Make Ahead
by: Chris Hagan
January14,2014
4.5
4 Ratings
- Serves 6 to 8
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
More weeknight dinner than weekend project, I worked this up as a less labor-intensive vehicle for the flavors in my Hungarian Meatballs recipe, which is admittedly a pain in the butt to assemble, although I think the payoff is ultimately worth the time. This recipe splits the difference between that and chicken paprikash, and while my research didn't turn up an exact precedent for this preparation, I did find that it's somewhat similar to a beef and pork stew called "Marosszéki heránytokány" in George Lang's "Cuisine of Hungary" (New York: Bonanza Books, c. 1971; p. 280 in my copy). Thickening the stew with flour and/or sour cream at the end of cooking is optional. You can omit both if you want. Alternatively, leave the sour cream out of the stew, but serve it as a garnish. —Chris Hagan
Test Kitchen Notes
Holy paprika. The flavors are super deep here, and I like the addition of the peppers and mushroom. (On that note, mushroom powder isn't the most readily accessible ingredient; the dried mushrooms, as the author notes, are a good way to go.) The finished dish was pretty yummy, and I served it over brown rice to help soak up all the juices. Still, the three different kinds of paprika take center stage, and next time I make this, I'll use less of it. As is, it may be a good flavor route for some (and I will definitely gobble up what's left), and thanks to all that paprika action, it's a gorgeous, bright red stew. —DeannaMarie
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3 to 4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoonsfat (lard, or a neutral oil such as sunflower, canola, or vegetable)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 poundcremini mushrooms, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (remove and discard any green shoots)
- 1 heaping tablespoonssweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 teaspoonhot or half-sharp paprika
- 1/4 teaspoonsweet smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoonporcini (or other wild mushroom) powder, or more/less to taste (grind dry mushrooms in a clean coffee or spice grinder; grind a whole package and store the remainder in jar)
- 1/4 teaspooneach caraway seed, fennel seed, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and dried marjoram, ground together
- 1/4 cupflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cupdry white wine
- one 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
- 2 cupschicken broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 poundHungarian wax, banana, or cubanelle peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
- 1/2 cupsour cream (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoonflour (optional)
Directions
- Heat oven to 325° F. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat fat in a large, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven. Brown the thighs in batches, about five minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan, lower the heat slightly, and add the onions. Sauté until tender and translucent and starting to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook a few minutes more, until they begin to brown as well. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the paprika (all three), the porcini powder, and the rest of the herbs and spices. Cook, stirring, about a minute, being careful not to let the paprika scorch. Deglaze with wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling the thighs skin-side up in the sauce, and scatter the peppers over everything. Cover, place in the oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate and allow to sit until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and let the sauce cook down for another half hour while the chicken rests. (Alternatively, you can do this over a low flame on the stovetop.)
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin, bones, and gristle. Roughly shred the meat by hand, return to the sauce, and heat through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. If using sour cream, put it in a heat-proof bowl, mix in the flour, and then stir in some of the sauce, a few spoonfuls at a time, to temper the cream. Then pour the cream mixture back into the pan, stir to incorporate, and gently heat through, long enough to cook off any raw flour taste and thicken the stew slightly, but taking care not to let it boil. Serve stew over noodles, spaetzle, or root vegetable purée, or just eat as is, garnished with some chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkle of sweet paprika, with a nice loaf of freshly baked, crusty rye bread.
Tags:
- Stew
- Hungarian
- Chicken
- Vegetable
- Paprika
- Parsley
- Sour Cream
- Chicken Thigh
- Make Ahead
- One-Pot Wonders
- Serves a Crowd
- Slow Cooker
Contest Entries
- Your Best One-Pan Dinner
- Your Best One-Pot Meal
- Your Best Chicken
- Your Best Dinner That Makes a Good Lunch
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6 Reviews
NXL March 6, 2021
This was good with the sour cream added. I added gnocchi for the last ten minutes in the oven.
Brian W. June 10, 2018
So happy for a simplified recipe that doesn't sacrifice flavor! I thickened with sour cream and added some for garnish because YOLO
Cheryl January 11, 2015
Oh wow! That's good! Didn't have the multiple types of paprika, so I used what I had on hand - Penzys. Wondering if green bell pepper would work just as well as the specified peppers; it would of course add a bit of (welcome) bitterness. Perhaps. Didn't add sour cream, but may try it on a leftover portion. Right up my alley and perfect for winter!
Chris H. January 14, 2015
Green bell peppers would totally work. Any bell peppers would--I just tend toward cubanelles, Anaheims, and banana peppers because they're closer to the harder-to-find wax peppers than the bells are.
Chris H. February 28, 2014
Re: The mushroom powder. You can definitely use less than a full tbsp if you prefer--I'd start with a teaspoon and adjust from there if that is the case.
carswell March 6, 2014
Fortunately I've been gifted with a considerable amount of a variety of dried mushrooms courtesy of my brother who picks them in season. I often use a couple of handfuls crushed into in sauces to give them more depth of flavour.
