"What's For Dinner?"

It is time, already, to take a break from our regularly scheduled cakes to bring you dinner.  This past Thursday, each of my kids came up separately and asked, "What's for dinner?"  When I told them "Paprikash" I received a very happy response.  Sadly, I was unable to capture their spontaneous reactions, so I have included, below, a cheesy re-enactment. 

This picture resulted in an all out wrestling match which I was forbidden to post pictures of.  And there were some pretty good pictures.  But, back to dinner.  This recipe is among one of my top four favorite comfort foods of all time and credit for it goes to my friend Michelle and her aunt Elle, who are real cooks, not just wannabes like me.  Now to begin, the first step I take does not have to be your first step.  My Honey is also a real cook, and chicken can never be made in our house without first being brined.  (Soaked in saltwater for all you other wannabes.)  This process makes for an icky picture but here it is.

After brining, the chicken is seasoned and roasted, resulting in a wonderfully delicious looking picture.

While the chicken cools, you saute garlic and onion in a soup pot and then add an amazingly small amount of ingredients.  This is what kept me from trying this recipe for years.  I couldn't believe that something with so few ingredients would be worth trying.  Don't make this mistake.   Now, while I was busy brining, roasting and sauteing, an amazing thing happened.  My daughter agreed to an airsoft battle with my son and I don't think he even had candy stashed in his bedroom to bribe her with.  

At this point, the soup is set on simmer, with the next step being, homemade noodles.  This is not at all intimidating.  These noodles are so easy and so good.  Unfortunately, I neglected taking a picture so below is my re-enactment of noodle dough.

Now, when my friend, Michelle, makes this she just scoops a little dough onto her spoon, places her spoon in the now boiling soup where the dough miraculously slides off her spoon.  Remember, she is a real cook.  This is not how it happens for me.  I use a variety of methods to plop small globs of dough into the soup.  It all comes out the same in the end.  And these babies double in size so experiment with what size you prefer.  

I like way more noodles than this, but the men in my house prefer it more brothy.  So here is our compromise.  Serve this with good crusty bread - which I also have a recipe for and will post at a later date.  Yum!!


Before sharing the actual recipe, I ask that you indulge me as I share some average, everyday news.  First of all, our cat, featured in my cake blog went to the vet yesterday.  She is now on antibiotics.  If you have never given a cat medicine twice a day for two weeks, you have never lived.  And second, which is pretty unbelievable, for the past two days I have remembered to take meat out of the freezer before 4:30 p.m.  My Honey is pretty excited about this.


Chicken Paprikash 


2 - 42 oz. cans chicken broth
6 large bone in chicken breasts
2 large sweet onions, chopped
2 T. minced garlic
6 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
chicken flavored soup base


Season chicken with salt and Mrs. Dash.  Roast and set aside to cool (save the pan drippings).  In soup pot, saute onion and garlic in water (just enough to cover bottom of the pot) until the onions are clear.  Add paprika, chicken broth, pan drippings, shredded chicken and enough chicken soup base to make the soup slightly salty at this point.  Simmer.


Noodles


3 eggs, beaten
1 t. salt
3 cups flour
milk


Mix together and gradually add milk until the mixture is a wettish, sticky ball.  Let sit 15 minutes.  


Turn heat to high, bring soup to a boil, add clumps of noodle dough until you have as many noodles as you like.  Cook until noodles are done.