Chicken Stroganoff

My husband was raised on comfort food dishes like this. 🙂 He loved this version, of course, but it was really my son who could have eaten the entire bowl on his own. Egg noodles are definitely a crowd pleaser!

This recipe was adapted from Cook’s Country. I actually doubled the recipe to make sure that we had plenty of leftovers. (The original proportions are included below.) I reduced the amount of butter and increased the amount of garlic.

Yield: Serves 4

• 12 ounces (6 cups) egg noodles
• 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking noodles
• 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (can substitute with extra chicken broth or water with freshly squeezed lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain noodles, return them to pot, and toss with 1 or 2 tablespoon(s) of butter. Cover to keep warm.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons flour, mustard, paprika, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to thoroughly coat.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (I used an enameled cast iron pan.)
4. Add chicken and spread into single layer, breaking up any clumps. Cook, without stirring, until browned on bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
5. Melt remaining tablespoon (or 2) of butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add mushrooms, onion, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until any liquid has evaporated and vegetables just begin to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
7. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
8. Stir in stock and sherry and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
9. Add chicken and any accumulated juices and cook until warmed through and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
10. Off heat, stir in sour cream until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Transfer noodles to a serving dish or individual shallow bowls and spoon stroganoff over top.
12. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and extra paprika, if desired. Serve with extra sour cream on the side, if desired.

Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Egg Noodles

I have another saucy chicken dish to share. 🙂 My husband has very fond memories of eating Chicken Paprikash during his childhood, so I jumped at trying this version. The cream perfectly balances the spice in the sauce. It’s a great comfort food dish.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, increased the garlic, and used crème fraîche instead of sour cream in the sauce. I also incorporated some smoked paprika. We ate it with roasted asparagus on the side.

• ½ cup sour cream, crème fraîche, or Greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large yellow or sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 16-ounces (2 cups) canned crushed tomatoes (from a 28 oz can)
• 12 ounces egg noodles
• ½ cup parsley leaves with tender stems, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 300°, preferably on convection. (I roasted the asparagus first and then reduced the temperature.)
2. Take creme fraiche (or sour cream or yogurt) out of fridge—it needs to come to room temperature.
3. Place chicken thighs on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Peel and chop the onion. Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife and peel.
5. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil, swirl to melt.
6. Using tongs, add chicken “skin side” down and cook, lifting up thighs once or twice to let rendered hot fat run underneath, until golden brown and crisp, 6-7 minutes. Transfer chicken skin side up to a plate.
7. Reduce heat to low. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often to dissolve browned bits on bottom of skillet, until onions are translucent, 6–8 minutes.
8. Add paprika and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, just until onions are evenly coated and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds (the spices burn very easily, turning them bitter and chalky, so make sure to keep them moving in skillet and have can of tomatoes close at hand).
9. Add tomatoes to skillet. Add 3/4 cup water and add to skillet. Stir until incorporated, season with several pinches of salt, and bring to a simmer.
10. Using tongs, arrange thighs skin side up back in skillet (along with any accumulated juices), nestling into liquid but not submerging (you want the “skin side” to be exposed so it stays crispy).
11. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken is fully cooked and tender enough to release from the bone when prodded with a fork, 15-20 minutes, or until center of thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees.
12. About halfway through chicken cook time in the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with tongs. Drain noodles in a colander.
13. Transfer noodles to a large bowl, add remaining 2 T butter, and toss to coat until butter is melted and noodles are coated. Season with salt and pepper.
14. Add half of the finely chopped parsley to noodles; toss to coat.
15. Carefully remove skillet from oven (handle will be hot!). Using tongs, transfer chicken skin side up to a clean plate.
16. Taste sauce and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
17. Spoon about ¼ cup sauce into a small bowl and stir in creme fraiche (sour cream or yogurt) until smooth (this slowly brings up the temperature of the sour cream so it doesn’t split when it hits the hot skillet). Pour back into skillet and stir to combine.
18. Arrange chicken thighs and juices back in skillet and top with remaining chopped parsley. Serve over noodles. (I arranged the chicken and sauce over the noodles in a serving bowl and garnished with parsley.)

