Sheet pan paprikash – modern take on a comfort classic
My favorite comfort foods tend to be close to my roots. I get nostalgic for simple suppers at my gram’s, the flavors she coaxed from just a few ingredients. Potatoes and noodles to fill us up. The Hungarian paprika my grandfather brought home from the butcher in a brown paper sack, smelling of earthy, sweet chiles.
A cut-up chicken, or chunks of pork, would simmer to tenderness with that paprika, a few cloves of fresh garlic and water. We’d play card games until dinner was ready. Nothing to fuss over as the combination was ladled into flowered porcelain bowls.
What lingers is the desire to gather with family at the table with no real agenda, with food that nourishes, tastes delicious, but causes no stress for the cook. To impart to the children the beauty of generations dining together: That’s the true benefit of home cooking.
This winter, I’m paying tribute to the gone, but never forgotten, family elders with an oven-roasted version of chicken paprikash — the classic dish from Hungary. Similar to goulash in that paprika-seasoned beef, chicken or veal simmers to tenderness in water, paprikash has the distinction of a sour cream finish. My mother preferred to make paprikash, while her mother mostly made a brothy goulash.
I like making sheet-pan paprikash. The hot oven and a large rimmed baking sheet allow me to reduce cooking time, concentrate flavors and improve texture more in line with today’s tastes. The chicken skin crisps, the potatoes and onions brown to golden, and the paprika’s natural sweetness intensifies with the dry heat. After everything is cooked, I deglaze the pan with water and then swirl in a bit of sour cream for a simple sauce to spoon over the chicken or buttered noodles.
For the fastest dinner, I choose bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs. They’re easy to serve and always stay moist. Bone-in pork loin chops are great here too; 1-inch-thick chops will cook in about the same time as the chicken thighs.
Paprika is made from ripe, red chile peppers that are dried and powdered. In the United States, sweet paprika is an underrated spice because it’s often stale and flavorless. We tend to keep a jar for years, but the powder stales quickly and the color fades. If you don’t know how old your paprika is, taste it. If it’s pale orange and flavorless, start over. Fresh paprika is a deeper, darker red color than the ripest tomatoes. The aroma should be sweet and a bit musky.
Most supermarkets carry sweet paprika. I like the Szeged brand imported from Hungary. Or, order Hungarian or Spanish paprika on the internet from spice shops. If you like heat, try subbing in some “halfsharp” (spicy) paprika for the sweet. Or swap in a teaspoon or so of smoked paprika for a different take.
I like to take advantage of the flavors in the pan drippings and boil water in the pan to make a fast sauce. This boiling works to dissolve all the stuck-on bits, so clean-up is a snap!
SHEET-PAN CHICKEN PAPRIKASH WITH POTATOES
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2¼ lbs. total
5 to 6 medium-size yellow roasting potatoes, about 1¼ lbs. total, scrubbed
1 medium-large (8 oz.) sweet onion, halved, thickly sliced in wedges
¼ c. Hungarian sweet paprika
1½ t. salt
1 t. dried oregano
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. hot paprika or
¼ t. cayenne
3T.oliveoil
¼ c.water
2 to 3 T. sour cream or creme fraiche
Flat-leaf parsley
Buttered noodles (optional), see recipe
Heat oven to 400 degrees on convection setting or 425 degrees on conventional. Pat chicken dry and place on 16by-12-inch (or larger) rimmed baking sheet. Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Arrange potatoes and onion slices around the chicken.
Mix sweet paprika, salt, oregano, garlic powder and hot paprika in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken, potatoes and onion on all sides with the paprika mixture. Drizzle everything with olive oil.
Roast for 20 minutes. Stir vegetables well. Continue roasting until chicken juices run clear and potatoes are fork-tender, 20 minutes more.
Transfer chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Set baking sheet over a burner and turn heat to medium. Stir ¼ cup water into the pan. Heat to a boil and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove pan from heat. Stir in sour cream and season with salt.
Drizzle pan sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Buttered noodles: Heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Add 1 bag (12 oz.) extra broad egg noodles to the water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain off the water. Return the noodles to the pot and add 2 tablespoons butter. Toss to melt the butter. Season with salt.