Wine-Braised Chicken Paprikash with Butter Nokedli and Cucumber Salad

Method

1. Start with the cucumber salad: slice the cucumber paper-thin, toss with its salt and leave for 15 min, then squeeze out the liquid with your hands. Mix the vinegar, sugar and water, pour over and chill.

   Add in this stepCucumber 1Salt (for the cucumber) ½ tspWhite vinegar 1½ tbspSugar (for the salad) 1½ tspWater (for the salad) 2 tbsp

2. Pat the chicken dry and season with half the salt. Melt the lard in a 26 cm heavy pot on medium heat, lay the legs in skin-side down and leave them alone until the skin is deep golden and has rendered its fat, then turn and colour the other side briefly: about 8 min in total. Keep back from spitting fat. Lift onto a plate (they are not cooked through yet).

   Add in this stepBone-in, skin-on chicken legs 600 gSalt ½ tspLard 1 tbsp

   medium heat

3. Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of fat. Add the onion and cook on medium-low heat for 10 min, scraping up the browned bits, until soft and pale golden; add the chopped garlic for the last minute.

   Add in this stepOnions (medium) 1Garlic cloves 1

   medium-low heat

4. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then take the pot off the burner, wait 30 seconds and stir in both paprikas. Return it to medium heat, pour in the wine and bubble for 1 min until the alcohol smell is gone and it has reduced by half.

   Add in this stepTomato paste 1 tspSweet Hungarian paprika 1½ tbspHot paprika or cayenne pepper ½ tspDry white wine 50 ml

   medium heat

5. Add the stock, pepper and remaining salt, and nestle the chicken back in skin-side up, with the skin above the liquid. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, set the lid slightly ajar, reduce to low heat and simmer for 40 min. It is done when the meat near the bone is no longer pink and the juices run clear (75 °C or above).

   Add in this stepChicken stock 250 mlPale green Hungarian pepper or green bell pepper 1Salt ½ tsp

   medium-high heat→low heat

6. Meanwhile make the nokedli: beat the flour, egg, about a fifth of the salt and the water with a wooden spoon into a smooth, sticky batter. Bring 2 L of water with the rest of the salt to a rolling boil on high heat, drop in small pieces through a nokedli maker or off a board with a knife, and once they float cook 2 min more. Drain and toss with the butter. Cook in batches if you have a lot.

   Add in this stepPlain flour (for the nokedli) 140 gEgg (for the nokedli) 1Water (for the nokedli batter) 75 mlSalt (for the nokedli) 1½ tspButter 15 g

   high heat

7. Lift the chicken out for a moment. Mix the sour cream and sauce flour until smooth, warm it with a ladle of hot sauce, then stir it into the pot and cook on low heat for 3 min, stirring, until thick and glossy. Don't let it boil hard. Season to taste and return the chicken, skin-side up.

   Add in this stepPlain flour (for the sauce) 2 tspSour cream 120 g

   low heat

8. Spoon the buttered nokedli onto warm plates, pour plenty of sauce around and set the chicken on top. Serve the cold cucumber salad alongside; its sharpness cuts through the rich sauce.