When I was a little girl we went a restaurant on the west coast called the Sea Lion for special occasions. The restaurant sat right on the beach and my favorite time to go was during a storm. My family always reserved a window table in advance. The waves would crash up on the windows while you were eating and it created such an ambiance that ALL food tasted better in my opinion. I wasn’t much on fish back then (silly me) so I would always order their Paprika Fried Chicken which I have not yet been able to completely duplicate, but have settled for this recipe until I can. The flavor is similar, but creamy. Their recipe was more like a broasted chicken, but the flavor combination was just so unique!!
CHICKEN PAPRIKA IN BALSAMIC CREAM SAUCE2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 teaspoon each sea salt & white pepper
1/2 cup flour for dredging
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
2 large bunches green onions, thinly sliced
olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon chicken base
1/2 cup heavy cream
- Mix together the sea salt, white pepper and 1 tablespoon of paprika with the flour in a plastic bag.
- Coat each chicken tender well with flour seasoning mix. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.
- In a large skillet heat olive oil.
- Brown chicken pieces until golden on each side, until almost cooked through, set aside.
- Add onions to oil and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to deglaze the pan scraping up any bits stuck to the pan for added flavor.
- Whisk the boiling water, chicken base 2 tablespoons paprika together until smooth.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add any remaining flour seasoning mix and whisk until smooth.
- Reduce heat, return chicken to pan and simmer 5-10 minutes.
- Add cream and simmer 5-10 minutes more until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
