Hungry for Color?

The air has been cooler with a prediction of snow  so perhaps Friday would be our last convertible ride to view the Coulee's fall colors.



We looked like we were dressed for the Siberian winter but hey, the hood was down to catch those fall hillsides.

Dinner would have to be something hardy to take the chill off the bones. And so 'Chicken Paprikash' came to be on the dinner menu.

For those of you who have never made it, it's really not difficult. If these pics look like more than the indicated ingredients, it's because I doubled the recipe confident this would be a winner which it was.

* If you keep Kosher you can use cornstarch like I did as a thickening agent vs adding sour cream at the end.

Here's a list of what you'll need:

12 pieces chicken legs and thighs (w/wo skin)
2 t paprika (Hungarian paprika is best)
2 red bell peppers, seeded
2 tomatoes
1 t chicken consomme powder
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 1/2 T olive oil
2 onions peeled and sliced
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley, divided
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 T cornstarch (or sour cream)

Easy as 1,2, 3....

Sprinkle  chicken generously with paprika, salt and pepper (if using kosher chicken, salt lightly).

Place bell peppers, tomatoes, chicken consomme powder and garlic into blender. Blend.

In large pot, heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion.

Once onions have started to caramelize, add seasoned chicken to pan. Saute for a few minutes.
Pour  blended sauce over top of chicken pieces. If needed, add water till the sauce just covers the chicken.

Sprinkle with 3 T parsley, salt and pepper to taste (1 1/4 t of each).
Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low simmer. Cover pan/pot, venting slightly.

Cook chicken about 1 hour or to desired tenderness. The longer it simmers, the more tender it becomes.
When the chicken is finished cooking, adjust salt and pepper.

Mix 2 T cornstarch with 3 T cold water. Gently stir into the chicken sauce and simmer for a minute or two to thicken.

Serve on top of spaetzle/ rice/ potatoes/ if you are like me and have leftover quinoa from a previous meal, use that. 

It hit the spot to warm us in the End of the Rainbow Valley.