Not Fussy, But Fancy!

That's the motto cookbook author Jessie Sierra-Ross uses to describe her philosophy on whipping up delicious meals. Jessie came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her book and the recipes within. Among the recuring themes, a love of her Eastern European heritage and how that influences her cooking. On her favorites list, a Hungarian-inspired Chicken Paprikash that uses thighs instead of breasts for better flavor. She uses smoked paprika here since it's also more flavorful and a little spicy. It sounds like a lot, but Jessie told Tonia it only takes about an hour! 

serves 4-6

2 pounds (about 6 thighs) boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, divided

kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

3 large shallots, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup sour cream

freshly chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

mashed potatoes or buttered noodles for serving

For the Chicken

Gently pat dry the chicken thighs. Add the flour & 1/2 teaspoon of paprika to a plate. Stir.

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper, then dredge in the seasoned flour.

Reserve both the chicken and the leftover flour mix. We’ll be using it to make a roux in a moment

Preheat a large dutch oven or skillet, over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot.

Once heated and slightly foamy, start to sear your chicken in batches. We want to brown and almost cook the chicken completely. About 4 minutes on each side (about 6 per side would be fully cooked). Make sure not to burn the oil.

After completely cooked, place the chicken on a plate and reserve. Keep the oils in the pan for the next stage.

For the Sauce

Using the same dutch oven as you used to cook the chicken, add your minced garlic. Let cook while stirring, until fragrant. About 1 minute.

Next, add in the diced peppers & shallots with a heft inch of kosher salt. Stir and cook until slightly softened. About 5 minutes

Now, to make the roux:

Push the cooked vegetables to one side of the pot and add the 3 tablespoons of reserved butter. Heat until foamy.

Add the 3 tablespoons of flour and stir the flour/butter continuously. (Try to keep the veggies on one side of the pot, but don’t worry if a few escape!)

Cook the roux until it becomes a nutty brown. About 3 minutes.

Once light brown in color, mix the cooked veggies into the roux, and add the remainder of the paprika, along with 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Mix.

Slowly add the chicken stock to this mix, while stirring until thickened.

Add the chicken back to the pot, along with 1/2 cup of sour cream while mixing. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

Garnish with fresh Italian parsley.

Don't Let Cooking Be a Burden

 

And that burden can be planning the meal itself. It takes a lot of work to put together an elaborate meal and one of the ways to help with that is with a complete plan. Cassy Joy-Garcia is the author of a new cookbook called Cook Once Dinner Fix. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her new concept in cookbooks. And this cookbook is certainly different. Instead of breaking down chapters with categories like appetizers and mains, all the recipes represent a full-course dinner, separated by proteins, chicken, beef, seafood and so on. One of the side dishes is her Spatchcock Paprika Chicken. Cassy told Tonia this is a delicious addition to any meal, and a real champ to any multi-course dinner. Serve it with freshly seared plantains for a flavorful course that adds depth to any dish.

• 1 whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 3 tablespoons butter or ghee, softened
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. To spatchchock the chicken, I recommend using kitchen sheers. Turn the chicken over so that it is breast side-down on a cutting board. Slide your scissors along one side of the spine (inserting at either the top or the bottom of the cavity), and cut along the side of the spine. Repeat this cut along the other side of the spine until you can totally remove it from the chicken. . With the chicken still breast side-down on the cutting board, use your hands to press the bird as flat as possible on the cutting board – spreading the now cut back out as much as possible and putting your weight over the thighs to press them down. To help the chicken lay more flat, use a sharp knife and slice (from inside the cavity) about 1/4 of an inch into the sternum (right between the breasts). This will help the chicken lay flat. Flip the chicken over and prepare to season!
3. To prepare the seasoned butter, stir half of all the dry seasonings into the softened butter. Mix until well-combined. To season the chicken, pull the skin on the breast and legs away from the meat. Using either a spoon or your hands, push the seasoned butter under the skin and spread it out as much as possible. Repeat until you've used all the butter.
4. Once the chicken is seasoned under the skin, mix the rest of the dry seasonings together, and sprinkle them all over the top of the skin.
5. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan (or large heavy-bottomed pot). Bake at 375 F uncovered for 35 minutes. Be careful to watch that the skin doesn't burn. After 35 minutes, place a sheet of tin foil over the top of the chicken (loosely) and then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
6. Once finished baking, set the chicken aside with the foil on to rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with the fresh cilantro and carve as you like to enjoy!