This isn’t authentic. Chicken paprikash is a braised dish. This is a technique I came up with to try to get somewhere close to braised chicken flavour with crispy skin.
Invest in some fresh quality Hungarian paprika. Paprika is the star of this dish. If your star ingredient is weak your results will be weak. You can mix your paprikas up to taste as well. Want a hint of smoke? Use a bit of smoked paprika. Want some spice? Hot paprika actually has a bit of heat.
chicken paprikash rethought
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs skin-on, bone-in
- 2 tsp olive oil to brown the chicken
- 1/2 onion finely sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken stock plus more while roasting
- 1 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/4 cup full fat sour cream mixed with 1 tsp of flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Rub the chicken with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Fry the chicken, skin side down, in a pre-heated, ovenproof skillet. You just want to get the skin to a light golden brown. Now place in the oven for about 10 minutes to roast.
- Remove pan from oven, remove chicken and spoon off all but 2-3 tsp of fat.
- Gently fry the onions in the remaining fat until soft and translucent over medium to low heat - 5 to 7 minutes.
- Now the tricky part. Add the paprika to the pan along with enough oil to keep the paprika wet and toast on absolute low for around 30 seconds. If you scorch the paprika even a little bit it will turn bitter. Have your chicken stock at hand to stop the frying instantly. It’s your safety blanket. If this scares you (and it should), add a little drizzle of stock when you add the paprika and cook the resulting slurry for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock - you want it about 1/4 inch deep in your skillet.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and place in oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, around 15 to 20 minutes. Keep your eye on the liquid - you may have to add a bit more stock along the way.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and set the chicken aside. Mix the flour into the sour cream mixture in a clean bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Temper the sour cream mixture by adding a couple tablespoons of hot liquid from the chicken to the sour cream and stirring. Do it again. Next mix the tempered sour cream into the remaining liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve chicken paprikash with sauce. It’s works with almost any starch - potatoes, pasta, or fried gnocchi.
chicken paprikash rethought
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs skin-on, bone-in
- 2 tsp olive oil to brown the chicken
- 1/2 onion finely sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken stock plus more while roasting
- 1 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/4 cup full fat sour cream mixed with 1 tsp of flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Rub the chicken with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Fry the chicken, skin side down, in a pre-heated, ovenproof skillet. You just want to get the skin to a light golden brown. Now place in the oven for about 10 minutes to roast.
- Remove pan from oven, remove chicken and spoon off all but 2-3 tsp of fat.
- Gently fry the onions in the remaining fat until soft and translucent over medium to low heat - 5 to 7 minutes.
- Now the tricky part. Add the paprika to the pan along with enough oil to keep the paprika wet and toast on absolute low for around 30 seconds. If you scorch the paprika even a little bit it will turn bitter. Have your chicken stock at hand to stop the frying instantly. It’s your safety blanket. If this scares you (and it should), add a little drizzle of stock when you add the paprika and cook the resulting slurry for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock - you want it about 1/4 inch deep in your skillet.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and place in oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, around 15 to 20 minutes. Keep your eye on the liquid - you may have to add a bit more stock along the way.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and set the chicken aside. Mix the flour into the sour cream mixture in a clean bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Temper the sour cream mixture by adding a couple tablespoons of hot liquid from the chicken to the sour cream and stirring. Do it again. Next mix the tempered sour cream into the remaining liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve chicken paprikash with sauce. It’s works with almost any starch - potatoes, pasta, or fried gnocchi.
Next time you want something cool and refreshing for dinner think Vietnamese noodle salad bowl. Simple. Easy. Delicious.
It’s perfect for those hot summer nights. The ones where you just don’t really feel like heating up the kitchen.
It’s so easy to make a Vietnamese noodle salad
There’s almost nothing to making a Vietnamese noodle salad bowl. Prepare some rice noodles. Chop some vegetables. A few herbs. Some marinated pork. And a simple sauce to bring it all together.
It’s not zero work. Picking up the phone is zero work. But it’s fun. Do your prep with friends or family. Make it social. Have a cocktail. Simple party food.
Stir-fry marinated pork makes a Vietnamese salad bowl a meal
This version skips the usual grilled pork. Because it’s easier. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grill the pork. But it’s tricky.
This Vietnamese noodle salad bowl gets its substance from a bit of thinly sliced pork shoulder. That’s not easy to grill. If you want to jazz it up think bun this nyong. But if you want fast this way is easier.
But you don’t have to use pork. Use chicken. Or shrimp. It works with just about anything. You can even skip the marinade. This isn’t a bad meal with leftover shredded chicken. Have fun with it. Think outside the box.
Get your sliced pork shoulder from an Asian market
This is about easy. And slicing pork shoulder into 1/8 inch slices is not easy. You can do it. Cut it into manageable pieces. Partially freeze the pork. Get a really, really sharp knife. And go for it. Just not easy.
Or you can go to just about any Asian market and buy it pre-sliced. Ready to go. That’s easy. You can stock up on Asian ingredients while you are there. Worth the trip.
If you have a Korean market nearby that’s a good bet. They almost always have it fresh. They almost always have sliced pork belly as well. Korean’s know what to do with those wonderful rich bits of pork.
A butcher will probably do this for you as well. But you’ll need to call ahead. And pay more. Up to you.
Weeknight fun food
That’s about it. Not hard. And seriously tasty. Perfect when you need great food fast.
Next time you’re looking for a fun and delicious weeknight dinner think Vietnamese noodle salad.
vietnamese noodle salad bowl
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp garlic crushed
- 1 Tbsp soy
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sambal oelek – srirachi would work as well
- black pepper to taste
Vietnamese Pork Bun
- 12 ounces pork shoulder – sliced thin
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 package of rice vermicelli
- shaved carrot
- sliced cucumber
- cilantro – chopped coarsely
- mint leaves – chopped coarsely
- Nuoc cham to serve
Nuoc Cham
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp sugar – up to 3 if you like it a bit sweet
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce or more if you like it a bit saltier
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp sambal oelek – srirachi would work here as well
Instructions
Vietnamese Pork Bun
- Combine all marinade ingredients with the pork and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Pour boiling water over the rice noodles to soften (follow the instructions on the package) and chill the noodles. Running cold water over the noodles to chill works nicely.
- Pre-heat your frying pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the oil. When it starts to shimmer cook half the pork, flipping it regularly until it browns and is cooked through. This will not take long. A few minutes max. Remove the pork when cooked and repeat with the remaining pork.
- To serve, divide rice noodles into two bowls and top with chopped vegetables, cilantro and mint and pork. Pour 1/2 the nuoc cham over each bowl (or serve on the side and let people season to taste).
Nuoc Cham
- Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat to a simmer. Cool and serve.
Nutrition
