Delia’s Chicken Paprika

I was looking for a chicken casserole recipe one day and was too lazy to check the internet sites, so I did it "old style"! Looked at the hundreds of recipe books we have and ended up with one of my favourite recipe books from Delia Smith – "Delia Smiths’s Complete Cookery Course". I used to watch Delia’s cooking program on TV in England and she’s a great cook and her recipes are always the best! She has a great website too.

We love this recipe because its very similar to the Spanish "Pollo al Chilindron"…without the serrano ham of course.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

4 pieces chicken thighs

1 level dessertspoon hot paprika or 1 level tablespoon ground paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

6 oz (175 gm) roasted red peppers or pimientos from a jar drained and each pepper roughly sliced into 1 inch (2.5 cm) strips

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ x 560 gm jar chopped tomatoes

¼ pint (150 ml) dry white wine (non-alcoholic)

2 rounded tablespoons crème fraîche (optional)

pinch ground paprika, to serve

salt and freshly milled black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F, (180°C).

You will also need a small flameproof casserole about 4½ pints (2.6 litres) in capacity.

Heat the oil in the casserole over a high heat and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. When the oil gets really hot and begins to shimmer, fry the chicken thighs to brown them well on all sides; each thigh needs to be a lovely golden brown colour all over.

Using a draining spoon transfer them to a plate and drain away all but about one tablespoon of the fat. Now add the onion to the casserole, turn the heat down and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they are softened and nicely browned at the edges.

Return the chicken to the pan with the sliced peppers and garlic, then pour in the tomato sauce, the dry white wine and the paprika.

Stir and bring it up to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the casserole from the oven. Swirl in the crème fraîche to give a marbled creamy effect, sprinkle with a little paprika and serve straight from the casserole.