This classic Hungarian comfort food dish features tender chicken stewed with onions, broth, tomatoes, and generous amounts of paprika. Serve over egg noodles to soak up all of the delicious sauce.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a very large, deep heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the skin is nicely crispy. Flip the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes or so until the bottom of the chicken is nicely browned (it will not be cooked through). Remove the chicken to a plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Return the pan to medium heat, and add the onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft and moderately browned. Stir in the garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir in the flour and the sweet paprika, as well as the additional smoked or hot paprika if using, until is all well incorporated into the oil, one more minute. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Return the chicken to the liquid, skin side up, and cook for another 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Remove the chicken to a clean plate. Remove the bay leaves, and stir the sour cream into the sauce. Place the chicken over the hot noodles, either on a serving platter or on individual serving plates, and spoon over the sauce.
Notes
You don’t want to heat the sour cream in the sauce over the stove, or it might curdle. Just stir it into the pot at the very end, and it will blend right in, and add a tangy-creamy note to the warm sauce.
Make sure to brown the chicken well, and get the skin crispy. The skin will soften during the braising process, but it will have a much better texture than unbrowned skin.
You can use chicken breasts if you prefer. The cooking time should be about the same.
If there is a gluten allergy or intolerance in your house, you can use gluten-free flour to make this a gluten-free dish.