Chicken paprikash is a Hungarian comfort food recipe.  It’s made many different ways but the consistent theme is chicken with lots of paprika.  It’s a very old, traditional meal that even appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula. In the first part of the novel, Jonathan Harker dines on chicken paprikash during his journey through the Carpathian Mountains to Dracula’s castle. The actual making of the recipe is much less scary, I promise.

Note: You can use any kind of chicken for this dish but thighs and legs seem to work best to me.  The darker meat keeps it moist and juicy.  You can leave the skin on if you like.  I made mine without skin just because that’s what was on sale.

Gather up your ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.

In a heavy pan, melt 1 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. butter.

When the pan is nice and hot and the butter becomes a little bubbly, add the chicken.

Sear the chicken on each side, about 4 minutes per side.

Removed chicken to a plate and set aside.

To the pan add the remaining olive oil and butter, scraping up the browned bits and mixing with the fat.

Add the onion and garlic, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and crushed tomatoes, whisking up all the browned bits.

Add paprika and flour, whisking together and allowing the sauce to slightly thicken.

Add the chicken back to the pot, combining it with the sauce.

Bake the chicken for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through.

While chicken is baking, prepare noodles according to package directions.
Drain cooked noodles.
Remove the chicken dish from the oven, take the chicken out and set it aside.
Whisk the sour cream into the gravy in the hot pot.

Add noodles to plate, top with chicken, and cover with sauce.

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