I have been pretty curious about smoked paprika and recently decided to give it a try.  I am in love with the  distinctive smokiness that accentuates just about any dish. I have used regular paprika in the past, however it really doesn’t float my boat, but the smoked paprika takes any dish to higher heights. The aroma of this spice is beyond  addictive. I wanted to share the recipe with you before I got extremely busy with everything else. I know you will enjoy it.

Smoke Paprika Chicken

Ingredients
Oil for frying
2 whole fryer chickens cut up
sea salt tot taste (I used 2 tablespoons)
2 tblspns garlic powder
cayenne pepper to taste (I used 1 tblspn)
4 tblspns smoked paprika (reserve 2 tblspns for later)
1 sweet onion sliced
4 cloves chopped garlic
5 tomatoes blanched and rough chopped
3 bay leaves
5 pimento seeds
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 stalks of scallions sliced
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup of brown sugar

For Breading
2 cups of all purpose flour
sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions
Wash chicken in vinegar and water.
Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry.
Place chicken on sheet pan, seasoning bowl, or whatever container you season your chicken in.
Combine 2 tblspns smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to create a spice blend.
Season chicken with spice blend.
Roll each piece of chicken in breading and dust off excess flour
Heat oil in Dutch pot, add enough oil so that chicken is submerged.
Add chicken to hot oil, do not overcrowd pot.
Fry on each side until golden brown (approximately 8 minutes)
Chicken will float to top when done. Set aside.
In a clean dutch pot or saute pan, add 2 tablespoon of coconut oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
Add onions, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, pimento seeds, garlic and reserved 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika.
Saute until tender, aromatic and juices released (about 3 minutes)
Add ketchup, sugar, and approximately 7 cups of water (use more or less as desired)
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed (sea salt and pepper if need be)
Add fried chicken to the pot and baste with the aromatic, flavorful and robust gravy that you just made (from scratch)
(Don’t worry, gravy will thicken when you add the chicken. Remember it’s coated in flour).
Sprinkle scallions over the top, baste chicken again. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

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