Braised Chicken Paprika

October 14th, 2011 | Cluck cluck, Family Dinner | 0 Comments

About a month ago, on Williams-Sonoma's home page they were advertising a sale of some sort on one of their Dutch ovens {see photo above courtesy of Williams-Sonoma}. I clicked on their homepage at least a half dozen times to see this Dutch oven. I was obsessed and it wasn't really about the Dutch oven at all, it was what was INSIDE the Dutch oven that had me going. It was a chicken dish that looked like it was slow-braised and I could see red peppers and mushrooms (I think) and the beautiful golden color of the gravy had me salivating all over my keyboard! So, I finally set out to research what was in this beautiful pot (that I would love to have for Christmas--any family members reading this should take note) and after reviewing NINETEEN PAGES of poultry recipes on their website, finally just clicked on the "Dutch Oven" tab to see if I could find it that way.... BINGO!! Found the photo and realized that I could create that dish if I bought the Stewsday Chicken Paprika soup starter ..... EASY, right????

Well, I'm not usually a soup-starter kind of gal, so here's how I tried to create the dish on my own. I honestly have no idea if the tastes are remotely similar, but I do know that this chicken dish is one of the best I've ever created---especially based upon a picture alone.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken pieces [I used thighs and legs because I had it handy]
salt, pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 medium red onion, sliced
2-3 bell peppers [I used red, orange and yellow]
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika [not smoked]
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper; set aside. In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, add butter. When melted, add red onion and allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell peppers and continue stirring occasionally for another 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until vegetables begin to turn golden brown, about another 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then remove vegetables and set aside in a warm place.

Reduce heat to medium and without cleaning out the pot, gently add chicken pieces. Working in batches, cook chicken pieces on both sides until skin is crispy and golden, about 6-7 minutes per side.

Remove chicken from pan and either pour out or blot up any additional oil that may be left in the pan. [Its okay for some oil to remain, but you want to get most of it out.] Add flour and gently stir to form a roux--about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and cream, continuing to stir for about a minute. Sprinkle in paprika and whisk well. Add chicken back into the pot, cover and allow to cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. Remove lid and once again, remove chicken from pot and whisk in sour cream. Once well incorporated, add chicken and vegetables back into the pot and simmer on low for about 2 minutes.

Spoon chicken and vegetables over buttered noodles or rice and enjoy!

What do you think....does my chicken stew look as good as Williams-Sonoma's???