Papricaș de Pui Ardelenesc
Papricaș de Pui Ardelenesc·(pah-pree-KAHSH deh POOY)
Mămăligă Suppers (Polenta, Pork & Skillets)
Drop bone-in chicken thighs into a heavy Dutch oven, letting the skin blister until the chicken fat renders to fry the melted onions and a heavy pour of sweet paprika—a downright aggressive amount. The secret is pulling the pan off the fire to bloom the paprika so it releases its brick-red oils without scorching, then tempering the cream so the sauce becomes pure velvet. Spoon this over a steaming board of mămăligă on a Tuesday night and eat.
Before you start
The sour cream workaround.
If you cannot find crème fraîche, thoroughly whisk 3/4 cup of full-fat American sour cream with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream before starting to ensure it won't curdle when it hits the hot sauce.
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken thighs1 1/2 lb
- neutral oil or bacon fat2 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- yellow onions2 large
- red bell pepper1 med
- garlic2 small clove
- sweet Hungarian paprika3 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- bay leaf1 large
- low-sodium chicken broth1 1/2 cup
- crème fraîche3/4 cup
- all-purpose flour1 tbsp
- fresh parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Brown the chicken in the rendered fat.
Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, season the chicken pieces, and sear them for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned on both sides, then remove to a plate.
- 02
Sweat the alliums until they melt into a paste.
Lower the heat to medium-low, drop in the diced onions with a pinch of salt, and sauté gently for 8 to 10 minutes until they are entirely translucent; add the bell pepper and garlic in the last 3 minutes.
- 03
Pull the skillet completely off the heat and bloom the paprika.
This is the grandma secret—take the pan off the burner entirely, stir in the sweet paprika for 15 to 30 seconds to release its oils, and do not walk away or it will burn and turn bitter.
- 04
Quench the pan with broth and braise the chicken.
Immediately return the skillet to medium heat, pour in the warm chicken broth to halt the frying process, add the bay leaf and chicken, and simmer covered on low for 25 to 30 minutes.
- 05
Temper the cream to prevent it from breaking.
In a small bowl, whisk the crème fraîche and flour until smooth, then slowly whisk in a half cup of the hot red broth from the skillet to gently raise the temperature of the dairy.
- 06
Fold in the velvet finish and serve.
Turn the heat to its absolute lowest, stir the tempered cream back into the skillet, and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken without ever coming to a boil, then garnish heavily with parsley.
Notes
The paprika mandate.
You must use authentic sweet Hungarian or high-quality generic sweet paprika; Spanish smoked paprika will destroy the flavor profile entirely and turn it into a barbecue-esque stew.
A perfect time for mămăligă.
Use the 30 minutes while the chicken braises to whisk together a quick-cooking polenta on the adjacent burner.
From Cook Romanian in America.