Hungarians once ruled Slavonia, eastern continental part of Croatia. They must have had a great taste in food because you can still see their influence in Slavonia’s cuisine. Using liberal amounts of paprika and garlic, the cuisine is spicier than anywhere in Croatia. Also, if you want to make this dish really authentic, shop for a good, heavy cauldron and use open fire. It can make a great camping dish. Be responsible with fire.

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Chicken Paprikash is one of the most prepared stews in Croatia, along with two other spicy stews, Fish Paprikash and Čobanac. You should try them all when you get the chance. But first thing first…

Tools you need

• Chef’s knife to cut all the vegetables
• Large pot, about three liters or more to fit all the ingredients
• Cutting board to, yes, cut things on it 🙂
• Ladle to scoop the paprikash out of the pot and onto the plate once it’s ready
• Peeler to peel the carrots
• Measuring spoons if you’re a perfectionist and don’t want to guesstimate the spices 😉

Ingredients

Servings: 4-6 people

• 1 kg chicken piece (breasts, back… with bones and skin)
• 2 large onions, finely minced
• 3 large red peppers
• 2 medium carrots, peeled
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 3 teaspoons sweet ground paprika (red, dry)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon chilli or hot paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 200 ml white wine
• 300 ml water or chicken broth
• Vegeta seasoning to taste (usually from half a teaspoon to a tablespoon or more)
  You’ll find Vegeta seasoning often in Croatian recipes, especially stews and soups. It gives them a distinctive aroma that’s hard to replicate without it. It contains a mix of finely cut dried vegetables and spices. It’s also salty so you may want to put it in and give it a taste before adding salt.

There are many variation of this stew in Croatia. In Zagreb area instead of serving it with pasta, people add potatoes or home-made dumplings. But in Slavonia, they make it spicy and serve with noodles.

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Add 2 large onions finely minced and sauté them until they are soft and transparent.
3. Add chopped red peppers and carrots cut into slices.
4. Chop the chicken into small pieces. Add chicken pieces and sauté it until the meat is white.
5. Add wine and sauté it for 5 more minutes.
6. Spice the stew with sweet and hot paprika, salt and pepper. The spicier, the better!
7. Add water or chicken broth to cover the chicken.
8. Cook for 50 minutes or until chicken is soft on low heat.

Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes!
As a salad, we recommend pickled red beet 🙂

Enjoy!