Say It With Me...Chicken Paprikash With Spaetzel

Chicken Paprikash is delicious. It's not okay, it's not pretty good--it's delicious. As you might imagine, my TV-watching habits tend towards cooking shows, and that is where I first saw this dish a few months ago. Now, many things pass by me like an 18-wheeler on the PA Turnpike, but when something piques my interest, I pay attention. Chicken Paprikash is one of those things. I knew immediately that I would try creating a version.

As the name indicates, paprika is an integral part of this concoction. P's sells several varieties, and I chose the Hungarian Half-Sharp last time I ordered. It is bright reddish orange in color, accompanied by a slight heat that I augmented in the dish with a diced jalapeno pepper. Also into the Dutch Oven went two scallions and a shallot that burned my eyes. Probably three cloves of garlic and a can of crushed tomatoes.

As these ingredients sauteed in olive oil, I added four chicken breasts purchased from the Fresh Cuts Butcher Shop. I covered the chicken with chicken broth, and then I added quite a lot of paprika and a good amount of P's Bavarian Seasoning (a mixture of crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and sage), which I thought apropos for the dish. I also added two more bay leaves and then covered the dish to cook until the chicken was done. I pulled the meat from the bones and added a little more Salt. To finish the Paprikash, I added about a cup of sour cream and continued cooking until it was warmed through.

Truly, though, the best part about this dish is the Spaetzel. Spaetzel means "little sparrow," and I enjoy that part of it, also. It is pretty easy to make, once you get your ingredients together: flour, an egg, salt, and water. Mix that up until your dough forms and then cut little spaetzels with your knife. I think I may have made mine slightly larger than most, but again, that is the cook's prerogative. Throw them into the boiling water until they bob to the top. I suppose you could stop here and eat your dinner, but one more step makes all the difference in the world.

Let the sparrows fly into a skillet containing a pat of melted butter. Coat the sparrows, and add a bit of salt and Green-Can cheese. Saute them until they brown a little and serve them with your Paprikash. As I said, das schmeckt! Abendessen! Ganz Gut! Bis Spater!