Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Egg Noodles

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300°. Take sour cream out of fridge—it needs to come to room temperature. Place 2½ pounds chicken thighs on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Set chicken aside for a few minutes and bang out your other prep. Peel and chop 1 onion. Smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife and peel. Open 15-oz. can tomatoes.

Step 3

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and swirl to melt. Using tongs, add chicken skin side down and cook, lifting up thighs once or twice to let rendered hot fat run underneath, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken skin side up to a plate.

Step 4

Pour off fat from skillet into a small heatproof bowl, leaving a thin layer coating the bottom (reserve fat for another use). Reduce heat to low. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often to dissolve browned bits on bottom of skillet, until onions are translucent, 6–8 minutes.

Step 5

Add 3 Tbsp. paprika and ¼ tsp. cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, just until onions are evenly coated and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds (the spices burn very easily, turning them bitter and chalky, so make sure to keep them moving in skillet and have can of tomatoes close at hand).

Step 6

Add tomatoes to skillet. Fill can two-thirds with water and swirl, then add to skillet. Stir until incorporated, season with several pinches of salt, and bring to a simmer.

Step 7

Using tongs, arrange thighs skin side up back in skillet (along with any accumulated juices), nestling into liquid but not submerging (you want the skin to be exposed so it stays crispy).

Step 8

Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken is fully cooked and tender enough to release from the bone when prodded with a fork, 35–40 minutes.

Step 9

About halfway through chicken cook time in the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 12 oz. egg noodles and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with tongs. Drain noodles in a colander. Transfer to a large bowl, add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and toss to coat until butter is melted and noodles are coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 10

Finely chop ½ cup parsley and add half to noodles; toss to coat.

Step 11

Carefully remove skillet from oven (handle will be hot!). Using tongs, transfer chicken skin side up to a clean plate. Taste sauce and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Spoon about ¼ cup sauce into a small bowl and stir in sour cream until smooth (this slowly brings up the temperature of the sour cream so it doesn’t split when it hits the hot skillet). Pour back into skillet and stir to combine.

Step 12

Arrange chicken thighs and juices back in skillet and top with remaining chopped parsley. Serve over noodles.