Hungarian Chicken Paprikas

I first had this dish in Albany, Oregon the great mom and pop restaurant Novak's (literally mom and pop - Mama Novak and Papa Novak are there pretty much every day). It's got such a comforting complex flavor but is so easy to make! The nice short list of ingredients makes it fit the budget! I like to cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces before browning, but you can cook them whole as well. This is great over rice, egg noodles (or egg dumplings if you can find them)

Serves 6 - $17

Ingredients

• 1 large organic onion - chopped
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 3 Tbls Hungarian Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
• 3 lbs Chicken Thighs
  
• 1 cup Organic Chicken Stock
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 chopped organic tomatoes (or 1x14.5 oz can)
• 1 cup organic sour cream
• Rice, noodles or egg dumplings for 6
  

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium to large sized pot over medium-high heat
2. Throw in the chopped onion and cook until soft - about 10 minutes
3. Add the chicken, paprika, salt and pepper and stir it until the chicken and onions are coated in seasony goodness
4. Cook the chicken about 6 minutes stirring occassionally until lightly browned
5. Put in your chicken stock, water and tomatoes and bring to a boil
6. Begin cooking your rice or noodles (Put this here so you don't forget you need something to put this goodness on:)
   
7. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, juicy and tender
8. Remove from heat and stir in your sour cream
9. Enjoy!
   

African Peanut Soup

If you've been to a McMenamins in Oregon and you've been able to steer clear of the fries with your blue cheese and bacon burger, you may have had this as your soup option. It's pretty much the best meal in a bowl I've ever had, and it's rich enough to stand alone for dinner with some bread and salad greens.

Serves 4 for dinner or 6 as a before meal
$17

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Organic Onion - chopped
• 1 Large Organic Carrot - diced
• 1 rib of celery - chopped
  
• 1 bell pepper - seeded & chopped
• 32 oz Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
• 1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
• 2 large tomatoes - chopped
• 1 chicken breast - cooked and chopped
• From the cupboard - 1 cup milk, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper

Directions

1. Cook the Chicken (I like to grill it if the weather cooperates)
   
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and toss in the onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent - about 10 minutes
3. Stir in the flour and slowly add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly to avoid lumps
4. Add the peanut butter and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Throw in the tomatoes, chicken and milk. Season with the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste and simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. Enjoy!
   

Hungarian Chicken Paprikas

This recipe is the perfect comfort food (sorry mac & cheese). The first time I had it was at Novak's restaurant in Albany, OR. We go there with Brooke's Grandparents almost every time we visit and Papa Novak makes it out to say hello every time (not Mama though, she's busy making this wonderful dish)!

Serves 6
$15.00

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Organic Chicken Thighs - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Large Organic Onion - diced
• 1 Large Organic Green Pepper - diced
• 1 Large Organic Tomato - finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 8 oz Organic Sour Cream
• 16 oz Organic Egg Noodles
• From the cupboard - Olive Oil, 4 Tbls flour, 2 Tbls paprika, 1/2 cup white wine, salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute onion, green pepper and tomato in 1 Tbls olive oil until onions are translucent
   
2. Stir in Paprika and add the white wine & 1/2 cup water
   
3. Add chicken, salt & pepper and simmer until the chicken is tender
4. Pull the chicken out and set it in a casserole dish
5. Add another 1/2 cup water to the pan
6. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions
   
7. In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of cold water with 4 Tbls flour until smooth
8. Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil and whisk in the flour mixture
9. Cook until the sauce thickens to a nice gravy texture
10. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream
11. Add the chicken back to the sauce and serve over the noodles