Recipe

Hungarian Chicken Stew Over Puree of Parsley Root

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This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Home Alone Dinner
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Bogre's Notes: This is essentially a streamlined version of my Hungarian Meatballs recipe which, while I think the payoff is worth the time, is admittedly a pain in the butt to assemble. Sometimes I want...
This is essentially a streamlined version of my Hungarian Meatballs recipe which, while I think the payoff is worth the time, is admittedly a pain in the butt to assemble. Sometimes I want similar flavors without so much labor, so I substitute chicken thighs for the meatballs while using the same braising liquid, shaving off a significant amount of prep time. A couple of notes: First, I upped the mushroom quantity slightly, from 1/4 to 1/2 lb. Secondly, regarding the banana pepper: when Amanda and Merrill prepared the meatballs recipe in the Best Recipe with Paprika video, they recommended substituting a serrano chile for the hard-to-find Hungarian pepper. A couple of other options are yellow chiles or, if you want a milder flavor, green Italian frying peppers, or even plain old sweet banana peppers would probably work, too. Third, if you have fresh herbs where the recipe calls for dried, by all means, use them! Just be sure to adjust the amounts accordingly. Lastly, the puree of parsley root isn't an essential component of the dish; it's just as delicious over egg noodles or spaetzle. But parsley root (sometimes called Hamburg Parsley) has been showing up a lot lately at my local Harris Teeter, and when I put the two recipes together the other night, I was really struck by their compatibility. If you can't find parsley root, parsnips make a good substitution.

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Serves 4

Hungarian Chicken Stew:

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 tablespoon butter Ask a question about this ingredient

1 yellow onion, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

1 large banana pepper, or a serrano, or 2 yellow chiles, seeded and chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

1 heaping tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon hot or half-sharp paprika Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (sweet) Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon powdered porcini mushrooms Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon (each) fennel seed, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and dried marjoram, ground together Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup dry white wine Ask a question about this ingredient

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups chicken broth Ask a question about this ingredient

salt and pepper, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup sour cream Ask a question about this ingredient

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or Dutch oven. Place the thighs skin-side down in the pan and brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. (Depending on how much fat has rendered, you may want to discard some of it.)
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Lower the heat slightly and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add onions and sauté until tender and translucent and starting to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook a few minutes more, until they begin to brown as well. Add the garlic and peppers and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the paprikas, the porcini powder, and the rest of the herbs and spices. Cook, stirring, about a minute. Deglaze with wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pan, skin side up, cover, and place in the oven. Cook 1 ½ hours or until chicken is falling off the bone.
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Remove the pan from the oven. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool. Place sour cream in a small bowl and add a couple of spoonfuls of sauce from the pan. Whisk together to temper the cream, then add the mixture back to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones and shred the meat by hand. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and heat gently on the stovetop until warmed through. Serve over puree of parsley root topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
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Puree of Parsley Root:

1 pound parsley root, peeled and chopped (you can use the parsley tops for garnish or where parsley is called for in the chicken stew) Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient

1 or 2 thyme sprigs Ask a question about this ingredient

2 or 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed Ask a question about this ingredient

salt and pepper, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

sprinkle of dried tarragon (optional) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 tablespoon butter Ask a question about this ingredient

Set the cream, garlic, and thyme in a saucepan over medium-low heat and slowly reduce by half. While the cream is reducing, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add chopped parsley root and cook until tender. Drain, then return the vegetables to the pan and set over low heat to dry them a bit. Add the butter, the cream mixture (remove the thyme sprig), and the tarragon, if using. Lightly puree using an immersion blender or potato masher. You can also use a blender or food processor, but take care not to overprocess--ideally, you want to maintain some texture (you may not have to use all of the cream).
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1 Comment on Hungarian Chicken Stew Over Puree of Parsley Root

lastnightsdinner added over 2 years ago

Oh, this sounds great, and having tasted those fabulous meatballs, I'm definitely going to try this. I'll have to keep my eye out for parsley root, too - one of our local farmers had some a few months back, but I haven't seen it since.