Friday, July 15, 2011

Chicken Paprikash...and Awards!

Whenever I crave for something that is a perfect comfort food that I know my entire family will like, I tend to turn towards my Hungarian favorite, which really does not need a recipe... knowing that I learned to make this delicious sauteed chicken in a rich paprika-sour cream sauce from my Hungarian "roots" from my mom, who was actually born in Transylvania (yes there is such a country, not just a myth)...it is and has been part of Romania for nearly a century now, after World War 1.
This special and true Hungarian dish is known world-wide to be an authentic Hungarian "staple" dish that is now just tossed aside in the culinary world...so sad! The way I see it in the "new wave" cooking, it doesn't even get listed as a "top 10".
I learned to make it the authentic way...even before I knew how to cook. Normally I would add the hot Hungarian wax pepper, which here in the states called "banana pepper?"...wonder why? Sure doesn't taste like a banana, it sure doesn't look like a banana, just because it's long and yellow?...that is absurd...again also...why do they even call it Hungarian wax pepper?...Do they wax it?...just the thought of that grosses me out!
At any rate, this is a simple, and easy way to make it...as long as you use authentic imported Hungarian Paprika, hot, or sweet...it's your choice!
I did not bother to do a step-by-step instructions on this...was not even going to take photos of this because I made this in a hurry, with my family telling me "we're starving"...so typical!

Do check out my friend Angie' blog @ Angie's Recipes, her delicious version of her Paprika Chicken. While you're there, browse through her blog and marvel at her many beautiful and yummy line up of entrees, and desserts, and do say hello!
I love to serve this awesome chicken paprikash with spaetzle...which is a little tedious to make so I usually serve it with wide egg noodles, or in the case with orechiette pasta. This was so delicious and we even had it for lunch the next day!

Chicken Paprikash
my own recipe

5  chicken drumsticks
5  chicken thighs
1 medium onion chopped
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika, hot, or sweet

For the sauce

2 Tbsp flour 
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 to 2 Tbsp. sour cream

In  a large pot saute onions till they get translucent. Add the chicken pieces and saute on medium high heat for a few minutes. Add the paprika, and the 1/4 water, and stir together carefully. Cook for about 15 minutes with lid closed. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for about 45 minutes. Check for doneness. Chicken should be tender, but don't let it fall off the bone "tender."

Pull pot aside from the heat, and add the 2 Tbsp. flour mixed into the 1/2 cup chicken broth, and the sour cream, in a large mixing cup. Stir together till smooth, without lumps. Lower the heat to low setting, add the sour cream mixture by carefully folding it in the pot not breaking the chicken pieces. Shake the mixture in the pot carefully and put back on the burner on low heat to gently heat up the sauce carefully not to heat to a boil...just to a gentle simmer, and turn off. It's ready to serve over noodles, rice, potatoes, or shell pasta.
Generously serves 5, and you will have sauce left over for leftover pasta.
Delicious and a perfect comfort food for all year round!

...and now, for the Award(s:)

I received 3 awards but for now, I am posting one.  Not had much luck posting all 3...so copy and paste...pass it on!!!

I want to share these beautiful award I was honored with from a talented blogger...
Purabi, @Cosmopolitan Currymania

Thank you Purabi, I really appreciate these lovely awards!

I have compiled a list of 15 blogger friends from my comment section...will post another 30 later...according to the 3 awards I received. Please accept these lovely awards, and pass them on who you feel should receive it, and as many as you want to...at least 15!
Congratulations, you all are so talented, and deserve it and so do all who I have not listed. 




  • Kati  


  • Roxana @A little bit of Everything

  • Rosemary @Sprigs of Rosemary 


  • Becky
  •  

  • Ami
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Michael Toa  
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Nami @Just One Cookbook  
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Trinity @Zamat és Illat
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Betty @scrambledhenfruit 
     
     
     
     
     
    Marsha @The Harried Cook
     
     
     
     
     
    ping
     
     
     
     
     
    Kelly
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    mia maria





    Mina @Angellove's Cooking
     
     
     
     
    Lyndsey 




    52 comments:

    Roxana GreenGirl said...

