Chicken Paprika

Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of the oil in the frying pan or casserole and gently frying the chicken joints or thighs to a golden colour, you will probably need to do this in two batches.

As the chicken is ready, use a draining spoon to transfer it to a plate, and season it with salt and pepper. In the oil left (add a little more if you need to) fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, if you are using fresh tomatoes, you can skin them. To do this, pour boiling water over them and leave them for exactly 1 minute or 15-30 seconds if the tomatoes are small, before draining and slipping off their skins (protect your hands with a cloth if they are too hot). You can also watch how to skin tomatoes in our Online Cookery School Video on this page..

Now stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and paprika into the onions, with a wooden spoon, to soak up the juices before adding the chopped tomatoes. Stir them around a bit, then add the stock. Bring everything up to a simmering point, then return the chicken to the pan or casserole, put the lid on and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. After that, stir in the chopped pepper, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Just before serving, spoon the soured cream all over, mixing it in just to give a marbled effect, then sprinkle on a little more paprika.