Chicken Paprikash

I had a chance to taste chicken paprikash for the first time in my life when my then future mother-in-law made on her 71^th birthday as everyone in her family requested because she was known to make the best chicken paprikash.   It was 15 years ago!  And if you think she was Hungarian, you are wrong.  She was born and raised in Oklahoma with the Native American blood in her.   But that was not the case.  She married to her husband whose parents immigrated to the US from Hungary early in 1900s.  I think that is the reason why my mother-in-law had become the best cook of chicken paprikash.  She was taught to perfect it by the original and most authentic Hungarian lady first hand -- her mother-in-law, who i'd never had a chance to meet.   Unfortunately, that was the only first and one time I’d ever tasted chicken paprikash from her, and unfortunately,  I’d never had a chance to learn from her.  That’s a shame! 

The hubby has been asking me to make chicken paprika for years, but I’d never have a chance to fulfill his request.   It’s not because I don’t want to, but I was concerned that I would not meet his expectation he used to get from his mother.  Basically, I just can’t withstand the criticism!   It may sound pity but I think you know why, do you?

Today I have the courage to cook this dish with confidence after I’ve learned how easy that is to cook chicken paprikash.   My mother-in-law had been collecting a bunch of cookbooks and hundreds of recipes she cut out from newspapers and magazines, and I’ve found two chicken paprikash recipes from her collections.  I've read and compared them carefully.  Both recipes are almost identical, except one doesn't use tomato sauce and the other doesn't use flour.  And both don’t add baby potatoes, green Anaheim pepper and garlic in their recipes.   

The added ingredients is my version of chicken paprikash that give the dish more interesting texture without interrupting the original intense flavor of the Hungarian paprika.  For the flour I think it can be skipped if you like the sauce to be a little thinner.  But if you want to add the flour for the thicker sauce, you may want to add more liquid of water or chicken broth to the pan to make enough sauce for every serving.    The result was approved by the hubby who missed his mother dearly while eating my Chicken Paprikash.   Let’s cooking, shall we?

  

 What you need:   for 4-5 servings  

 2 1/4 lbs. Chicken drumsticks

1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 large green Anaheim pepper or bell pepper, sliced (about 2 cups)

1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic

2 cups baby golden potatoes, washed clean

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

4 tbsp. Hungarian paprika

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour (optional)

2 tbsp. cooking oil or butter

Cooked noodles to serve with (I used Linguine pasta) 

1. wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks, then seasoning with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

2. set a large frying pan or pot over medium high heat and add cooking oil or butter, add chicken drumsticks  into the pan and brown them on both side – about 5 minutes on each side.

3. after finish browning the chicken, take them out to a bowl and set aside.

4. then add chopped onion, garlic, and pepper into the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.

5. add paprika into the pan, stir quickly to combine

6. add tomato sauce and chicken broth and stir in incorporate all of the ingredients.

7. add the chicken back to the pan as well as the baby potatoes

8. reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for at least 50 minutes to an hour until the chicken drumsticks are tender fall-off-the-bone

9. serve with cooked noodles of your choice and enjoy!

Sriracha Honey-Orange Chicken

Everyone loves Chinese food!  Who doesn’t!  I think Chinese food is the most popular food in the world.   Noooooo…..I’m not stereotyping, but think about it.   Not only that they are fast and easy to find, they are also delicious and tasty and everyone loves it, especially Orange Chicken.   My version of Orange Chicken today has a hint of sweet from honey and spicy from Sriracha hot sauce.   It is also very easy to prepare and can be finished in little time as long as you have all the ingredients ready to go.  

There are two parts of making this dish – first cook the chicken and  then cook the sauce.  Then let them hangout together in the pan just a bit for that all the flavors would have their chance to mix and mingle.    The finished version of my Sriracha Honey-Orange Chicken is very citrusy tangy and savory with a hint of sweetness from honey and slight warm heat from Sriracha hot sauce, yet, I drizzled more of it on the top for some more heat.  I love hot spicy stuff.  You know?  ^_^

What you need: for 4 servings

1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless skinless cut into small chunks or strips

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour  

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup white onion, chopped

2-3 tbsp. oil, any kind

*Sesame seeds and green onion for garnish

For sauce:

3/4 cup orange juice + zest from 2 small oranges

4 tbsp. soy sauce

4 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. finely minced garlic

1 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside

2. Seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper and toss in the flour to coat well

3. Add the oil into a pan over medium heat, then add the chicken pieces and fry undisturbed about 1 minute on each side until slightly browned. *chicken breast pieces tend to dry out really fast and if cooking too long the chicken meat will become too dry.

4. After the chicken cooked, remove them and there should be a little oil left in the pan about 1 tablespoon. Leave it.

5. Add the sauce into the pan and let it boil down for a minute or so.  Then add the chopped onion and green bell pepper and cooked chicken into the sauce, toss them together. Let the sauce cook down for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce become thicker and glossy.

6. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

7. Serve with steamed rice, white or brown as you preferred.   Enjoy!  

Gingery Chicken, Rice, and Avocado soup

OMG!  I was sick with nasty cold and flu for a week.  And I was like, “please somebody just kill me.”  It was terrible!   Anyway, I feel a lot better today except just a little cough and stubborn congestion that wouldn’t go away.  For the past week I made lots of soup, all kind of soup that loaded with ginger.  Ginger is my obsession!  If I find out I only have 1 root left, I’d freak out. Seriously!    As you know, ginger is known for fighting cold and flu, reducing pain, headache, migraine, and inflammation.  For me, it’s never too much to add ginger in my diet for my own good. Just gimme some more.....pleaseeee! 

Today’s soup was made with the leftover cooked rice and chicken I’ve saved in the fridge the day before and things I already have around my kitchen for quick instant soup.  I served this soup with the finishing touch of fresh ginger instead of adding them when boiling the broth.  If you are wondering that the fresh ginger might be too strong.  Yes, it is very strong and that’s my point.  Its intensity works perfectly in clearing the bacteria that got me a sore throat.   Not only that, I had added some more dried red chili pepper flakes in my bowl for the back up!  It gave me a little sweat and it was so good.   The creamy avocado cubes in the soup would help subtle down the intensity of the fresh ginger, and the tangy sweet of sundried tomato gave the soup even more interesting taste.   Miso, avocado, and sundried tomato may sound a little weird, but it works together nicely!

Okay. This soup is so easy and very quick to make.   If you know how to bring water to boil, chances are you can make soup.  It takes less than 30 minutes from the start to the end.  I promise.    

Gingery Chicken, Rice, and Avocado soup

What you need:  for 2-4 servings

1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice (white or brown)

1 cup leftover shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie/grilled)

1/4 cup carrot, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

3 tbsp.  Fresh ginger, finely julienned

2 tbsp. mellow white miso paste (or more if needed)

5 cups water (+ 1 cup more if needed)

1 large Hass avocado, chopped in cubes

1 cup cilantro leaves

2 tbsp. sundried tomato, chopped

Pinch of salt to taste if needed

(Dried red chili flakes is optional)

1. In a medium pot, bring water add chopped carrot, celery, and sundried tomato to boil at medium high heat.

2. Let the vegetables cook for 5 minutes, then add cooked rice and shredded chicken. Allow the rice and chicken to heat through for a few minutes, and then turn off the heat

3. With the miso paste in a small bowl, use the hot soup broth from pot stir or whisk in the miso paste until there is no lumps, then gently stir back to the pot and add avocado.  **add more miso paste or seasoning with salt for your preferred taste.

4. Serve each serving with a sprinkle of fresh ginger strips and cilantro leaves (and dried red chili flakes if you like!)