Chicken Paprikash ( splet as chicken paprikas) aslo known as paprika chicken is a saucy dish of Hungarian origin and it is prepared by sautéing chicken, paprika and onions in lard and is mostly intensified with heavy cream or sour cream. This chicken preparation, mostly enjoyed as the comfort food, is made using techniques and combining ingredients may vary from family to family because there is no specifically recorded recipe for this dish. One or the other variant of this dish is enjoyed throughout the world. The Americans are also fond of this dish and have devised their own method of preparation.
Origin of Chicken Paprikas
There is no clear evidence regarding the origin of the chicken paprikash. It is also relatively unknown as how this Hungarian dish became a popular comfort dish in most of the Europe. The recipes also largely vary from country to country depending on the availability of the combining ingredients. The flavor content of the dish largely varies depending on the food culture of the place. The dish was introduced to the American continent by European. Over the period of time the Americans developed their own recipe by substituting the cream with heavy cream and sweet paprika with mild red ones.
Chicken Paprikash Recipe: Commonly Used Ingredients and Preparation Overview
Onion, butter, Hungarian paprika, chicken, green pepper, corn starch, tomato, and sour cream – are some of the common ingredients used in the preparation of chicken paprikash. Other than that chicken stock, unsalted butter and parsley are also used in the preparation of dish.
Paprika Chicken: Method of Preparation
The dish preparation begins by sautéing the chicken with onions and other ingredients (except sour cream) in a skillet. The ingredients are then simmered for about half an hour and cooked in small amounts of water. The sour cream is mixed with corn starch and added to the paprikash. The seasoning of the dish is adjusted by alternating salt and pepper. The dish is served after garnishing with chopped parsley or scallions.
Eating and Serving Paprika Chicken
The chicken paprikash can be treated as a whole food in its own but most often it is served with egg noodles or any rice preparations. If served with chicken noodles then the paprikash is drizzled over the bed of rice or egg noodles.
Nutrition Facts of Chicken Paprikas
The dish is low in calories compared to many of the other popular European comfort foods. The dish prepared using the regular ingredients are high in cholesterol, sodium, potassium and carbohydrate but they also serve some vital nutrients such as protein, vitamin A , Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and selenium. The traces of nutrients like Vitamin D and E, folate, copper, iron, manganese, Pantothenic acid, and phosphorous were also found in the chicken paprikash.