Goulash is a traditional Hungarian dish. Hungarians are particularly scrupulous about its preparation. Initially, this dish was considered to be food for the shepherds. Going to the pasture, they took with them boilers, in which they cooked goulash on an open fire. Over time, goulash has become the most favorite dish of all Hungarians, and today there is not a single family in Hungary that would not cook it in their kitchens.
Goulash itself belongs to the category of thick soups, which can successfully replace both the first and second. There is a custom in Hungary. In winter, on the eve of Christmas, a pig is slaughtered in every yard. The process itself is particularly solemn. Early in the morning close relatives and neighbors gather. A fire is lit in the courtyard, a boiler is installed with water. After the main “gentesh” of the village slaughtered a pig and with the help of a special lamp begins to burn the carcass, all those invited to the procedure are taken to work.
One wears hot water from the boiler, the other washes the carcass, and the third with a knife cleans away all the dirt and wool. When the process of carcassing begins, the same “gentesh” cuts off a piece of fresh meat and gives it to the hostess. In gratitude, the hostess treats everyone with hot red wine with cloves. She herself cuts the meat into pieces and starts making goulash on the fire in the cauldron, which she treats to all those present. This is how this process goes festively.
Today we will learn how to cook chicken goulash, which is slightly different in taste from pork goulash, but the process of its preparation is very similar.
Recipe 1: Chicken Goulash with Gravy
Ingredients Required:
- chicken thigh fillet - 450 g;
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc;
- onions - 2 pcs;
- garlic cloves - 3-4 pieces;
- carrot - 1 pc;
- a bunch of fresh dill;
- adjika or Hungarian paste “chiposh poprico” - 2 tsp;
- tomato paste - 2 tablespoons l .;
- Olive oil - 3 tbsp.
Preparation:
Let us take up the process of cooking. For a start, cut the meat into small cubes. Peel the onion and cut it into half rings. We clean the Bulgarian pepper and cut it into strips. Peel and chop the carrots, and chop the garlic and dill with a sharp knife. We take a bowl and mix the prepared ingredients (meat, herbs, garlic), season with adzhika and salt. Mix everything again and set aside to marinate for half an hour. Pour olive oil into the pan, and fry the whole mass over high heat for about 5 minutes. In a separate skillet, we fry the onion, add carrot and red bell pepper to it. Continue the process for another 5 minutes. We dissolve the tomato paste in a glass of water and add to the frying pan with meat. Add the fried vegetables and cover the pan with a lid. Tomim on a low heat dish for another 20-25 minutes. Now you can serve it to the table as an independent dish, or prepare another side dish, for example, potatoes or rice.
Recipe 2: Chicken with mushrooms
The mere mention of the word “mushrooms” in the name of the dish, and we all immediately understand that when cooking this dish in the kitchen will reign divine flavor. Although even without mushrooms, the process of cooking goulash convenes its aroma to the kitchen of all those present in the house.
Ingredients Required:
- Chicken breast - 1 pc;
- champignons or forest mushrooms - 300 g;
- carrot - 1 pc;
- onions - 1 pc;
- tomato paste - 70 g;
- flour - 1 tbsp. l .;
- sour cream - 100-120 ml;
- dried herbs - 1 tsp;
- vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l .;
- pepper and salt,
- broth - 1 cup.
Preparation:
First, prepare the mushrooms. Wash, dry and slice into large pieces. Peel the onions and carrots and cut into cubes of medium size. Chicken meat cut into the same pieces as the mushrooms.
Pour the vegetable oil into the pan, give it a little warm, and fry in it the pieces of meat. Add the onions and carrots to the meat and fry for another 2-3 minutes. After that, add the mushrooms, stir with a spatula and lightly fry. Add the tomato paste to the dish and pour the broth. Season with ground black pepper, salt and herbs, mix and cover the pan with a lid. We turn down the fire and cook under the cover for half an hour.
Pour sour cream in a separate bowl, add flour to it and stir well. I usually use a blender to make sure there are no lumps left. Add to the main dish, mix well and cover with a lid. Continue the process for another 10-15 minutes. If your taste lacks some spices, now you can add them. Stir and serve at the dinner table.
Recipe 3: Chicken Goulash with Dumplings
Goulash according to this recipe is cooked in the oven.
Ingredients Required:
- Chicken - 400 g;
- carrot - 1 pc;
- bacon - 100-150 g;
- celery - 4 sprigs;
- leek; flour - 2 tbsp. l .;
- vegetable oil, broth - 500 ml; - bay leaf;
- pancake flour - 80 g;
- vegetable fat - 2 tbsp. l .;
- Chives cut into small strips - 1 tbsp.
Preparation:
First we turn on our oven and set the temperature to 170 * C. We take a pot with a thick bottom, heat the butter in it and fry the meat in it from all sides. Select the meat and set it aside on the grill. Add half of the fat from the pan and add the sliced bacon, carrot, leek, celery and simmer the vegetables with bacon on minimal heat until soft. Add there 2 tablespoons. flour, mix well and cook for another 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the broth into the stream. Add to it the fried meat and bay leaf and again put on comfort. When the liquid in the pan boils, send the pan to the oven and prepare the dish for another 1 hour under the lid.
Cook the dumplings. To do this, we mix the pancake flour, chopped chives and fat. Season with salt and add 3 tbsp. water. We should make a soft dough. We form 12 balls between the palms and 25 minutes before the goulash is ready, place the balls on the surface, cover again and cook until all the ingredients are ready. Everything can be removed from the oven, spread out in a deep serving bowl, decorate with fresh greens and serve.
Chicken goulash - secrets and tips from the best chefs
- For the preparation of chicken goulash, use thigh meat, unless the recipe specifies chicken fillet.
- For lovers of hot, you can add chilli pepper to the dish or use a special tomato paste “Goulash”.
