Chicken Legs in Sour Cream Sauce

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you braise chicken in sour cream? Gather the ingredients from the list. I used chicken leg quarters, but any cut works — breast, thighs, drumsticks. Fresh (chilled) chicken is best, but if you bought frozen, thaw it first on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Then rinse it and pat it dry with paper towels.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the onion and carrot and cut them into small cubes. To keep the onion from stinging your eyes so much, rinse the onion and the knife with cold water before slicing. Rubbing the cutting board with a piece of lemon keeps it from soaking up the onion smell.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the leg quarters into serving-size pieces; season with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Pour a refined vegetable oil with a high smoke point into the skillet and heat it. How do you know it's hot enough? Dip a wooden spatula in — if bubbles form around it, you're ready to fry. Add the chicken and brown it on both sides, then transfer it to a plate. In the same skillet, sauté the onion and carrot until soft.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the flour to the skillet, whisk in hot boiled water, and stir until there are no lumps. Add sour cream of any fat content and bring to a boil. You can swap the sour cream for cream or thick plain yogurt.

5. Step 5:

   

   Return the chicken pieces to the sauce and simmer over low heat until cooked through, about 30–40 minutes. How do you know it's done? If a knife slides in easily and the juices run clear, you can take it off the heat and serve.

6. Step 6:

   

   Serve the chicken in its sour cream sauce, topped with chopped fresh herbs (dill, parsley, green onion). Pickles or marinated vegetables make a nice side, and it goes with any starch — mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, or buckwheat. Enjoy!