WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Chicken paprikash should be an aromatic, warmly flavored braise with succulent chicken, tender vegetables, and a rich, flavorful sour cream sauce with paprika at center stage. To achieve this goal for the home kitchen, we pared down the usual mile-long ingredient list and simplified the preparation. After browning chicken thighs, we ditched the skin so the sauce wouldn’t become greasy. Sautéing red and green bell peppers and onion in the fond led to a rich base for our sauce, which we enhanced with paprika twice: once while sautéing the vegetables to let its flavor bloom, and then again after adding sour cream to finish the dish and instill it with spicy richness. Serve with buttered egg noodles; rice or mashed potatoes are also good options.
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 (5-to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
- 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, halved widthwise, and cut into thin strips
- 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, halved widthwise, and cut into thin strips
- 3½ tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
- BROWN THE CHICKEN
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 4 chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook without moving them until skin is crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining 4 chicken thighs; transfer to plate. When cool enough to handle, discard skin.
- COOK THE PEPPERS AND ONIONS
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot, add onion, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and cook until onions are browned and peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons paprika, flour, and marjoram and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt, scraping up any brown bits, and bring to simmer.
- BAKE THE CHICKEN
Nestle chicken into pot along with any accumulated juices. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until chicken offers no resistance when poked with tip of paring knife but still clings to bone, about 1¼ hours.
- PREPARE THE SAUCE
Combine sour cream and remaining ½ tablespoon paprika in small bowl. Remove pot from oven and transfer chicken to individual serving bowls. Stir few tablespoons of hot sauce into sour cream to temper, then stir mixture back into remaining peppers and sauce.
- SERVE
Ladle peppers and sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve
