Big. Fan.

So I’ve been cooking from Food & Wine’s list of 20 “best recipes” published for its 35-year anniversary, and it does not disappoint. This Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings is killer. It’s simple and delicious, and has great flavor from the paprika and caraway seeds. And who doesn’t love a biscuit?

Not to mention the leftovers are amazing. This is one of those dishes I would eat for every meal for a week — it’s that good. And it’s a perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa-it’s-December meal. Because, you know, it is.

TW’s Tips

• I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the thighs
• Make sure you buy the right kind of paprika. The generic kind in your pantry is NOT this kind. Hungarian is spicy and flavorful and truly makes this dish.
• Don’t worry about cooking the chicken through when you brown it. The purpose is to get a sear on it, and it cooks through when you add it back in.
• I wasn’t very good at the three-tablespoon guidance on the biscuits when I tried it by eye — try using a 1/4 cup as a guide, but don’t fill it the whole way (1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons)
• Follow the rules on unsalted butter — I’ve learned the hard way that salted butter can take over a dish

Enjoy!

Chicken Goulash with Biscuit Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 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

Directions

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

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the 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, 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 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 about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Serve the goulash in bowls, spooning the biscuits on top.