Poulet au Paprika by Escoffier.

Paprika chicken (Poulet au Paprika) is Hungarian-style recipe that became a prize winning dish in western Europe at the end of the 19th century, when Escoffier put it on the menu at the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo. This family-style chicken recipe is a good excuse to practice your sauté technique. Minimal fuss, simple ingredients and an easy one to serve in a large pan on the centre of the table.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 to 6 pieces of chicken (thighs, legs or breast)

• 50 g (1.8 oz) flour (to coat chicken)

• 20 g (0.7 oz) butter and 2 tablespoons oil

• 2 onions

• 2 medium size tomatoes or 100 grams diced canned tomatoes

• 3 tbsp sweet paprika powder (Hungarian is best)

• 1 tsp of Espelette pepper (optional)

• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) white wine

• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) clear chicken stock

• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) cream (heavy cream) or more if you like

• Salt and pepper to season

• Parsley or basil to garnish (optional)

NOTES

• If your tomatoes are not ripe enough, add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce.

• The procedure in the video tutorial below is slightly different to this written recipe because I made some small adjustments to intensify the flavor.

PROCEDURE

1. Dice the onions, peel and cube the tomatoes, prepare the chicken stock.

2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and then coat with a dusting of flour (shaking off any excess.)

3. Heat the oil and melt the butter on a medium heat in a pan large enough to fit the chicken pieces, and lay them into the pan skin down once and sauté to a light brown color.

4. After 5 minutes, turn the pieces over and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes minutes. Then add the onions to the pan.

5. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, then remove the breasts and set them aside in a tray or plate. Allow the chicken legs to cook for a further 10 minutes.

6. Remove the chicken legs from the pan and set them aside with the chicken breasts. Add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan gently to detach the caramelized pieces. Leave to reduce by half and then put the chicken pieces back in the pan.

7. Add the paprika powder and espelette pepper (optional) to coat the chicken and then add the stock and the tomatoes. 

8. Raise the heat slightly and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes turning the chicken pieces over from time to time.

9. Finish the sauce by adding the cream and stir in gently. 

10. Remove the chicken pieces once cooked and adjust the seasoning of the sauce to your taste with pepper and salt. You can also add more paprika if you like.

11. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, garnish with basil or parsley and serve.

"I'll be doing this on Valentine's Day for my wife of 38 years. Merci chef!"

Andrew Robinson

"Enough screwing around - just move into my kitchen! These classes are fantastic and Escoffier made simple that is soooo super - thank you!!!"

Eileen Preston