One of the things I like to do is look for dishes that represent different ethnicities, especially those that follow my family heritage. My parents' ancestors came to the U.S. on different paths - my mother from England (by way of Virginia and the Carolinas) and my father from France (by way of Canada and New England). They both trace back into Western and Central Europe, so there are plenty of ethnic roads to be taken when exploring recipes.

While I don't know for sure whether either of them have any heritage that passed through Hungary, I came across something very interesting about the country. It seems that the spice paprika is somewhat of a staple like salt and pepper, being incorporated into so many different foods that it's more or less their "official spice". That intrigued me, and I started looking for traditional dishes that use it.

This is one of them. The name translates into simply "paprika chicken" and seems to be a favorite for many families there. The recipe I used was handed down from the cook's husband's Hungarian grandmother, who made it frequently while he was growing up. There are several variations of ingredients, which I suppose reflects how families try to make a recipe uniquely their own. But how can you go wrong with Grandma's recipe?

Adapted from Recipes from Europe