Chicken Paprikash

A few years ago, my Aunt Kim and I went to the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland, Ohio.  It was there that I had Chicken Paprikash for the first time--and from that point, I fell in love!  My aunt gave me the "recipe" that my Grandma used, but you know how "recipes" from Grandparents go--they can make the meal taste great, but they don't use an actual recipe to make it.  I attempted the so-called recipe and failed so I was on a hunt to find an actual recipe.  I came across a recipe for "Hungarian Chicken Paprikas" so I gave it a whirl.  I was happy to find that June Meyer had a winner!  I've been using the recipe ever since and it's always a hit at our house.  The link to the recipe is above, but here is the actual recipe too:

• 2 onions chopped (I use a little less because my hubby isn't a fan of onions)
• 4 Tbsp. shortening, corn oil or lard (I typically use Country Crock)
• 3 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika (I just use regular paprika--not sure what the difference is between that and the Hungarian version)
• 2 Tsp. Sugar, do not omit
• 1/8 Tsp. black pepper or whole pepper corns
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 Tsp. salt
• 4 to 5 lbs. chicken disjointed, use legs, thighs, breast and back for best flavor
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes 
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 pt. sour cream

The recipe that I have is a little different than the link above so I made sure the recipe in here is exactly what I use.  I typically use chicken thighs for this recipe--it's definitely a lot different using dark meat than white meat.  I've done a combo of chicken breasts and thighs before, but all chicken breast doesn't come out right at all!  You need the flavor from the dark meat.  I start by putting a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan and putting the chicken thighs on the cooling rack (so they aren't just sitting in the grease when they bake).  I then drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them at 375 degrees for 45 min to an hour or until the juices run clear.  Once they have cooked and cooled, I remove and discard all of the skin and bones and put all of the chicken aside for the Paprikash.

Then, Brown onions in shortening. Add the seasonings and chicken and brown for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and water, cover and let simmer, slowly. To thicken the gravy, make a roux by combining the 2 Tbsp. of butter and 2 Tbsp. of flour and stir the mixture into the stew liquid.  Cook a few minutes until the liquid thickens.  Once the stew is about done, I add in the 1/2 pint of sour cream and cook for about 5 more minutes.

The linked recipe has a dumpling recipe, but my husband isn't a dumpling fan so we eat this "stew" served over egg noodles.