Bad Photo Sunday: Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings

Happy Mother's Day!

My friend Deborah, at Taste and Tell, has started breaking her weekend blogging silence with something she likes to call Bad Photo Sunday. She explains it perfectly - we strive to share beautiful dishes with the world, so our less-stunning recipes lie fallow. I couldn't agree more that this is a perfect way to ration them out! Sure, we food bloggers have our Daring Bakers, we have our Tuesdays with Dorie, our Weekend Herb Blogging, Presto Pasta Night and our Waiter, there is something in my's, but Bad Photo Sunday? It is a genius way to accept that not everything is perfect, and that we're happy to admit it!

"Goulash" doesn't even sound pretty, does it?

Having learned how delicious chicken thighs were, I was instantly attracted to this recipe. Not to mention the dumplings. I had never dumplinged in this fashion before. My grandpa used to make a fantastic Chicken and Dumplings, and while this is nothing like it, I had their memory as inspiration.

As you can see, my dumplings are a little dark. They aren't burned, exactly, but they are toasty. Even in their state, they were moist and tender and so nice with the saucy goulash. We really enjoyed the heat the Hungarian paprika gave the dish. It had a heat without being hot - and considering we had this in February, it was well received!


Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings
c/o Food and Wine Magazine, March 2008
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-goulash-with-biscuit-dumplings

The chicken stock and sour cream both serve a dual purpose here: They moisten the biscuits and enrich the thick, luscious sauce.

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup sour cream
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons hot Hungarian paprika
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 425°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. In a large, deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Pulse in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 1/2 cup of the stock with 1/2 cup of the sour cream and drizzle over the dry ingredients; pulse until a dough forms.

Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the paprika and caraway and cook for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 cup of sour cream and stir until smooth. Add the thyme leaves and bring to a boil.

Scoop twelve 3-tablespoon-size mounds of biscuit dough over the chicken. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Serve the goulash in bowls, spooning the biscuits on top.