Chicken Paprikash

Chicken was the star of dinner two nights this week, because one of our area supermarkets was having a special on boneless, skinless chicken breasts: buy one package, get one free. For the first chicken dinner of the week, I tried a brand new recipe for Chicken Curry, and the result was delicious.

For the second chicken dinner, I wanted to expand my chicken recipe repertoire, but instead of exploring new culinary territory, I wanted to re-visit an old favorite: a Chicken Paprikash, a Hungarian dish.

The first time I tried Chicken Paprikash was back when I was single. I was preparing for a solo vacation to Eastern Europe, including stops in the Czech Republic and Hungary. When Anne and Ray heard about my upcoming adventure, they invited me to their home for a home-cooked meal of their favorite Hungarian food. Ray’s family immigrated to the United States from Hungary, and Anne learned how to cook Hungarian food from her mother-in-law. She must have learned well, because that meal was delicious – particularly the Chicken Paprikash.

So as I was pondering what to have for the second chicken dinner of the week, I thought back to the taste of Hungary I had years ago courtesy of Anne and Ray. But I knew my new version would have to be modified. Anne spent hours in the kitchen; I wanted dinner on the table in much less time.

While my rendition of Chicken Paprikash is quick to prepare, it is also delicious! You can serve this accompanied by noodles, homemade dumplings, or if you have the time, homemade spaetzle.

Makes 4 servings

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 -inch wide strips
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons flour
1 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
½ cup sour cream

Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken to hot oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes stirring constantly until the outside of the chicken is white and no pink color is evident. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Cook the onion until tender, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Then add the flour and paprika; cook for another minute, continuing to stir often.

Add the chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and stir occasionally until thick and bubbly, another 3-5 minutes. Return the chicken to the mixture and cook for another 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat and add the sour cream to the skillet, stir to combine, and heat through for 2-3 minutes.

Verdict on Last Night's Experiment -- Delicious!

Chicken Curry

This week, one of our area supermarkets was having a special on boneless, skinless chicken breasts: buy one package, get one free. So guess who is having chicken twice this week?

But how would I prepare the chicken? I wanted to do something different, try a brand new recipe, and explore new culinary territory. I’ve enjoyed eating at Indian restaurants, so why not try a chicken dish inspired by the flavors of India? That was the genesis of this quick and delicious Chicken Curry recipe.

Preparing this dish will not only lead to a tasty meal, it will also make your house smell wonderful!

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chopped apple (about 1 medium apple)
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup chopped cashews

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken and salt to hot oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes stirring constantly until the outside of the chicken is white and no pink color is evident. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Cook the onion and curry powder until the onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Then add the flour and cook for another minute, continuing to stir often.

Add the chopped apple, raisins, ginger and chicken broth; cook, stirring often, until thick and bubbly, another 3-5 minutes. Return the chicken to the mixture and cook for another 3 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the sour cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the sour cream mixture to the skillet, stir to combine, and heat through for 2-3 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

Tonight's Culinary Experiment

One of the local supermarkets has a special on boneless skinless chicken breasts this week. If you buy one package, you get one free. So guess who is having chicken twice this week!

But I'm not in the mood for one of my tried-and-true recipes. Instead, I want to spice things up a bit. So I'm test driving a brand new recipe.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Challenging Week: Second Update

You may remember in a recent post I mentioned that we had a challenging week with baseball games, evening meetings, and late afternoon doctors appointments. Here's how the end of the week turned out.

Wednesday -- I had a dinner meeting, so Kathleen and Peter went to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Peter loves the way they prepare broccoli, so we never worry about whether or not he will have a balanced, nutritious meal.

Thursday -- I made spaghetti and meatballs, a family favorite (and the recipe is included in an earlier post). The trick was, Peter had a 4 p.m. doctor's appointment, which would last for an hour. And the doctor's office is about 20 minutes away from home. How was I going to pull off this meal with those time constraints? By planning ahead! I made the tomato sauce earlier in the day, refrigerated the amount we would need for dinner and put the rest in the freezer. I also started the meatballs by making the meat mixture, forming the balls, placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then refrigerating them. I even got a head start on pre-heating the oven by using one of our oven's special features. So when we got home, all I had to do was start the pasta water, pop the meatballs into the oven and heat up the sauce. Even with a crazy afternoon, dinner was on the table 5 minutes earlier than usual!

