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.)

Chicken Paprikash

This dish was an easy, full-flavored, and hearty weeknight meal. We ate it over a whole wheat version of our new favorite bread, Sullivan Street Bakery’s No-Knead Bread. It would also be wonderful served with rice or egg noodles. Rich and delicious!!

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Molly Yeh.

Yield: Serves 4

• 4 T unsalted butter, separated
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• pinch of granulated sugar
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 5 thighs)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Four 1-inch-thick slices of sourdough or other flavorful bread, toasted and torn into bite-size pieces

1. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.
2. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring, until dark red in color, 2 minutes.
4. Add the flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the broth and sugar and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.
6. Add the chicken to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.
8. Divide the bread between bowls, spoon the chicken 
paprikash on top, and serve.

Note: The chicken paprikash can be refrigerated overnight.

One Year Ago:

• Jerk Chicken with Spicy Pineapple Sauce & West Indies Roti

Two Years Ago:

• Chicken, Shrimp, & Clam Jambalaya

Three Years Ago:

• Italian Braised Pork
• Pastitsio