Dinner Tonight: Oma's Chicken Paprikash

All the presents have been opened, all the eggnog sipped, and all the delicious holiday feasts have been eaten. Now, for the very last Tuesday meal of 2015, we're craving something hot and flavorful, but full of warmth and comfort, because we're going to be traipsing back to the dinner table after several hours spent outside in the snow.

Oma's Chicken Parikash, a family recipe from Loves Food Loves to Eat, fulfills all of our dinner-after-a-day-outside requirements. It's simple, warming, and the leftover dumplings will give you an excellent breakfast treat come Wednesday morning. Best of all? With only a few quick additions, you can whip this dish up from ingredients you already have on hand.

Grocery List

(Organized by area of the market)

• 4 heaping tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika
• 2 chicken breasts, quartered (or 4 bone-in thighs)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

We're assuming you already have a large onion, some sour cream, flour, eggs, and plenty of salt and pepper to taste, but if you don't, add those to your list, too!

With an hour to dinner, sauté a diced onion with vegetable oil in a Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is almost translucent. Then, add in the 4 heaping tablespoons of paprika. It will seem like a lot, but it will give your dish a deep smoky flavor that can't be beat. Continue cooking, stirring almost continuously, until onions are cooked through. Add the chicken and brown for a few minutes before adding 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

Make the dumplings while you wait: Mix 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 3/4 cups water, and 3 cups of flour in a mixer with a bread hook. The dough should be thick and sticky. In a large pot of boiling salted water, drop tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until slippery on the outside and bready on the inside. (Reserve a bowl for breakfast tomorrow!)

Right before serving, add the remaining dumplings to the broth, and give the chicken a rough shred with a fork. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sour cream, a spoonful of flour, and a splash of water. Stir into the paprikash, and flavor with salt and pepper. Serve it up in a bowl and enjoy! On Wednesday morning, jump out of bed, and heat up the remaining dumplings with a pat of butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and enjoy with your cup of coffee.