Carrie Cooks: Recipe #2

Sweet Lordy, y'all (ahem, yinz). Paula Dean sure does make a mean chicken paprika.

Seriously though, this is so delicious and very easy. This is one of our top three dinners in the Stevenson household. It's a little spicy and very creamy and pretty close to heaven. Many, many thanks to my mom for finding and sharing this recipe.

I'll just stop babbling on and get to the good stuff... here is the original recipe (scroll down the page).

I make several variations just based on personal preference -- I use more garlic and hotter paprika, I double the sauce and it ends up thicker with less oil than hers (because I don't include all the cooking liquid, just some of it -- I highly recommend this variation, I think the sauce in her version is far too oily), and I serve it with egg noodles instead of dumplings.

Chicken Paprika
Serves 6 to 8 (or, you know, 2...)

1 large onion, chopped -- I use Spanish
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cut up
4 tablespoons Hungarian hot paprika
2 teaspoons pepper
4 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups water
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
Egg noodles

In a deep skillet over medium heat, brown onion and garlic in oil (just a tip: I slightly brown the onions first, then toss in the garlic and finish it together -- the garlic browns much faster). Add chicken and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle paprika, pepper, and salt on chicken. Turn meat once. Add water, cover, and simmer on low heat for approximately 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Spoon out 1 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the skillet and drain the rest in a colander (of course preserving the chicken!). In a small bowl, mix sour cream, flour, and the hot cooking liquid from chicken until smooth.

Pour sauce over chicken pieces and egg noodles in a casserole dish. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy!