This recipe was inspired by my friend Scottie Johnson from Chicago. We first met via The BBQ Forum on the Internet and realized we were almost neighbors. I wish you could see his adorable little girls. It was first created for deep-fried turkeys, but works just great in the BBQ for all poultry and it makes a great fish marinade too.
To celebrate the tasty wonderfulness that is chicken, I asked Dave DeWitt’s wife Mary Jane Wilan to share her all-time favorite chicken recipe. Dave may be the Pope of Peppers, but where cooking is concerned, Mary Jane rules the roost. Here’s her take on a classic recipe that features paprika, another much-loved kitchen staple in the U. S. You can read more about paprika on the Fiery Foods & BBQ SuperSite here.
3 Tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
1 chicken, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons hot paprika) If not available, add regular paprika and 1 teaspoon cayenne)
pinch of thyme
1/2 cup sour cream
Thickening: 1 cup milk and 2 Tablespoons flour in a covered jar; shake hard before pouring into the sauce.
Dumplings:
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup tepid water
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan; add the chicken and sauté on each side about 2 minutes, lightly add salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken to a bowl.
Add the onions to the pan and and sauté about 1 minute; add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken back to the pan and add chicken stock, tomato paste, wine, paprika, and thyme. It should barely cover the chicken. If it doesn’t, add more wine or stock.
Cover and simmer 1/2 hour; turn chicken and simmer 1/2 hour more. Remove chicken to a warm platter.
Add the thickening to the pan slowly (you can even put it though a small strainer to avoid lumps) and stir constantly.
Turn down the heat to a low simmer and stir in the sour cream. Do not let it boil. If the mixture gets too thick, add more milk.
Return the chicken to the pan, cover and remove from the heat.
Put the cooked dumplings (recipe to follow) in the sauce to soak up the flavor.
To make the dumplings:
In a medium bowl, stir the egg until it breaks up. Add the next 3 ingredients and stir. Add the water to make a paste.
Drop by spoonfuls into salted, boiling water and cook until the dumplings rise to the top.
Drain in a colander and then add to the chicken and sauce.
Although paprika is more often used in stews than sauces, this sauce was
designed as a condiment for fish. Traditionally, it is served over fried
fillets of river fish.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 to 3 teaspoons hot paprika
Hint of nutmeg
Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir
constantly until it starts to bubble. Gradually add the milk, stirring
constantly until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and
continue to stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion, nutmeg, and paprika
to the mixture, stir well for 30 seconds, and serve.
This is a kind of creamy potato stew, often served as a side dish to accompany roasted meats. It’s also an excellent “comfort food” for cold winter evenings.
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter or lard
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Hungarian mild or medium-hot paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 pounds new potatoes (or 6 to 8 medium-size boiling potatoes), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 to 2 cups warm chicken stock
1 cup pure sour cream (containing no additives)
Melt the butter or lard in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sauté over medium-high heat until they are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Reduce heat to very low and stir in paprika, salt, and caraway seeds. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes and enough warm chicken stock to barely cover them. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Stir in the sour cream and serve immediately.
This sinfully rich dish is typical of the way that vegetables were prepared in the past, before anyone cared about cholesterol. Serve these creamy beans as an accompaniment to simple roasted meats.
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter or lard
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons mild Hungarian paprika (or 1 teaspoon each mild and hot paprika)
1 pound fresh green beans, cut diagonally into 1- 1/2-inch slices
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pure sour cream (containing no additives)
1 tablespoon flour
Heat the butter or lard in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until golden. Sprinkle paprika over the onion and stir to mix well. Add the green beans and stir until all the pieces are coated with paprika. Stir in water and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan tightly, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until beans are tender. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour until mixture is smooth. Stir the sour cream into beans and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.
