This meal is one of those I will love for my whole life. I have loved it since I was a little girl and now my kids love it. The chicken paprikas, the spatzle or nokedli which are Hungarian noodle like dumplings, and cucumber salad. Oh Yum! I eat this and I am sitting right next to my Nana, my legs dangling off the chair, eating my favorite meal, while Nana brushes the hair back from my face and says "That good?" Already knowing the answer :)
This recipe is a piece of my family. I hope you enjoy it. If you do decide to try it let me know how it goes or if you have questions. As with the other recipes I did with my mom so far, no measurements so watch the pictures :)
Here is what you need ingredient wise.
CHICKEN PAPRIKAS
Olive oil
Chicken Pieces (bone-in)
Onion (chopped)
Salt and Pepper
Tomato Sauce (canned)
PAPRIKA (I suggest good Hungarian Paprika, of course:)
Chop your onion
Heat your oil in a pan or stock pot we like the shallower pan lately
Cut your chicken pieces into manageable pieces. We used breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks.
Saute your onion until it begins to soften
Add pepper
And Salt
Stir around with the onion until translucent
Add Paprika, she did about 3 handfuls like this one below. It is chicken "PAPRIKA"S
Throw in your chicken pieces
stir around to coat
Put on a lid to steam
Steam for about 15 minutes and then add tomato sauce and then add water probably the tomato sauce can 1/2 full
Make with your family. It will just taste better that way :)
Keep checking. You want your chicken cooked through but not as we call it in our family "bone soup"
You can check it with a meat thermometer, but it will start to separate from the bone when it is getting done. At that point take some of the sauce out into a separate bowl let it cool a bit and add some sour cream to it. Stir it round. Then add it back to the pan. This helps the sour cream not curdle which it could if added to the boiling pan directly.
While your Paprikas is cooking make your cucumber salad. We usually peel the cucumbers, I am not sure why we did't this night. Too much laughing, talking and dancing around the kitchen :)
If you have a mandolin, this will be easier. A box grater with a sharp slicer, also works or a good old fashioned knife will work as well :) You want them sliced thin! We only used 3 cucumbers which is an all time low for us. If we have a group or most of our family there are usually 7-8 cucumbers devoured :)
Put them in a bowl and
Salt liberally. Do not OVERSALT, just a little to help get the juices flowing
I didn't get a picture of this but after a short time, there will be a good amount of water in the bowl, get a clean bowl and with clean hands (Nana would want me to be sure and say that :) squeeze the cucumbers by the handful and then put in the other bowl. Continue this until all the cucumbers have been squeezed and they feel less soggy.
Add in sour cream and maybe a few shakes of white wine vinegar, again not too much just too taste. Add a little paprika for color before you serve.
Now for the spatzle:
This is the recipe I follow from a Hungarian Cookbook.
2 eggs
pinch of salt
About 3 1/3 cups of flour
Water
Bring your water to a boil in a nice big pot
You are also going to need a handy Spaetzle maker like this. You should be able to find this at any kitchen store. I even saw them online at Bed Bath and Beyond
Measure out your flour so you have a good idea how much you have used.
Beat the eggs with the salt
Once you bring your water to a boil
UNLIKE this photo, usually I add the flour by the cupful to the eggs that way I can control the amount going in and keep it viscous
Add water as you stir, a little at a time. Like I said a viscous dough (Google it if you don't know what that means :)
It sometimes is a 2 person job, one stirs while one holds the bow. It can become a hard job to stir the dough.
This always help dinner making move along :)
You can see as the water boils the spatzle start to fall through the holes. You just move the bowl like piece back and forth slowly as they drop they will cook. As they rise to the top they are done. Just keep doing it batch by batch until you have a full baking dish, you'll need it, it's that delicious.
As you can see everyone is standing around waiting for their first bite :)
As I said as they float to the top, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the top.
As they are done, place in the baking dish, my mom puts pats of butter into the bottom of the dish...SO they don't stick together of course!
Lots of pics, because it helps to see it I think.
If your dinner is all ready yet, you can put them into the oven to stay warm. Just don't overdo them
Oh YUMMY!!!!!
Please try this! It is SO delicious! SO..."Good, Right!"
;)
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