Hungarian Paprika Chicken

Recently, I picked up Eva Longoria's new cookbook. I bought it during the second wave of Borders closing sales for a great price. I love Eva's character on Desperate Housewives and found it ironic that in real life Eva actually loves to cook. 

Her cookbook is beautifully done with pictures of her food jumping off the pages. Most of her book is devoted to Spanish food, but there are many simple dishes too, like ants on a log, a cannellini bean dip, crock-pot ropa vieja, and garlic mashed potatoes.

At this point you must be wondering if I'm getting paid for this post. Ha! Nope. I just like buying and reviewing cookbooks- with you. Who else am I going to share this stuff with? Besides the hubby. But he just wants to eat the dish, not talk about it!

There are still a ton of recipes I want to try from her book. This was one of the first I tried, after reading her description- it's even better after a day or two, and the recipe card was given to her from a friend, written in Hungarian. How cool is that?

I apologize for the crappy pictures- this was taken during the week of no sun early September. And it doesn't actually look all that pretty...but it is really good. I would suggest adding some more spices, maybe some cumin, chili powder, or thyme. It was a little bland when I first tasted it, but with the addition of some spices it's a great warm-you-up meal. 

Source: Eva's Kitchen by Eva Longoria
Serves: 8 to 10

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size cubes
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 bell peppers, preferable 1 each. green, red, yellow and orange, cored and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 pound egg noodles
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces sour cream
¼ cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

In a Dutch oven or other large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken. Cook until slightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the paprika, salt, and pepper and stir to coat the meat. Stir in the peppers and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes; the vegetables and chicken will have exuded their liquid to create a fragrant, bubbling stew.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the egg noddles and cook according to package directions. Drain thoroughly, return to the pot or a bowl, and toss with the butter. Put aside and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour until smooth (for a thicker stew, add more flour). Stir this mixture into the simmering stew, one large spoonful at a time. Bring it all just to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot over the buttered noddles.

Have you purchased any cookbooks lately?

What are some of your favorite cookbooks?