Chicken Paprikás

This recipe is from Sheila Lukins of Parade Magazine. My husband likes it as it's sour cream-based. I also used the same sauce for a beef stew recipe that went awry.

Cooking the paprika with the onions brings out the spice’s sweetness. Be sure not to let the sauce come to a boil.

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
2 chickens (21⁄2 pounds each), cut into 8 serving pieces each, rinsed
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Noodles, for serving

1. Heat the vegetable shortening in a large Dutch oven over low heat. Wilt the onions over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not brown. Sprinkle with the paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Add the chicken, broth, tomatoes and bell pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, then simmer—do not boil—partially covered, for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. While the chicken is cooking, mix the sour cream and flour together in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. When the chicken has cooked for 50 minutes, remove to a bowl. Cook the sauce over medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes to reduce it slightly. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce into the sour-cream mixture and whisk until smooth, then slowly whisk back into the sauce pot. Adjust seasonings. Return chicken to pot, covering well with sauce. Heat through over low heat. Serve over noodles.

Serves 6. Per serving (without noodles): 520 calories, 13g carbohydrate, 49g protein, 29g fat, 155mg cholesterol.