Hungary GP 2018: Pesti Csirke (Chicken Breast a la Budapest)
If you are an F1 fan, do you watch just the race or do you go all in and watch the qualis, pre race, post race, Ted's notebook, the whole gamut? This year's Hungarian Qualifying, may have taken the cake for edge of the seat excitement. All in all, it was more exciting than the race and well worth a watch. The weather and team strategies made for some rain soaked and nail biting moments, and reminded me why I love the sport. The race itself had its fair share of drama, but if prizes were going out for most watchable, I'd go qualis for this one.
We made some Hungarian classics from a local library find, an excellent 1970's Hungarian cookbook: Flavors of Hungary by Charlotte Slovak Biro.
The Hungarian GP, for us at this point is just a great excuse to pull out the Zwack. Haven't tried Zwack yet? It is an herbal liqueur that gives any cocktail an interesting twist. Our go-to is the Zwack-hatten! But of course, we would never leave you with just one beverage to choose from. So this year we tried out the simple, yet tasty Emperor. A mixed on the sweeter side apertif, perfect for a heavier meal like this one.
For the race we made Chicken Breast a la Budapest (I love 1970's cookbooks, don't you?), Paprika Potatoes, and Green Peas. If I'm honest, this chicken may not be the prettiest thing you've seen all week, but it sure was tasty. The butter and wine make a great braising liquid, while the sour cream and bread crumbs form a crisp, yet moist topping. All in all, warming, tasty, and easy to boot.
Chicken Breast a la Budapest
From Flavors of Hungary by Charlotte Slovak Biro
1 ½ pounds chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
black pepper to taste
4 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic sliced
1 cup sour cream (1/2 pint)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup dry white wine
parsley sprigs for garnish
1. Pat chicken breast dry, if whole cut in half and remove skin and bones.
2. Preheat oven to 375℉.
3. While oven is preheating, place butter in baking dish and allow butter to melt in the preheating oven. Check after 5 minutes to make sure butter doesn’t burn.
4. Arrange breast halves side by side in dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn breasts over, and sprinkle other side. Distribute onion and garlic evenly among and beneath breasts.
5. In a bowl combine sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir until slightly liquid, pour over chicken breasts to cover completely. Combine bread crumbs and paprika, sprinkle over chicken.
6. Bake chicken for a total of 45 minutes - 1 hour. Start by baking for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add half of the wine, pouring it in along edge of dish. Bake an additional 20 minutes and add the remaining wine, again pouring it along edge of dish. Continue baking chicken until tender and internal temperature reaches 165℉.
Serve with your choice of sides or Paprika Potatoes and Green Peas.
