Hungarian chicken paprikash with galuska dumplings

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook until browned. Remove the chicken from the pan then add the sliced onions and cook for 6 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally. Now comes a secret step: remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika. This is very important – if you add the paprika over the heat, it may burn and acquire a bitter taste. return to the heat, add the chicken thighs and stir so that the spicy onion mix covers the meat evenly.
2. Pour in about 500ml water, making sure the liquid doesn’t completely cover the meat. add the sliced green pepper, the whole tomato (which will be removed at the end) and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer over a very low heat for about 1½ hours. Remove the chicken and whole tomato from the pan and set aside on a plate. depending on the thickness of the sauce, cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, to reduce the liquid slightly.
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4. Whisk together the corn flour and the soured cream and mix this into the sauce. Slowly bring to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes until you are left with a spicy, thick sauce. Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. (You can prepare the dish in advance up to this point – it tastes even better when reheated the following day.)
5. To make the dumplings, tip the flour into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and 100ml lukewarm water. Beat together, being careful not to over mix, until a rough dough forms. Using a teaspoon, form until 20 small rough dumplings. Cook these in a large pan of salted water for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Serve with the chicken and toss gently to coat in the sauce.