Paprika Chicken

All the recipes I’ve found for this claim it’s a standard American recipe–perfect for when you’re rummaging around for an idea and don’t have much on hand. I guess it didn’t make it into our family, because I don’t remember having it. It’s basically a paprika-heavy chicken fricassee–perfect week-night comfort food. You could probably use any cut of chicken, including bone-in, but breast fillets are very easy to use.

3-4 chicken breasts
1-2 onions, diced
2 bell peppers, ideally red ones, diced
~1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c. white wine or vermouth
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (and red pepper paste, if you have it)
2-3 Tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. flour or cornstarch
1 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
pinch sugar
fresh parsley (optional)

Cut the chicken into 2-3 mini cutlets per breast, but slicing them into 3/4″ thick diagonals. Pound with something heavy to flatten to a uniform thickness. Pat them dry and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.

In a deep skillet, heat the oil and butter up until it’s very hot. Cook the chicken pieces until they are golden brown on each side, doing 1-2 batches so that they only make a single layer in the pan. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

Add the onions to the pan and reduce the heat. Add a pinch each of sugar and salt. Cook until they begin to turn golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the paprika, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and marjoram, so that it’s evenly distributed and starts to sizzle a bit. Add the chicken pieces and the red (or green) peppers, and stir to combine. Add the white wine and enough broth so that the chicken is 80% covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

Uncover the pan and stir in the flour cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c. water. It should thicken almost instantly if you use cornstarch, or in 2-3 minutes of simmering if you use flour. Remove the pan from the heat and wait until it stops bubbling. Stir in the sour cream and parsley and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve over starchy goodness.