Chicken Goulash - Not Really

I received an email from Marisa who said she has “made a lot of dishes that are good but not great” and “know they could be improved by adding some of this or doing a little of that” so I invited her to send me a recipe to “fix”.

So what recipe did she send me  - her Hungarian mother-in-law’s recipe for Chicken Goulash? And we all know what a great idea it is to muddle with one’s mother-in-law’s recipes! Marisa even said, “It’s always a dangerous proposition to mess with a mother-in-law’s recipe, but I’m willing to take the risk in the name of culinary advancement.”
The problem with her recipe she said is the “sauce is always very watery, even if I barely cover the chicken (as directed).  Also, the flavor is nice, but it lacks a certain something. “

As part of my brand new Ask a Chef feature, I sent her recipe to Chef Ricco to get his opinion knowing he’s always ready to talk about a recipe and how to make it better along with adding a few interesting comments. The first thing Ricco said to me was “there is no such thing as Chicken Goulash, goulash is made from beef.”

Marisa’s husband’s Hungarian mother’s recipe is called Paprikas Csirke pronounced (PAH-pree_kash CHEER-kah). Chef Ricco also questioned the recipe only calling for 2 chicken thighs and wanted to know if this recipe was for one person? Actually he said a child but we don’t need to go there.

So first I’ll post Marisa mother-in-law’s recipe and then Chef Ricco’s. You will see a big difference in the list of ingredients in addition to the cooking technique.

And to see Chef Ricco’s classic Beef Goulash recipe….

Marisa’s Recipe

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs (remove skin and the fat), cut into two pieces each
2-3 onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 chicken bouillon cubes 

Preparation:

Warm the oil in a cooking pot and add to it the onions, garlic and red pepper. From time to time mix them up till they turn to golden. Add the thighs, paprika and tomato paste, mix every thing. Cook the thighs till the flesh becomes white (three to five minutes)

Only then add water (not much - just enough to cover the thighs) plus the chicken cubes. Cover the pot, reduce the flame (after the water boiled) and cook for 1 hour.

Chef Ricco’s Recipe for Paprika Csirke

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil
2 large sweet Spanish onions (course chopped)
2 green peppers (course chopped)
3-4 cloves garlic (fine chopped)
3 fresh plum tomatoes (course chopped)
3 Tab sweet Hungarian paprika (very important)
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 chicken thighs (skinless)
3 cups chicken stock
 
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot, over low heat. Add onion, cook over low heat until golden brown.
Add green peppers and garlic, cook for 5 minutes. Add paprika and cook for 3-4 minutes.
 
Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper cook for 5 minutes.
 
Add chicken stock and bring to boil. When it comes to a boil, turn down heat to simmer. Simmer until done, about 45 minutes.
 
Ricco revealed if Marisa feels the sauce is to watery, she should remove the chicken and “crank up the heat and reduce the sauce.”

He also explained this dish normally starts by cooking cured fatty bacon in the oil and finishes by folding sour cream into the braising liquid right before serving. Two great options to give this recipe even more flavor.

Chef Ricco likes to serve this with Spaetzle and would be more than happy to provide a recipe if anyone is interested.