Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings (Hungarian Paprikas Csirke Nokedli)

Hungarian Paprika Chicken with dumplings could easily be a close second to goulash as Hungary’s national dish. It is another loved dish and for good reason. This Hungarian main course is easy and fantastic. There are many variations for authentic paprikas, some recipes call for peppers and tomatoes, different amounts and types of paprika, with and without the skin on the chicken etc. This common Hungarian dish with any variation is worth a try, it is simply delicious. If you are not up to making the nokedli, (which I would highly recommend you try) it could be served on any type of noodle or dumpling.

Paprika Chicken:
2½ lbs chicken pieces; legs and thighs
sea salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 lbs yellow onions, sliced lengthwise
2 Tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
1 Tbsp. hot Hungarian paprika
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup sour cream

Dumplings:
2 eggs
½ tsp. sea salt
¾ cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

For the Paprika Chicken:
Salt the chicken pieces well and let them sit out while you slice the onions. (Bringing the chicken pieces to room temperature).

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the butter is hot, pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and place them skin side down in the pan. Brown the chicken on all sides, taking care to keep the skin intact. Once browned, remove and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and cook them, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, cook until lightly browned. Add the paprika, black pepper to the onions and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken pieces back into the pan on top of the onions. Cover and cook on a low simmer for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. (Internal temperature should be at least 165°F) If you want to cook the chicken until it falls off the bone, that should take another 30 minutes or so.

Once the chicken is cooked to your liking, remove it once again from the pan. Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes and slowly stir in the sour cream. Add salt to taste. Put the chicken back into the pan and coat well with the sauce.

For the Dumplings:
Place a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.

Combine eggs, salt and water, mix well with a whisk. Add flour, a little at a time enough to make a soft, sticky dough. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Beat mixture together.

There are different methods of dropping the dough into the water. If you have a colander and a spatula - hold the colander over the boiling water, put a little of the dough mixture into the colander and push through the holes with a spatula. Alternatively, you can just drop small pieces of the dough mixture using a teaspoon. You can also purchase a Nokedli or spaetzel maker designed especially to make these small dumplings. Whatever method you use, when the Nokedli rises to the top, it is done.

Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water.

Makes 6 servings.