Chicken Paprika- Second Avenue Deli Cookbook

While growing up, mom always made chicken paprika on Friday nights. I always thought of it as her way of continuing the tradition of sabbath in a culturally, but non-religious Jewish family. Because she never worked on Friday's, (what a life!) she always came home with a pullet from the kosher butcher and a challah from the bakery located in the Vincent's shopping center in Albertson. To complete the meal, there was always a side salad of romaine, tomatoes with oil and balsamic vinegar. For some reason, I think that we ate the same side salad at every night.

The meal was always excellent. The chicken was invariably juicy and tender. Unlike the classic Hungarian version, mom's Jewish version omitted sour cream. The challah produced at the bakery in Albertson was and still is outstanding. To this day, I still believe that the specimen they produce at that bakery is the finest. Second place... Hot and Crusty. I still remember tearing off pieces of bread and mopping it up with the sauce. The next morning, I usually polished off the loaf with temt tee cream cheese.

Chicken paprika is one of the few dishes that I make on a regular basis. I have a rule against repitition. Unfortunately, I do not have mom's recipe (you need to forward it), so I turn to the Second Avenue Deli Cookbook. Sadly, Second Avenue Deli is closed. However, their version is very similar and you should give it a try. Both Isabella and Tracy love it.