Published March 1, 2002.
The secret to this simple chicken braise? Limit the ingredients to the essentials, then add the paprika—twice.
In this country, paprikash has been thrown helter-skelter into the melting pot, often resulting in dry chicken, muddled flavors, mile-long ingredient lists, flabby skin, and gluey sauce. On top of that, most recipes fail to highlight the defining flavor of the dish: paprika.
We wanted an easy-to-make version of this dish that would produce succulent chicken, a nice balance of heat, spice, and aromatics, and a rich flavorful sauce, that could by no means double as wallpaper paste. Best of all, it would put the paprika where it belonged: at center stage.
Pare down the ingredients to chicken thighs, onion, bell pepper, white wine, tomatoes, and sour cream, then add the paprika twice: once while sautéing the vegetables to let its flavor bloom, then once again after adding the sour cream to finish the dish. Serve over buttered egg noodles.
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