Braised Paprika Chicken

When we were living in Winston-Salem, we cooked at least 75% of our meals on the grill.  So when we moved to Germany, our cooking style had to change completely.  No more going to the grocery store, picking out a pretty piece of whatever was on sale, and throwing it on the grill for a few minutes.  During my four months of unemployment, I spent a LOT of time online looking for new recipes and trying to figure out what Jason would like.  I came across Braised Paprika Chicken by Aida Mollenkamp on foodnetwork.com, and I knew I had to try it.  I was a Food Network junkie, but I'd never tried one of Aida's recipes before.  A lot of the reviews commented on the amount of salt, so I've adjusted the salt to fit our tastes.  While Hubby doesn't go for the sauce, he's not a sauce guy, so I didn't expect him to.  However, I like the sauce, especially when I serve it with our favorite rolls to mop it up.  To make it a one dish meal, I add green beans and/or green peas during the last step.  My additions/comments are in italics.



Braised Paprika Chicken
Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp


Ingredients

• 2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp smoked paprika (I haven't found smoked here in Jena, so I use hot)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium russet potato, small dice (optional)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas and/or two handfuls trimmed green beans

Directions

Combine kosher salt, paprika, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Pat chicken dry and rub the mixture all over. Place a 3-to 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat and add oil. When it smokes, add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on second side.  My pot is not large enough to brown the whole chicken at once, so I do it in batches.

Transfer chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings (I've never had more than a tablespoon of drippings left in the pan). Return to stove on medium heat, add onions, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until golden and softened, about 3 minutes.

Add potatoes and broth and scrape the pan to incorporate any browned bits. Add chicken, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and cover.  The beauty of this dish is that the longer it cooks, the better it is, so if you need more time to prepare a side, just let the chicken simmer slowly for as long as you need.

Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, add any extra veggies you'd like.  It's also a good idea to smash a few of the potatoes to help thicken the sauce here. Cook until slightly reduced and your veggies are cooked to your liking, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Add chicken, turn to moisten in sauce, and serve.   

This meal is not for those who love crispy skin.  I've made it skin on and skin off, and we like it both ways... just depends on my desire to take the effort to skin the chicken :)