Hungarian Paprika Chicken

Name: Hungarian Paprika Chicken
Yield: makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 yellow onions, chopped; 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size cubes; 3 tablespoons sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste; 4 bell peppers, preferably 1 each, green, red, yellow, and orange, cored and chopped; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 1 pound egg noodles; 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 16 ounces sour cream; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

December 9, 2011

My fabulous hairdresser on the set of Desperate Housewives, Gabor, shared this recipe with me. In fact, he shared the very recipe his grandmother had used for decades—the card it was on must have been about eighty years old and was written in Hungarian! It took Gabor some time to decipher it, but I’m grateful for his efforts. It’s so delicious! It’s funny to think that almost every culture has some variation on the big pot of fragrant, nourishing stew. I’m glad to have been introduced to this one. The bell peppers add sweetness and color; the dish is really beautiful when made with green, red, yellow, and orange peppers, but feel free to use whatever you prefer or can get your hands on. The stew is amazing served over buttered egg noodles. And don’t worry about leftovers; this is even better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two.

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