Chicken ragout with kohlrabi was an old Hungarian recipe that had been forgotten over the past 100 years. It was published for the first time in a cookbook written by Ágnes Zilahy in 1891. In the original recipe every part of the chicken was cooked, not only thighs or breasts, and the dish was only seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley. I make the ragout with chicken thigh fillets and more herbs.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg (~2 1/4 lbs) chicken thigh fillets, cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp thyme
- 3-4 tbsp oil
- 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 500 g (~1 lb) kohlrabi, peeled and diced
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 100 g (~3 1/2 oz) sour cream
- 25 g (~3 tbsp) flour
- 1-2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
Season the meat with thyme, salt and pepper, and leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes.
In a sauté pan heat oil, add chicken and sear until the meat gets some colour. Stir in minced garlic and ground nutmeg, then add bay leaf and diced kohlrabi. Pour in water just enough to cover the food, cover the pan with a lid and over low heat cook for about 30-35 minutes until everything becomes tender. Stir the ragout regularly and add more water as needed.
In a small bowl mix together sour cream, flour and 100 ml / 1/2 cup of water. Stir some hot cooking liquid in the mixture, then pour it in the ragout. Cook for further 3-4 minutes, adjust salt and pepper. As a final step, season the chicken ragout with parsley. Serve with braised rice.
