Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings

Two recipes from one magazine in one week? That's unheard of man. You don't actually COOK the recipes in those magazines. They're just for show right?

I mean, it's not like you can just read a recipe, think it sounds good, go to the store, buy groceries, go home and cook the damn thing.

Especially if you're not cooking for other people. I mean, no self-respecting cook-blogger would just make a meal for themselves and NOT call over the gang.

Heh. You, dear reader, have caught me in a blatant lie.

You can do all of those things and more. You can forget to put the butter in the biscuit dumpling batter (which didn't appear to matter in the end).

You can not realize the paprika can on your counter is really empty and useless. But then substitute equal parts cumin and chilli powder (with a dash of cayenne added in) to get a smoky approximation.

All (well, most) snark aside, this was the first recipe I wanted to cook from the March 2008 Food & Wine, and the second one I got around to cooking. It appealed to me on several levels. First, it's friggin' biscuits. I've been talking about starting to make biscuits for months. This seemed to be (and was) a very forgiving way to get 'er done.

Second, it's goulash. I love the word goulash and all the soupy, spicy, creamy, paprika and caraway goodness that word entails. I loved my ten days in Budapest wandering along the banks of the Danube, strolling through markets finally having wares to sell in the mid-1990s. The coolness of the sour cream served with the goulash and the warmth of the people who took me into their home and provided me with a simple, wonderful, traditional meal simply because doing so was what people did for kids of friends.

The recipe is simple and tasty. I deviated as mentioned above, and by using chicken breast as opposed to chicken thighs.

Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat cut into 2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups flour plus more for dusting
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cubed
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T hot paprika
• 3/4 T caraway seeds
• 1 t thyme leaves

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.