Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Csirkepaprikás) — Paprika-Braised Chicken with Sour Cream

• 6bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.4 kg total)
• 10 gfine sea salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 30 gchicken fat (or neutral oil if needed)
• 2yellow onions (finely chopped, about 300 g total)
• 3 clovegarlic (minced)
• 25 gHungarian sweet paprika
• 2 gHungarian hot paprika
• 1green bell pepper (cored and sliced)
• 1ripe tomato (chopped, about 150 g)
• 300 mlchicken stock
• 240 gsour cream
• 20 gall-purpose flour
• 30 mlcool water
• 4 sprigflat-leaf parsley (chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels, then season them evenly with the salt and black pepper. Let them stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while you chop the onions, pepper, tomato, and garlic.

2. 2

   Heat the chicken fat in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and brown for 5 minutes, then turn and brown the second side for 3 minutes; transfer the chicken to a plate.

3. 3

   Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onions to the same pot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the browned bits from the bottom, until the onions are soft, golden, and sweet.

4. 4

   Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then pull the pot off the heat before adding both paprikas. Stir constantly for 20 seconds so the paprika blooms in the fat without scorching, because burnt paprika turns bitter very quickly.

5. 5

   Return the pot to medium heat and stir in the sliced green pepper, chopped tomato, and chicken stock. Nestle the browned chicken thighs back into the sauce skin-side up, along with any juices collected on the plate.

6. 6

   Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 35 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through, until the meat is tender and registers at least 74°C at the thickest part.

7. 7

   Whisk the sour cream, flour, and cool water in a bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 120 ml of the hot paprika sauce into the sour-cream mixture while whisking, which tempers it and helps prevent curdling.

8. 8

   Move the chicken pieces to a warm platter and lower the heat under the sauce to its gentlest setting. Whisk the tempered sour-cream mixture into the pot and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is velvety and lightly thickened.

9. 9

   Return the chicken to the pot and coat it with the sauce for 2 minutes without boiling. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately with nokedli or buttered egg noodles.