meal for friends and family is the legacy that my grandpa has bestowed upon me. The right to bring happiness to others through food; specifically, chicken paprikash. You can ask Amber; I was not even willing to share the recipe with her for the longest time, but when the opportunity came to share some of my family recipes on Vintage Ladle, I realized that it is time to pass the torch onto others. Now Amber has the means to create this spectacular vintage and simple dish all on her own, so she can drink the broth out of a glass whenever she likes (yes, she does this frequently).
Chicken Paprikash with Egg Dumplings
4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all purpose flour
1 medium onion, finely diced
¼ cup sweet Hungarian Paprika
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
16 oz sour cream
4 cups (1 quart) chicken stock
Water to cover
For the Chicken:
In a shallow dish, mix together 1 cup flour and season liberally with salt and pepper (approx. 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper)
Cut the chicken breasts into thirds
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture
Over medium-high heat, brown the chicken in olive oil until lightly browned on each side in a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven. Approximately 5 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or you will end up with boiled chicken, instead of browned chicken. Don’t be afraid to do this step in a few batches.
Once browned, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion and sauté until the onions become translucent. Add the paprika and stir to combine with the onions. Add the 4 cups of chicken stock and stir to dissolve all of the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. This is where all of the flavor comes from.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Cover with water until the chicken is covered by 1 inch (approximately 3-4 cups water).
Bring to a simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 1-2 hours, until chicken is tender.
During the last half hour of cooking, start making the dumplings (see below).
10 minutes before serving, add the sour cream to the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Egg Dumplings
4 cup unbleached flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
¼ Cup sour cream
Approximately 1 cup water or milk
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Place the flour and salt into a medium sized work bowl. Add the eggs and sour cream and start to combine with a fork. Slowly add water until a gooey, dough is formed. Be careful not to make it too wet. The dough should be spreadable with a knife, but not runny.
Place the dough onto a clean dinner plate that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a butter knife, scrape small portions of dough off of the plate and into salted, boiling water. Dip the knife into the boiling water before scraping off the next dumpling so that the dough will not stick.
When the dumplings rise to the surface, allow them to cook for another minute and remove from water into a separate bowl.
Continue the process until the desired amounts of dumplings are made. (This amount will serve 4-6 people)
Toss with olive oil to stop the dumplings from sticking to one another.
Once all the dumplings are made, add them to the Paprikas and carefully mix to combine. Serve and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family has for generations!
Thanks for stopping by,
Ian, Vintage Ladle