Hungarian Chicken Paprika & Dumplings (Chicken Paprikash)

Hungarian Chicken Paprika and Dumplings, or Chicken Paprikash, is a traditional Eastern European dish. This is one of our family favorites.

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HUNGARIAN CHICKEN PAPRIKA

Ingredients:

1 stewing chicken

2 tablespoons fat (butter and olive oil can be used)

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet red paprika (or regular paprika)

Salt

2 tablespoons flour*

*For gluten-free chicken paprika recipe, skip the flour entirely or use gluten-free flour mixed with a little of the broth and then added back to the pot. 

1 cup canned chicken broth (or water)

½ cup sour cream

Preparation:

Cut up the chicken into 6-8 pieces. In a stewing pot heat the oil/butter and fry the onion until it is golden. Sprinkle with the red paprika and brown the chicken pieces in the fat. Now add salt, cover with the lid, and greatly reduce heat.

Let chicken begin to stew in its own juices for at least 15 minutes. Depending on how tough your chicken, keep stewing, moistening it occasionally with a few spoonfuls of cold stock or water. (I usually add all the chicken broth at this point.)
When the meat is tender (somewhere about 30-45 minutes), remove from pot and keep warm. Blend in flour with the gravy and dilute, stirring with a wooden spoon, with the broth or water. Let it cook gently, uncovered, until the sauce is thick. Put back the chicken pieces, reheat. Remove from heat, just before adding the sour cream. Never boil with the sour cream or it will curdle.

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DUMPLINGS 

2½ cups flour (or gluten-free flour)

1 egg

Salt

1/3 to ½ cup lukewarm water

Bacon fat, lard, or butter to toss them in

Instructions:

Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Break in egg, add salt. With the help of a wooden spatula, beat until egg is well blended with the flour. Now, slowly and beating steadily, pour in the lukewarm water. The mixture should have the thickness of a soft scone dough.

Rinse a large wooden slab with cold water. Have plenty of salted water ready and boiling on the stove. Take a teaspoon, dip it into the boiling water. Put half of the dough mixture on the slab/cutting board and with the edge of the spoon, cut small dumpling directly into the boiling water. When dumplings have risen to the surface, they are done. Strain and rinse under cold water. Put softened or melted butter over them and mix.

Serve at once while hot.

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