Chicken Paprikash II

I love this dish. It's one of my favorite from my childhood. I honestly could eat this weekly but my husband is not a huge fan of the dish. The photo does not do it justice. The coloring is much more vivid in real life. The flavor is very creamy and tasty without being an overpowering taste. I've posted a recipe on my blog for this dish before but this is my all time favorite way of making it. The recipe came from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook. I used homemade egg noodles for the dish this time but I usually make my own little tiny dumplings. Next time I plan on cutting the homemade noodles into smaller pieces so its more like the tiny dumplings.

Rinse and pat dry:
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds chicken parts
Season generously with:
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat in a wide, heavy skillet over medium high heat until fragrant:
2 tablespoons butter or lard
Add as many pieces of chicken to the skillet as will fit without crowding and cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and brown the remaining chicken in the same manner. Add to the fat remaining in the skillet:
3 cups very thinly sliced onions

Reduce the heat slightly. Cook, stirring, until the onions just begin to color, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle over the onions:
1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons flour
Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Return the chicken with all accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat so that the liquid barely bubbles, cover the skillet, and cook, turning the chicken once or twice, until the dark meat pieces release clear juices when pricked with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Discard the bay leaf. Let the sauce settle, then skim the fat off the surface with a spoon. Boil the sauce over high heat until very thick, almost pasty. Remove the skillet from the heat and blend thoroughly into the sauce:
1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream

Return the sauce to high heat and boil until thickened. Season to taste with:
salt and pepper
several drops of lemon juice

Return the chicken to the skillet and heat through. Serve with:
rice, hot cooked noodle, hot spatzle, or little dumplings