Friday -- Peter had a baseball game starting at 6 p.m., so we needed to eat an early dinner. Once again, planning ahead saved the day. We had a broccoli and potato frittata (the recipe is also included in an earlier post). The potatoes were left over from Monday's dinner and I steamed the broccoli earlier in the day. With all that advanced work already done, getting dinner on the table was a snap: I just needed to complete the fritatta, make a salad and we were ready to go!

What made having everyday celebrations during this challenging week possible was planning ahead. Instead of panicking when at diner time wondering how I was going to get dinner ready in time, I looked at our family calendar over the weekend and planned accordingly.

Crazy days don't have to kill everyday celebrations. It's possible to make it happen!

Update on Challenging Week

In a recent post, I mentioned that this week is very challenging, with Little League games, meetings, and late afternoon doctor's appointments. Then on Monday we found that this already full week became even more challenging with an additional baseball practice tonight! How would I get dinner on the table in time, not just so we could eat, but also we could celebrate with meals nourishing both body and soul?

So far this week:

Monday -- For dinner before a Little League game we had sliders (get the baseball reference? Much cooler than calling them mini-hamburgers), carrot salad and oven-roasted potatoes. (Recipes for all three dishes can be found in earlier posts). To get dinner on the table quickly, I made the carrot salad and the slider patties ahead of time and set the oven to turn on automatically so it was at temperature when I was ready to put in the potatoes. We ate a delicious dinner and made it to the 6 p.m. game on time!

Tuesday -- For dinner before I had an evening meeting out of town, we had chicken salad with apples (the recipe can be found in an earlier post). I roasted the chicken a couple days ago, then earlier in the day I took the chicken off the bone and cut it into bite-sized pieces. I also made the dressing and added it to the chicken. Right before dinner, I chopped the apple and added it to the chicken salad. I served it on a bed of lettuce. We ate a satisfying dinner and I got out the door by 6 p.m. to get to my meeting on time!

Today (Wednesday) -- I have a dinner meeting. Peter has baseball practice. Kathleen has a meeting at 7 p.m. But what about dinner? Well, tonight Peter and Kathleen will have to celebrate without me by dining at Peter's favorite Chinese restaurant. His favorite dish there is chicken with broccoli (he really likes the broccoli!). This is a special treat, plus another opportunity for Peter to learn proper "dining out" behavior. The best way to learn is to do it! Kathleen will then take Peter to practice and I will leave my meeting early so Kathleen can get where she needs to go on time.

Challenging Week

This week promises to be a challenging week: two early evening Little League games, two late afternoon doctor's appoinments, an evening meeting for Kathleen, a dinner-time meeting for me. So how will we manage to celebrate every day this week by gathering together around the table to share a meal to nourish both body and soul?

Stay tuned!

Genghis Khan?

Last night I started reading Genghis Khan: And the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.

You may be wondering: why? Why would a United Methodist pastor who blogs about meals to nourish body and soul be reading a book on Genghis Khan?

One reason I am reading this book is because I was given a gift card to a bookstore. As I looked through the store, this book caught my eye. I thought, "Gee, I don't know a lot about Genghis Khan. This could be interesting."

I never considered how this book would intersect with my life.

Until last night.

Weatherford describes a particularly precarious moment in the life of the great conqueror. His father has been killed, and the young boy's very existence is in jeopardy. His mother was an outsider who depended on the clan -- not only for her own survival, but also for the survival of her young children.

Weatherford writes: "The message that she was no longer a part of the band came to her, the way Mongols always symbolize relationships, through food. In the spring, when two old crones, the widows of a previous khan, organized the annual ceremonial meal to honor the family's ancestors, they did not inform Hoelun (Ghengis Khan's mother), thereby cutting her off not only from the food itself but from membership in the family. She and her family were therefore left to feed and protect themselves. As the clan prepared to move down the Onon River toward summer grounds, they planned to leave Hoelun and her children behind." (p. 19)

Centuries later, in a very different time and place, we also symbolize relationships through food. We symbolize our relationships with God, with family, with friends, with enemies, with complete strangers, through food. With whom do we eat? Who is seated at table with us? Who is excluded?