Chicken Paprika

When I was younger, my aunt would serve “Chicken and Dumplings”. It was great! In fact, it was my wife’s favorite meal. Well, I went to a buffet at a church having chicken and dumplings. It wasn’t anything like Aunt Marie’s “Chicken and Dumplings”. It turns out that Aunt Marie was making Chicken Paprika and dumplings. Here is my version of the Austrian comfort food, Chicken Paprika.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  whole chickens, cut up or 4  skinless chicken breasts or 4  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2  medium carrots, cut as desired (I slice them)
• 2  celery ribs, cut like the carrots
• 1  medium onion, chopped (there should be about equal quantities of each)
• 2  minced garlic cloves
• 1⁄2 cup white wine
•  enough  oil (I use lard) or   fat, to coat the bottom of your pot (I use lard)
• 1  quart chicken broth (or water if you simmer it longer)
• 1⁄4 cup paprika
• 1  cup flour
• 1  cup water
• 1⁄4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat the oil or fat (don’t use butter) in a heavy bottomed, eight quart stock pot over medium high heat.
2. Sauté the chicken until browned on all sides. A four quart sauce pan can be used, but it may splatter.
3. Remove the chicken and add the carrots, celery, and onions.
4. Sauté these until the onions are translucent(about 4 minutes).
5. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds or until you get a strong garlic smell.
6. Pour the wine into the pan (shedding a tear, of course) and stir until you can stick your nose over the pan and it doesn’t burn. This means that most of the alcohol has cooked out.
7. Return the chicken to the pot and add the stock and paprika. If the chicken is not covered in liquid, add water until it is.
8. Stir to make sure all of the paprika is mixed in with the liquid. The liquid should have a deep red color. If not, add more paprika.
9. Bring this to a boil.
10. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours. Feel free to stir every once in a while.
11. After simmering, remove the chicken meat and bones (if any).
12. Mix the flour and water together in a cup or bowl.
13. Bring the remaining liquid and vegetables to a boil.
14. Slowly whisk in the flour-water mixture until it thickens.
15. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sour cream until it is dissolved.
16. To serve, put the meat on a plate and pour the sauce over it. For an extra treat, check out the dumpling recipe!
17. Cooking tip: Add Paprika to the thickening flour. It hasn’t bit me yet.