Authentic Hungarian Chicken Paprika

Directions: 1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in vegetable oil or pork lard over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them. The onion should be cut into very, very small pieces. This is essential to get the “stew consistency”. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan. 2. The chicken skin contains most of the bird\\\'s fat, so if you are on a diet, by removing the skin you can reduce the calories. It is easy. You only need a sharp knife. Many recipes also call for skinless chicken meat. Save some money by skinning your own chicken instead of buying it pre-skinned. Then cut the legs into two at the joint. 3. Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, stir. Add the tomatoe, the sweet yellow pepper, and the chicken legs and thighs and stir again. Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter. 4. Salt to taste and add a little bit of water, about 3/4 cup). Make sure that the bottom of the pan is wet so the paprika does not burn. Be careful not to add too much water! The meat contains water that comes out during the cooking process. If you add too much water it will lose the stew consistency. 5. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the meat is tender. This can take up to 50-70 minutes. Stir occasionally. If it is starts to stick to the pan, add a bit more water. If it is soupy, cook it with the lid off. 6. The dish is done when the meat falls off the bone. Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream, stir gently (do not break the meat) and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve the chicken paprika with nokedli noodles (also known as spätzle) and fresh cucumber salad. Nokedli noodles: 1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Beat the eggs and 100 ml of water together with the salt. Slowly mix in the flour a 1/4 cupful at a time to make a soft, sticky dough. You may not need all the flour, or you may need more. Stop adding flour when you get an elastic moist dough. 2. Place a nokedli grater (spaetzle maker) over the pot of boiling water. (You can also use a simple cheese grater or large hole pasta strainer). Lay a portion of the dough on the grater and move it back and forth over the grater using a spatula or wooden spoon to push through small egg noodle bits that drop into the boiling water. When the noodles float to the top, wait about 30 seconds and drain them. Serve immediately as they cool quickly.