Everything is better when mom makes it — especially this chicken paprikash with mushrooms (2024)

Perhaps the greatest joy of retirement is being able to visit grandbabies at any time, not just during school vacations.

Even more special is being able to help out or babysit when asked. For me, it’s especially heartwarming to know that my contributions are valued and appreciated.

We just spent a week in Grand Rapids, Mich., the first few days included our daughter-in-law, Greta, and the remaining days, when she had a work trip to Texas, were spent helping Daniel with our 6-month-old granddaughter, as well as with errands and cooking and such. Now Daniel certainly could have managed perfectly well on his own, but in the colder winter weather, with their dog, Libby, who needs to be walked, it certainly made life easier for him.

In any event, almost as soon as we arrived, they informed us that while she was away, Daniel wanted things for dinner that Greta doesn’t like, that he doesn’t get to have very much. One such ingredient is mushrooms. So, one night we decided to make chicken paprikash. (The mushrooms are optional, and we’ve made it for Greta without them.)

I still remember the first time I made this for my boys. They tasted it and glared at me. It was the look of annoyance and disbelief that I had never made it for them before.

It’s not a very difficult recipe, but you will want to get sweet Hungarian paprika for it. I’ve been asked about using hot, but once when I was a kid, my father — who loved to cook and loved spicy food — used hot instead of sweet. We had to rinse the chicken and make more sauce, and it was still pretty much inedible. I suppose you could experiment with some sweet and some hot, and the level of spiciness certainly will vary depending on the brand, but I’ve never tried it.

We tend to buy whole, air-chilled chickens from our local butcher and have them break it down into eight pieces but feel free to substitute whatever bone-in, skin-on parts you prefer, all thighs, or all breasts, or a combination will be fine.

Be sure to serve this with something for the sauce, preferably noodles, although rice or baked potatoes would be fine, too.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds, cut into eight pieces, or whatever combination of bone-in, skin-on pieces you prefer

1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed

1 medium onion chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 large garlic clove, chopped or put through a garlic press

2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes (canned)

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1-2 tablespoons dry sherry

DIRECTIONS

In a large Dutch oven that will hold all the chicken, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and fragrant. Start the chicken skin side down and brown on all sides, in batches if necessary. Sprinkle pieces with salt as you add them to the pot, about 1/2 teaspoon total. (Be patient — the chicken will stick at first, then release once it has gotten hot enough.) Remove pieces to a bowl.

Add the onion and about 1/4 teaspoon salt to the fat remaining in the pot, and sauté until beginning to color. If you are using mushrooms add them to the pot, sprinkle with remaining salt, and sauté until they have given up their liquid and are beginning to brown. Add garlic and sauté for a minute while stirring. Add the paprika and stir briefly to release the oils into the pan. Add a small amount of the chicken broth to scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the broth and tomatoes, stir, and let warm a bit.

Add chicken back to pot, along with any juices that have settled in the bottom of the bowl. Cook covered at a medium simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Remove chicken to a platter or glass baking dish. Combine flour and heavy cream in a bowl (it will be a sticky mess) and add to the sauce in the pot, whisking well. (Some of the flour will clump, but eventually, it all disappears as the sauce soaks in.) Stir in the sour cream and allow to heat through, without letting it boil. Stir in sherry and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Serve over egg noodles or something else with which to enjoy the sauce.