Krompir Paprikaš is one of those dishes that are often overlooked and labeled as “we have food at home” stews hanging out in the fridge. But if given some attention and prepared the right way, it’s actually very tasty and not just another one of the ethnic meals our parents made us eat when we were young.
My mother never put knedle, or dumplings, in her Krompir Paprikas, but I loveeee dumplings so I decided to add them to my recipe. I love soup dumplings and have a variety of recipes for them, one I recently acquired from a professional chef I used to work with. His soup dumplings are probably the best I’ve ever had in my life and I plan to share them in a future post.
Back to Krompir Paprikas, a Balkan dish eaten all over Eastern Europe. Some regions make this with pork, and I remember my mother making it too. These days, my husband and I find ourselves enjoying it most often with chicken instead. But feel free to make them with any meat you’d like. If you’re going to use chicken though, I recommend chicken thighs, preferably bone-in, skin-on. But feel free to use boneless and skinless too, it’s just as delicious!
The dumplings in this recipe are what would be considered old fashioned, or starinske. It’s a humble recipe consisting of just egg, flour, and oil. This traditional dish is eaten year-round, but I especially love it in the fall months.
Krompir Paprikaš Sa Knedlama / Potato Paprikas with Dumplings
Course: Main CourseCuisine: Balkan4
servings30
minutes45
minutesKrompir Paprikas, a traditional comfort food.
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 large carrot, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
6-7 small/medium potatoes, chopped
2-3 tbsp (50-80 g) Vegeta seasoning
2-3 tbsp (50-80 g) paprika (aleva paprika)
1 tbsp (17 g) Salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper, to taste
3 chicken thighs (preferably bone-in skin on)
6-7 cups (1.5 L) of water or more, depending on size of pot
Oil (I use sunflower)
Parsley for garnish (optional)
- Knedle/Dumplings
1 large egg
1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
2 1/2 tbsp (23 g) flour
1 tsp (6 g) Vegeta
Directions
- In a large soup pot, add about 2 tablespoons of oil, onions, and carrots. Saute on medium heat until the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes or so. Stir frequently and cover in between stirs.
- When the onions are translucent, add in the tomatoes and bell pepper and continue to saute another 2-3 minutes until soft.
- When the pepper becomes soft, add in potatoes, paprika, 1 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of Vegeta, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir well to coat everything in spices. Add the chicken thighs to the vegetables and fill the pot with water.
- Partially cover the pot and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. After 30 minutes, check the meat and potatoes to ensure they have cooked through. You want the potatoes to be cooked but not falling apart. It’s ok if the smaller pieces fall apart, that will thicken the stew nicely.
- Taste the broth and adjust for seasoning. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering partially covered while you make the dumplings.
- To make the dumplings, whisk egg, add in the oil, flour, and Vegeta. Whisk everything very well. Adjust the flour if the mixture is too runny. It should be slightly thicker than pancake batter.
- Using a teaspoon, drop about half a teaspoon of dumpling batter into the slowly simmering both. To prevent too much batter from sticking to the spoon, dip the teaspoon in the broth after every dumpling. This will help the batter slide off the spoon when you add the next one. Continue adding in dumplings until you have used up all the batter.
- Gently stir the stew, being careful not to break the dumplings. Simmer the stew for another 5-6 minutes or until the dumplings have doubled in size. Turn off the heat, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
- If you really like dumplings like me, feel free to double the recipe. Just keep in mind that they do soak up the broth so you may need to add some additional water to the pot (about 2 cups worth).
I hope you decide to try this traditional Balkan dish. If you have any questions, feel free to DM on Instagram, I’m always happy to answer your questions. And while you’re there, make sure to follow my page so you don’t miss a recipe!
