… with crisp noodle topping!

“The secret to making a good goulash is to use equal proportions of onion and meat and good sweet Hungarian paprika. In this pot pie variation, cooked noodles bake into a crisp topping.”

Cooking is sort of an adventure for me. I would enjoy having it become a more regular part of my life, but I find that planning meals in advance is not one of my strong suits. The recipe below was perfect, however, for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It smelled—and tasted—amazing! The recipe only calls for two spices (oregano and paprika) but I included quite a few more (such as curry, parsley, and, of course, red pepper flakes).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons corn or canola oil (I used olive oil.)
• 4 cups thinly sliced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium if canned
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (I used a small can of tomato sauce.)
• 9 ounces medium egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Have an 8-cup baking dish ready.
2. Put the flour on a large plate and season it generously with salt (about ½ teaspoon) and pepper. Use paper towels to pat the chicken pieces dry. Dip the chicken pieces in the flour and shake off any excess. Spread the chicken on a clean plate and set aside. You will have left over flour.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they soften, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove the onions to a clean plate and set aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces until they are lightly browned , about 6 minutes, turning the chicken with tongs to brown evenly. Reduce the heat to medium and return the onions to the pan. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the paprika and cook for about 1 minute, just until you smell paprika. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste and stir to dissolve the paste. Cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep the sauce bubbling gently, until the chicken is opaque throughout and the sauce thickens slightly. Transfer the filling to the baking container.
4. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add a sprinkling of salt and the egg noodles. Cook the noodles for about 7 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the noodles, put them in a large bowl, add oil and stir them together. Season with salt and pepper. Use a spoon to spread the noodles evenly over the filling.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the noodles are lightly browned on top. Use a large spoon to scoop out servings of noodles and filling.