Crockpot Chicken Paprikash (or Csirke Paprikás)

1. Place thinly sliced onions in the bottom of your slow cooker.

2. Season both sides of each chicken thigh with salt, pepper, and paprika (in that order). It’s virtually impossible to over season this dish, as excess seasonings will fall off the thighs, but be aware of your salt nonetheless.

You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but I don’t find the flavor as deep. If you DO decide to use chicken breasts, make sure you get the bone-in kind (again, for deeper flavor).

3. Place your chicken thighs in your slow cooker on top of the onions. Pour the water over the chicken and cover. Cook on low approximately 8 hours, or on high for at least 4 hours. The lower and longer the better. (You can add some tapioca starch at this point to ensure a nice thick gravy at the end – I’ve never done it, but that’s the best starch to use given the low temperatures. Do NOT add cornstarch or flour at this time).

4. Once the chicken has had time to get delicious and tender, take the chicken pieces from the pot, and remove the bones. This is another benefit to thighs – very few bones! Set the meat aside. Do NOT strain out the liquid!!

5. Mix the sour cream into the liquid left in the slow cooker. If you desire a thicker sauce, make a slurry out of 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and whisk into the gravy. Bring to a boil in a pot until thickened.

6. Stir the gravy and the chicken together.

Serve over cooked egg noodles with some Hungarian Bikaver wine (or any light bodied red/crisp dry white), good company, and lots of laughter!

(Traditional method: Season chicken as above then brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add onions to the pan and saute until translucent. Return chicken to the pan along with approximately 1 cup of water, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through and tender. Then follow the remaining steps from step 4 above.)