Paprikás csirke

Ingredients

• 2¾ lbChickenwhole chicken cut into pieces or legs, skin-on and bone-in
• 3Onionfinely chopped, sweated as the base
• 3 tbspLardfor sweating; alternatively oil, duck fat or butter
• 2 tbspPaprika powderstir in off the heat
• 1Sweet pointed pepperdiced or quartered, braised along
• 1Tomatopeeled and diced
• 1 cupWaterfor deglazing and braising; chicken stock as alternative
• 7 ozSour creamto finish the sauce, tempered before stirring in
• 1 tbspflourwhisked smooth with the sour cream
• Saltsalt the meat beforehand, adjust at the end
• Black pepperfreshly ground
• 2 clovesGarliccrushed, briefly sweated with the onion (optional)
• ½ tspHot paprika powderfor heat (optional)
• 1 bunchParsleyfinely chopped, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

1. Cut the chicken into pieces (or use legs), pat them dry and salt them all over. Chop the onions very finely and dice the green pepper and the peeled tomato.
2. Heat the lard in a braising pot and sweat the onions over medium heat until translucent and just turning pale gold. If you're using garlic, crush it and add it right at the end, letting it cook only briefly.
3. Pull the pot off the heat and stir in the sweet paprika (along with the hot paprika, if you want some heat) so it doesn't turn bitter. Deglaze straight away with a splash of the water.
4. Add the chicken pieces, the green pepper and the tomato, pour in the rest of the water or chicken stock, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and braise over low heat for about 35–40 minutes, until the meat is tender. Turn the pieces now and then and top up with a little water only if the pot runs dry.
6. Take the pot off the heat and let the cooking liquid settle for a moment.
7. Whisk the sour cream with the flour until completely smooth, then stir in the hot cooking liquid a spoonful at a time until the mixture is tempered.
8. Return the tempered cream to the pot, stir gently and let it thicken over low heat for 3–4 minutes — from here on the sauce must not boil.
9. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper, then serve with freshly made dumplings, topped with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped parsley if you like.

Tips and variations

Instead of a whole bird you can use just thighs and drumsticks, or diced skinless chicken breast; for the fat, take your pick of lard, vegetable oil, duck fat or a butter-and-oil mix. If you'd rather skip the flour, simply swirl the sour cream in and let the sauce simmer gently for 4–5 minutes. To keep the pieces from falling apart, lift the meat out before thickening and return it once the cream is stirred in — or just swirl the pot instead of stirring. For a more concentrated sauce, fish out the green pepper before thickening and reduce the liquid briefly. There's also a creamy version without sour cream: sear the meat hard and build the sauce with bacon, tomato paste, cream, cream cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve it the classic way with galuska/nokedli made from flour, egg, milk and butter, though noodles or rice work just as well.