Vogel Paprikash Recipe

Prepare chicken

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season evenly with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Lightly dredge each piece in the 3 tbs flour, shaking off excess.

Brown chicken

In a large heavy Dutch oven or wide skillet, heat 1 tbs oil and 2 tbs butter over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches so pieces don't crowd, add chicken skin-side down and brown until deep golden, about 5–7 minutes per side. Transfer browned pieces to a plate and set aside. Add remaining 1 tbs butter if the pan looks dry.

Sweat onions and garlic

Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent and beginning to take on color, about 10–12 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Incorporate paprika

Remove the pot from the heat for 30 seconds (to avoid burning the paprika). Stir in 3 tbs sweet paprika and 1 tsp hot paprika until the onions are coated. Add 1 tbs tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds to bloom the paste.

Deglaze and build sauce

Return the pot to medium heat. Pour in 125 ml white wine (or extra stock) to deglaze, scraping up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let the wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Add 500 ml chicken stock and 1 bay leaf, stir to combine.

Simmer chicken

Nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the sauce, skin-side up. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30–35 minutes (internal temp 74°C/165°F). Occasionally spoon sauce over the chicken during cooking.

Check seasoning and reduce

Uncover, increase heat to medium, and simmer uncovered 5–8 minutes to slightly thicken the sauce if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 1/2 tsp black pepper as needed. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Temper and finish with sour cream

In a small bowl, whisk together 200 ml sour cream and 1 tsp flour until smooth. To prevent curdling, ladle about 3 tablespoons of hot sauce from the pot into the sour cream mixture while whisking (temper). Then stir the tempered sour cream into the pot off the heat. Return pot to very low heat and warm gently for 2–3 minutes; do not boil. Stir in 1 tsp lemon juice if using, and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Add parsley

Stir in 2 tbs chopped parsley. Spoon sauce over the chicken to coat.

Cook the egg noodles or spaetzle according to package instructions while the chicken simmers. Drain and keep warm.

Serve the Vogel Paprikash hot over a bed of noodles or spaetzle, garnish with the remaining chopped parsley. Pass additional sour cream at the table if desired.