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October 2, 2014
Chicken Paprika
From The New York Times Cook Book, ©1961
Chicken seems to be a go-to meat for a lot of folks, probably because it's really versatile and has a mild taste which is good for taking on all sorts of flavors. This recipe is one-pot simple and seemed doable on a week night.
Approach
Pretty straightforward: chicken, onion, garlic, stock. The "one tomato" and "one green bell pepper" are a bit vague; I have no way to gauge size of the average tomato 40+ years ago. The recipe note suggests "genuine Hungarian rose paprika" for best results. From what I can gather, the Sweet Paprika from Penzey's will do fine. I'm also assuming that half & half with a splash of heavy cream will do for the "light cream."
If you're observant, you will notice 1) the chicken is still frozen, and 2) I'm using orange Italian frying peppers. Use what ya got, right?
Result
It came together very easily; all the work is in the prep. It's really more of a pink sauce, thickened with flour, light cream, and sour cream. I wasn't expecting a pink sauce, so I was probably confusing this with cacciatore or something. I took the meat out of the pan when I thickened the sauce although the recipe didn't say to. We served it over some leftover potatoes, but I think it would be especially good over pasta.
Verdict
Keeper. Rich flavors, will probably be great leftovers. (added later: yes, yes it was excellent leftovers)
Chicken Paprika
The New York Times Cook Book, by Craig Claiborne, ©1961
2 tablespoons butter (I used 1+ tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used more like 2/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, smashed (it was a really, really, really big clove...)
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika (Hungarian rose paprika if you have it)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tomato, chopped (more like 1 1/2 cups)
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (1 1/2 cups orange pepper)
3/4 cup stock
1 3-4lb chicken, in pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup light cream (2 tablespoons half & half and 1 tablespoon heavy cream)
1/2 cup sour cream
Melt butter in large heavy saucepan (or dutch oven). Add onion and garlic, sprinkle lightly with pinch of salt. Sauté lightly until softened and turning golden. Add paprika, salt, tomato, pepper, and stock; bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes covered.
Add the chicken. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, 40-50 minutes. Remove chicken from pan to a plate; cover and keep warm. In small bowl, combine flour and cream; mix well. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup cooking liquid, mixing well to prevent lumps. Add back into main saucepan, again mixing well to prevent lumps. Add the sour cream; heat through. Return chicken to pot and bury down in the sauce to warm through. Serve it over rice or pasta. Or even potatoes.
The New York Times Cook Book, by Craig Claiborne, ©1961
This cookbook is "a collection of nearly fifteen hundred selected recipes that appeared in the pages of The New York Times between 1950 and 1960." I tried to paraphrase that, but said almost the exact quote anyway. Found at an antique/flea market. (The photo looks funny: it's only the spine, and a floral tablecloth. The cover was otherwise plain black. Meh.)
Throwback Thursdays features a recipe from an antiquey style cookbook. Hard to know what age to put on it, but you know an old-timey one when you see it. I have at least 10 oldies now, a number which, being greater than 3, implies a collection. It also means they need their own shelf in the cookbook bookcase.
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