Chicken Paprikash - The Blended Recipe

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil

1 pound mushrooms; white are OK, but a mixture is best, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large onion; Tom prefers a sweet onion, but yellow is OK, thinly sliced

1 thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 thinly sliced green bell pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

3 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons paprika, a combination of Sweet Hungarian and smoked *

¼ teaspoon marjoram

1 tablespoon flour

½ to 1 cup chicken stock (if using tomatoes, use ½ cup)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes - optional

Bay leaf

¼ to 1/2 cup heavy cream

½ cup sour cream added either to the pot, or at the table

1/3 cup Marsala wine

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Season all sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in Dutch oven, or 6 quart pot, over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Add four chicken pieces, skin down, and cook without moving until skin is crisp and well-browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes until browned. Remove and repeat with remaining pieces. Remove and discard skin. Set aside and remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

Add mushrooms to pan, sprinkle with some salt, and cook until lightly browned; about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove.

Add onion to pan, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened; about 5 to 7 minutes. Add bell peppers and garlic; cook until softened and onions start to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms back to pan.

Stir in 3 tablespoons paprika, marjoram and flour, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits in bottom of pan. Add 1 teaspoon salt, bay leaf and tomatoes, if using.

Add chicken pieces, and any juices, submerging them in vegetables; bring to a simmer, cover and place pot in oven. (If not using an oven-safe pot, transfer to deep baking dish and cover with lid or foil.)

Cook until chicken is no longer pink, approximately 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven and remove bay leaf. (At this point the mixture can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat prior to proceeding.)

Combine 2 teaspoons paprika, heavy cream and sour cream in small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of pan juice to mixture, mix well, and stir into pan.

Finish with 1/3 cup Marsala wine, stir to combine. Serve.

Paprika - Start with 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika and 1 tablespoon smoked paprika. Add more smoked paprika at the end of the recipe, and even more if you'd like more smoky flavor.

Serves 6

Penny Kazmier