    Hi Elisabeth,
    Your Hungarian Paprikas sounds and looks so familiar. It's one of my family favorites way to cook chicken. Even if I don't eat meat, I probably know how to cook this one :) I've seen my grandma cooking it so many times.
    What a sweet memory and what a delicious dish!

    laurie said...

    wow,, thats a wonderful heritage,, really interesting,, i've never made this but it looks really good, I'll have to give it a go.

    Lyndsey said...

    I am so happy that you posted this. I love to learn about traditional dishes that you grew up with. It sure looks delicious. I happen to have some Hungarian paprika that someone brought back for me...so I have to make now! :D I don't know what is worse banana pepper or wax pepper...hehe! Sometimes my family rushes me to eat too, lucky to get any pics.

    Petra said...

    Nincs is jobb egy jó csirkepörköltnél! Nagyon guszta lett. :)

    claudia lamascolo said...

    You are most deserving! I am never amazed on how many foodies give you awards, you are the sweetest blogger! I love this recipe, my son had it at a friends once but I didnt trust the recipes online so now I will finally be trying this out for him Curt and I thank you! Congrats again on your wonderful awards!

    mellissina2 said...

    Kedves Elizabeth!!!
    Igazi csirke paprikás!!! Soha nem lehet elfelejteni!!!
    A blogodban látszik a profizmus!!!

    Angie's Recipes said...

    My tummy growls while reading this ;-)) oh gosh..that sauce..is just killing me!

    Christine's Pantry said...

    Your dish sounds wonderful! Congrats on the award. You deserve it.

    marisz57 said...

    Gratulálok a díjakhoz!
    A csirkepaprikást én is így főzöm, csak a paradicsomszósz helyett 1-2 apróra vágott paradicsomot teszek. És hozzá nokedli van legtöbbször, az uborkasaláta pedig mindig kötelező.

    Dzoli said...

    Oh I love Hungarian food(not my heritage but first neighbour in the north of my home country).
    And I remember my mother coming home one day from day out in the city saying she discovered a little Hungarian sho with home made small goods (salami ,sauseges and big fat yellow peppers in brine):)
    So yes we are also fan of the paprikash and goulash and..
    Thank you for lovely giveaway.Always nice to be recognised by fellow bloggers;)

    Magic of Spice said...

    What a beautiful color this lovely dish has, really beautiful and flavorful :)
    And congratulations for you award here and the others, always so well deserved!
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend...

    Michael Toa said...

    Chicken paprikash is so comforting. I love it!
    Congratulations for the award and thank you so much for passing it to me. I just remember I haven't even posted the last award. I am terrible like that. Don't worry, I will!
    Enjoy your weekend my friend.

    Junia said...

    wow, the paprika combo with the chicken must taste amazing. :D btw, what makes hungarian paprika so unique from normal paprika?

    Veronica's Kitchen said...

    I always want to try this dish and this is from your mum's and it must be good! Thanks so much for this recipe and I love it!

    Chef Dennis said...

    Congratulations on your awards! Your paprikash looks delicious, I can't help thinking of when Harry met Sally when ever I hear Paprikash!
    Hope all is well
    Dennis

    Pacheco Patty said...

    Congrats on the awards Elizabeth!
    I should try making chicken paprikash, it looks so good and I love the color.
    Have a wonderful weekend;-)

    Elisabeth said...

    Junia-Authentic Hungarian paprika is very unique from all other paprikas. The next closest nowdays would have to be the paprika they make in Calabria, Italy, which is so very good that it's "mind boggling." It has a lot to do with the soil, and the climate that it grows in as well.
    My son-in-law's grandmother brought me a huge bag of hot and sweet paprika from Calabria last year which was very good, but I still prefer the Hungarian paprika.

    1. The Hungarian paprika is a powder that is created by grinding the dried red paprika pods. The deeper the red color the better the taste.

    2. Hungarian paprika is a staple with Hungarian cuisine. If the Hungarian paprika is added to the food it is the best of the best. Hungarians love the paprika on most of their food.

