Pileći paprikaš
Bone-in chicken braised with onion and paprika, finished with sour cream stabilised so it will not split.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 large onions (about 400 g), finely chopped
- 3 tbsp lard or neutral oil
- 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (not smoked)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 tomato, grated (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 250 ml chicken stock or water
- 200 ml full-fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Season the chicken with salt. Heat the lard in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the pieces on all sides, then set them aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 10–15 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and diced pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the paprika and grated tomato so the paprika does not scorch. Return to low heat and stir for 30 seconds.
- Return the chicken and its juices. Add the stock — it should come about halfway up the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 35–40 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the chicken is tender and pulling from the bone.
- Whisk the flour into the sour cream until smooth. Temper it by stirring in a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce, then pour the mixture back into the pot.
- Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon. Do not let it boil hard or it may split. Adjust the salt.
Skin-on, bone-in matters — it is where the body of the sauce comes from. The sour cream must be full fat and tempered, or it curdles. Keep it clean: onion, paprika, chicken, cream, and no caraway or marjoram. Serve with nokedli or wide egg noodles and a sharp pickled cucumber.