Velvety paprika gravy with tender chicken and soft drop-dumplings—comforting, brick-red, and deeply aromatic. 🍲🌶️
Hook: Silky, paprika-rich stew with noklice in about 1 hour—pure tavern comfort. ⚡
Ingredients
🐔 Bone-in chicken pieces (thighs/drumsticks): 1 kg (2.2 lb)
🧅 Onion, finely chopped: 400 g (3 cups / 14 oz)
🧄 Garlic, minced: 6 g (2 cloves / 0.2 oz)
🫗 Lard or sunflower oil: 45 ml (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
🌶️ Sweet paprika: 16 g (2 tbsp / 0.56 oz)
🌶️ Hot paprika or chili flakes (to taste): 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
🍅 Tomato paste: 20 g (1 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
🫑 Red bell pepper, small dice (optional): 120 g (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
💧 Chicken stock or water: 750 ml (3 cups / 25 fl oz)
🌿 Bay leaf: 1
🧂 Salt: to taste (≈10 g / 1¾ tsp)
⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
🥛 Sour cream (pavlaka), room temp: 200 g (¾ cup / 7 oz)
Noklice (drop dumplings)
🥚 Eggs: 2 large (≈100 g / 3.5 oz)
🌾 All-purpose flour: 150 g (1¼ cups / 5.3 oz)
💧 Water or milk: 60–80 ml (4–5 tbsp / 2–2.7 fl oz)
🧂 Salt: 1 g (¼ tsp / 0.04 oz)
🫗 Oil (a few drops, optional): 5 ml (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
Preparation
1️⃣ Onion base: Warm fat in a wide pot. Cook onion with a pinch of salt 10–12 min until soft and sweet; add garlic 30 sec.
2️⃣ Bloom: Take pot off heat; stir in sweet (and hot) paprika 20–30 sec. Return on low; add tomato paste and bell pepper 1–2 min.
3️⃣ Stew: Add chicken, stock, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently, covered, 30–35 min until chicken is tender.
4️⃣ Noklice batter: Whisk eggs, salt, and oil. Stir in flour; loosen with water to a thick, spoonable batter. Rest 10 min.
5️⃣ Cook noklice: Remove chicken to a warm plate. Keep stew at a gentle simmer. Using two small spoons, drop 2–3 cm nuggets of batter into the pot; cook 5–6 min until set and fluffy.
6️⃣ Finish creamy: Whisk a ladle of hot sauce into sour cream to temper, then stir back in off heat. Return chicken; simmer 2 min (do not boil). Adjust salt/pepper and discard bay.
Total Time
🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 45 min
⏳ Total: 1 h 05 min
Nutritional Value
🔋 Energy: ~520 kcal
💪 Protein: ~32 g
🧈 Fat: ~28 g
🍞 Carbohydrates: ~35 g
🧂 Sodium: ~900 mg
Advice
Bloom paprika off direct heat—fat unlocks color and aroma while preventing bitterness; temper sour cream so it stays silky.
Why it works
A mountain of onions melts into a natural gravy; gentle simmering keeps chicken juicy; dumplings cook right in the sauce, thickening it lightly and soaking up paprika goodness.
Twist
Mushroom boost: sauté 250 g (2 cups / 8.8 oz) sliced mushrooms with the onions for extra umami and a slightly earthier, Vojvodina tavern vibe.
Status
Spoon-tender chicken, paprika silk, and pillow-soft noklice—Paprikaš that hugs the soul. #grannyzen #paprikash 🍗🌶️
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