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Paprika Hendl / Chicken Paprikash

"We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem., get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl", and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians."
-Jonathan Harker's Journal, Dracula

cook time: 1hr 20 mins
equipment: Dutch oven, stove top

ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 sml-med white onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • 2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp sweet paprika; get the good stuff like Szeged Sweet Paprika Powder
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temp
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • parsley, for finishing
  • paired with dumplings or some type of starch. I'm using egg noodles

recipe:

  1. Grab a bowl and add 1 Tbsp oil, paprika, good pinch of salt. Stir until combined. Toss the chicken in the marinade. Let sit for 30 mins or while you prep the other ingredients.
  2. Dice one white onion and the bell pepper.
  3. Put a Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom. Lay the chicken in the pot, making sure it isn't too crowded. Let the chicken sit for 5-6 minutes to brown the skin; flip and continue cooking until browned.
  4. Take the chicken out of the pot and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the onion and bell pepper. Scrap the bottom of the pot with a rubber spatula to get any cooked bits. Stir occasionally; cook until onions are transluscent. Add salt and freshly cracked pepper. 6-7 minutes.
  5. Add tomato paste and cook for another 4-5 minutes to deepen the flavor. Add 1 Tbsp of paprika and stir, being careful not the burn the paprika. Cook for about 1 more minute.
  6. Add chicken broth a bit at a time, stirring until thickened and combined, and then adding more.
  7. Add chicken back into the Dutch oven. Cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes. (Here, I would start my water for my egg noodles)
  8. In a separate bowl: 1 cup sour cream. Add 1 Tbsp of flour to the sour cream and mix. Add some of the broth mixture to the cream to temper it, enough broth to make it a little soupy. This prevents the cream from congealing when you dump it into the pot. A cold cream congeals! Then add the mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Cook an additional 20 mins to allow all the flavors to meld together. Taste for salt and pepper.
  9. Plate the chicken and egg noodles, cover with chopped parsley to finish.

sources:

YT Tasting History: Dracula's Paprika Hendl
That Dude Can Cook: Paprika Hendl