    3. You never really know exactly what flavor you are getting with the Hungarian paprika. It can range from a sweet to a mild hot to a very hot paprika. This is determined by the type of the pepper that is used to create the paprika.

    4. The color of the spice can vary. When we look at a spice and it isn't the color we are used to we might think that it is bad. With the Hungarian paprika it can vary in color depending on the color of the pepper that was used. The color can range from a mild to a bright red and some can even have a brownish color.

    5. The Hungarians like to see how hot they can get with their paprika. One of the true signs of a very hot Hungarian paprika is that it is the brightest red. If you go to the orange color it can really make you cry. For those that love to meet a challenge this is where you can go after a challenge if you like to have food bring tears to your eyes.

    I hope that answers your question, and a little info for all!
    Hugs,

    Swathi said...

    Elisabeth chicken paprikash looks delicious. you deserve all the awards too.

    ping said...

    Ooooh! Hi Elisabeth! I dropped by to take a peek at your latest and delicious-est and got a lovely surprise! I'm not imagining it, am I? Thank you sooo much! You really are sweet and I can see you have so many great friends as well. You really deserve all the lovely things in life. You know, this sounds very similar to a local malay dish we have here called, ayam masak merah, literally translated to "chicken cooked red" except that they have some spices added and evaporated milk in place of sour cream. Ok, maybe not that similar ... i think it looks similar due the "red" from the tomato sauce but the flavors are probably quite different. Thanks for sharing! xxx

    Amy said...

    Oh YUM! The sauce recipe is completely different from sauces I usually use, so thanks for sharing! I have no idea if paprika is available in India where I live, so this calls for an exploratory adventure to find some ^_^

    Congrats on your award!!

    Angie's Recipes said...

    Eli, you are so SWEET! Thank for the shout-out. I would love to trade my paprika chicken with yours ;-))
    Enjoy your weekend!
    xoxo,
    Angie

    bemka said...

    Finom lehet nagyon ....mi a csirkepaprikást puliszkával szeretjük :)

    Vicki Bensinger said...

    This has always been one of my sisters favorite dishes and yet I've never made it. It sounds wonderful and full of flavor. We're vacationing right now in the mountains where it's nice and cool in the evenings. This will be a great comfort dish to make. Thanks for sharing your story and recipe.

    Chic & Gorgeous Treats said...

    Hi Elisabeth, I've never had Chicken Paprikash the hungarian way before. I do have paprika but I doubt it's the hungarian one. Your dish is making my mouth water. You have just given me an idea on what I should cook while I'm home alone.Lovely recipe as always, hugggssss.. Jo

    Peggy said...

    This chicken sounds so delicious! Love the vibrant red color!

    mia maria said...

    Elisabeth, thank you so much for the award. You are so kind to think of me!
    The chicken paprikash looks delicious!
    Congratulations on your awards, you totally deserve them:)

    Petra said...

    Szia Elisabeth! Díjat szeretnék neked adni, nézz be hozzám!

    Becky said...

    Elisabeth, Thank you so much for the award. I love it! It may be a few weeks before I can oay it forward, because after the shower, I'll be going on vacation.

    Your Chicken Paparikash sounds so good, and your explanation of the different paprikas was so helpful.
    I'm bookmarking this. Thank you for sharing!

    Spoon and Chopsticks said...

    Your chicken paprikash looks really tempting. Is Hungarian paprika different from other paprika?

    http://spoon-and-chopsticks.blogspot.com/

    Lizzy said...

    Oh, my, that paprika chicken looks glorious over the pasta...mmmmmmm. Congrats on your new awards...and you're always so generous to pass them along to your friends :) We just arrived home tonight...and I'm popping in to say hello to my favorite blogger friends~xoxo

    Kathy said...

    Elizabeth, I have made Chicken Paprikas for years…a part of my Hungarian heritage! My recipe is from my grandmother and it is almost identical to yours. True comfort food…passed down through the generations! Enjoyed your post! Happy week-end!

    Ami said...

    Ez a pörkölt valami fantasztikusan néz ki! :)
    És nagyon szépen köszönöm a díjat, annyira kedves Tőled! puszillak!

    The Harried Cook said...

    Elisabeth, thank you for your very sweet comment on my blog... I really appreciate it! :) You're right - my bread would go perfectly with this yummy chicken paprikash... It looks sooooo tasty! Thank you for passing the award on to me :) Thanks really sweet of you!

    Kati said...

    Elisabeth, köszönöm szépen a díjat, nagyon kedves vagy, hogy rám is gondoltál, és külön örülök annak, hogy leírtad Erdély igenis létezik nem csak egy mítosz. A csirkepaprikásod isteni.

    Skylar Wolfe said...

    Wow, those look great! Hungarian is not something I would usually make, so thanks for sharing

    Parsley Sage said...

    Ohmigosh! That looks amazing :) Buzzed!

    Kate@Diethood said...

    Oh my worrrrrd! What a beautiful meal!!

    Miz Helen said...

    Hi Elizabeth,
    You always make it sound so easy and look so beautiful. I would sit down and dine with you any day in the week. Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent! Hope you are having a great Sunday.
    Miz Helen

    briarrose said...

    Such a tasty meal and it looks so easy to pull together.

    Mari said...

    Congrats on your award!!! You surely deserve it. I have fallen in love with this dish. I could see myself preparing it soon. Perhaps a nice breezy rainy day.

    Have a blessed week ;)

    trinity said...

    Ez a paprikás csirke a világ bármely táján nagy sikert arat, ahogy látom! Szuper!
    A díjat nagyon szépen köszönöm, kedves tőled!

    Angellove's Cooking said...

    Your paprikas looks awesome, Elisabeth!! This meal is so familiar over ;) that I've been thinking it is Bulgarian :))
    Congratulations on your awards!!! And thank you so much for sharing this lovely awardof yours with me!! You are such a great person and friend, and blogger, Elisabeth!!!

    Beth said...

    Congratulations on the awards. Your chicken dish looks wonderful!

    Bianka said...

    Egyik nagy kedvencem

    Jill Colonna said...

    Not too surprising if there are not many photos. Just these ones look so mouthwatering, I can imagine the whole family tucked in quickly. Looks so tasty. Well done on the awards. No wonder - great recipes and super site!

    Sprigs of Rosemary said...

    I can now see why you told me how much you liked paprika! I love this dish. It does seem a shame that such "standards" seem to fall out of food fashion. But I'm going to love it anyway. Thanks for sharing . . . and thanks so much for the award. You are one generous blogger.

    scrambledhenfruit said...

    Congratulations on your award, and thanks for passing one on to me! This chicken dish looks so good- it looks like the perfect comfort food, spicy and delicious. :)

    Quay Po Cooks said...

    Elisabeth, this dish looks so spicy and delicious and I just love spicy food. What your family said about starving when you try to photograph the food sounds so familiar. My Quay Lo always said he had to eat cold food every since his Quay Po turned into a food blogger hehe. Congrats on your well deserved awards. You are one of the first blogger friend I have to leave encouraging comments on my blog when I was new to the food blogging community. I want you to know I will always be grateful for your kindness. Have a wonderful week.

    mangiabella said...

    congrats on the awards and this chichen paprikash sounds so delicious, I have never had it before, and it looks so creamy and satisfying...I love the simplicity of it and am always looking for a new chicken dish to try!!!

    Nami @ Just One Cookbook said...

    Elizabeth, congratulations on your awards! Hmmm! What a delicious looking chicken! I have never tried this dish before, and I've been missing it out. Bookmarked and it'll be on top of my to-make list! Looks so delicious... I want to dip good bread in the sauce and have this. Thank you so much for passing the award to me!

    Roxana GreenGirl said...

    Thank you for passing the award to me Elisabeth.
    That's so sweet of you.
    Congratulation on all the well deserved awards you received.

    p.s. just emailed you :)

    Butrcreamblondi said...

    This dish looks delicious Elisabeth! Love the wonderful color!