Slow Cooker Mushroom Stroganoff with Egg Noodles

I have a few good friends whom I worked with many years ago. We don’t get to see each other very often, but one of the most wonderful things about getting together now is that not only can we catch up, but all of our kids really enjoy each others company as well. 🙂

On New Years Eve day, I set this dish up to cook while my friends and I- with all of our kids- went bowling! The lights were dim, the music was loud, and the kids really had a lot of fun. It was great to come home and have dinner ready!

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Sarah Bolla. I used cremini mushrooms instead of oyster mushrooms, creme fraiche instead of sour cream, chicken stock instead of vegetable broth, frozen pearl onions, and doubled the garlic.

Yield: Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering noodles
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces pearl onions (about 1 cup), peeled
• 1 1/2 pounds white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps quartered
• 8 ounces cremini or oyster mushrooms, quartered
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces egg noodle pasta
• 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
• flat leaf Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

1. In each of 2 large skillets, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and mushrooms to each of the skillets and season both with salt and pepper.
3. Cook until the onions have softened and the mushrooms are browned and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add a ¼ cup of white wine to each skillet to deglaze the vegetables from the pan.
5. Transfer to a slow cooker.
6. Add the stock, sliced garlic, Worcestershire, and mustard to the pot and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
7. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Transfer the pasta to one large serving dish.
8. Stir some butter into the noodles (if desired) and top with the mushrooms and sauce.
9. Swirl in the creme fraiche and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Note: The stroganoff can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

One Year Ago:

• Fresh and Wild Mushroom Stew

Two Years Ago:

• Khatti Dal (Sour Lentils), Hyderabad-Style

Three Years Ago:

• Mushroom Leek Bread Pudding
• New Orleans Red Beans & Rice with Pickled Peppers

If you like this you may also like:

• Mushroom Bourguignon

Mushroom Bourguignon

It’s official… “bourguignon” is my new favorite word! I can’t stop saying it!! AMAZING. 🙂 I’m driving my family crazy…

This “meaty” vegetarian dish is hearty and rich with flavor. A wonderful twist on a classic French dish. I adapted the recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook by Deb Perelman. We ate it over fresh tagliatelle noodles, but it would be delicious with any other type of egg noodles such as pappardelle as well. An easy and elegant weeknight meal.

Yield: Serves 6 as a main course

• 3 T (45 ml) olive oil
• 3 T (45 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, & cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/2 cups (172 g) pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
• 1 small carrot, finely diced
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups (352 ml) full-bodied red wine
• 2 1/2 T (52 g) tomato paste
• 3 cups (712 ml) beef, chicken, or vegetable stock
• 2 T plus 1 tsp (18 g) all-purpose flour
• egg noodles, for serving (I used fresh tagliatelle)
• chopped chives or parsley, for garnish, optional
• sour cream, for garnish, optional

1.  Heat 1 1/2 T olive oil and 1 1/2 T butter in a medium-sized Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat.
2. Sear the mushrooms and thawed pearl onions until they begin to take on a little color- your mushrooms will make a delightful “squeak-squeak” as they’re pushed around the hot pan- but the mushrooms do not yet release any liquid, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove mushrooms and pearl onions from the pan and set aside.
4. Lower the flame to medium and add the second T of olive oil. Add the carrot, yellow onion, shallot, thyme, a few pinches of coarse salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned.
5. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the tomato paste and the stock.
8. Add back the mushrooms and pearl onions with any juices that have collected; bring the mixture to a boil- then reduce the temperature so it simmers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until both the mushrooms and onions are very tender.
9. Combine the flour and the remaining butter with a fork; stir this into the stew.
10. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to a “coating” consistency. (I boiled mine down for 10 minutes!) Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
11. When the desired consistency of the stew is achieved, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions in salted boiling water.
12. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (we omitted this topping), if using, and sprinkle with optional chives or parsley.

Note: The stew reheats very well on the second and third days in a large saucepan over low heat.

One Year Ago:

• Spicy & Garlicky Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pappardelle

Two Years Ago:

• Pastitsio
• Spinach Gnocchi with Shaved Ricotta Salata

If you like this you may also like:

• Fresh & Wild Mushroom Stew
• Button Mushrooms a la Creme