Sheet Pan Chicken Paprikash with Hungarian Cucumber Salad
I love Hungarian food. It feels like comfort and smells like home. Thick creamy sauces, bright hits of paprika, fresh salads, lots of dill, and of course heavenly desserts. My Grandmother was 100% Hungarian, so I grew up eating her authentic cooking. As a young girl I begged her to teach me all her traditional Hungarian recipes, and I spent many a Sunday watching her and recording her process.
If you’re unfamiliar with the dish, Chicken Paprikash is conventionally a rich entree of tender paprika laden chicken simmered slowly over the stovetop. It’s very saucy; the chicken juices and broth are thickened with sour cream to make a heavenly gravy that’s especially delicious when served over homemade egg noodles or spaetzle.
And while I absolutely love a traditional Chicken Paprikash (Grandma Helen’s was the best), this Paprikash is anything but traditional. This Paprikash is roasted and contained all in one lovely sheet pan. It’s a lighter, more modern, and faster version to be sure, but all the hearty flavor and satisfaction remain. And it’s darn pretty to look at!
And while the traditional gravy of a paprikash results from broth and bone simmered for hours with peppers, paprika, and onions, this recipe gets its savor from harissa. I know! I know! Harissa is a North African ingredient, and not Hungarian at all. But it reminds me of my Grandma’s Hungarian flavors. And really it should since there’s ingredient overlap. Paprika is a Hungarian spice literally made from toasted peppers, and harissa is a blend of peppers and other herbs and spices. I’m not saying harissa should go in a traditional paprikash, but in this one, it works!
There is also no substitute for fresh, homemade spaetzle. But I really can’t be bothered on the regular weeknight. I’m a mom of four after all! So, I substitute dried Cavatelli instead. The shape reminds me of my grandma's homemade noodles, and it’s relatively easy to come by. If you can’t find Cavatelli, try orzo or boxed spaetzle instead.
Finally, you really cannot serve this dish without cucumber salad, or what we call “Tilly” in our family. And while my grandmother sliced her cucumber whisper thin by hand, I highly recommend a mandolin for the best and fastest results. Also, when you salt the cucumbers, they will taste too salty at first. That’s normal. Everything will balance when you wring the cucumbers out and season them with sugar, sour cream, oil, and vinegar.
Jo étvágyat!
Sheet Pan Chicken Paprikash - Serves 4-6
Equipement:
Large rimmed baking pan
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3-5 lb.), broken into 8 pieces
2 1/2 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. mild harissa
1 tsp. Hungarian Sweet Paprika + more for garnish
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt + more to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 small onion, thinly sliced into quarter moons
Zest of 1 lemon
1 lb. dried Cavatelli pasta
2 TBS. butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 TBS. whole milk
Italian parsley & fresh dill for garnish
Method:
Put the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with 1 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt & several grinds of pepper. Combine the harissa, 1 TBS. of olive oil, and 1 tsp. paprika in a small bowl, and then add it to the bowl with the chicken. Toss the chicken in the paprika marinade, cover the bowl, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, preheat the oven to 425ºF, and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Once the oven reaches the right temperature and the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, pour the chicken and all the marinade out onto the baking sheet. Spread the chicken out evenly and place it skin side up. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, combine the sliced onions, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, and 1 1/2 TBS. olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
While the chicken bakes, fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss it in a bowl with the butter and salt to taste. Set aside.
After the chicken has cooked for 25 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the seasoned onions all over and around the chicken. Return the pan to the oven for 15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and 2-3 TBS. of milk in a small bowl. The sour cream should be runny and nice for drizzling. Sprinkle a couple of dashes of paprika onto the sour cream for garnish.
After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Pour the cooked pasta onto the pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer, or until the pasta begins to turn lightly golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Serve the chicken in a shallow bowl garnished with several dollops of sour cream, sprigs of fresh parsley and dill, and a sprinkling of paprika. And don’t forget the cucumber salad!
Hungarian Cucumber Salad (a.k.a. “Tilly”)- Serves 4-6 as a side
Equipment:
Mandolin
Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced thinly on the mandolin
3/4 tsp. salt + more to taste
2 TBS. sour cream
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 TBS. olive oil
1 TBS. rice wine vinegar
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Fresh dill leaves & paprika for garnish
Method:
Combine the sliced cucumbers with 3/4 tsp. of salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. The cucumbers should taste just slightly too salty. Allow them to marinate for 15 minutes.
Drain the cucumbers in the mesh sieve. Then grab a handful of cucumbers and squeeze the excess water out over the sink. Place the squeeze cucumbers in a serving bowl, and continue squeezing handful by handful until all the cucumbers have been wrung out.
Add the sugar, olive oil, rice vinegar, and sour cream to the cucumbers. Mix well and then taste. Add salt and pepper as needed. Evenly top the salad with the diced red onion and red bell pepper, dill leaves, and several dashes of paprika.
