*Photo and Content Updated March 2012*

Inspiration: We’re big on doing everything that we can to avoid food waste in our house, and one of the ways that we do that is by having a stash of meals that we can turn to when we need to use up certain ingredients. This is one of our sour cream meals – always a great use of that half-tub of sour cream that’s sitting in the fridge.

What we Loved: I really love chicken dishes with a nice pan sauce. There’s just something so delicious and comforting about a meal like that.  I particularly like the sauce in this recipe because it has a deep, rich flavor that’s smoky from the paprika and nice and creamy from the sour cream. And as an added bonus, this recipe is very easy to make and pulls together in no time. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight.

Helpful Hints: I served this with some buttered peas as a side dish this time around, but it really pairs well with any number of vegetables. Next time, I’m thinking that some mashed cauliflower drizzled with some of that rich paprika gravy would be wonderful. I’ve made this meal using both regular paprika and sweet Hungarian paprika, and we really preferred the Hungarian paprika. The flavor of the sauce was so much more rich and intense. So if you have access to Hungarian paprika, I’d really recommend it. Most Hungarian paprikas here are imported and look like this.

Chicken Paprikash
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

I made several additions and changes to the above recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper
Butter
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat a pat of butter in a skillet, and brown the chicken on all sides. Work in batches so that the pan is not overcrowded, which will cause the chicken to steam instead of allowing a brown crust to form. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

2. Add a little more butter to the pan, and saute the onions until just tender. Stir in the garlic, paprika, and chili powder. Return the chicken to the pan, coating it in the onion mixture. Add the chicken broth, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the liquids are reduced to about 1/2 cup.

3. Stir in the sour cream,  and heat through.