What's For Dinner? Open Your Cabinet

If you've ever come home from work and despaired over what to have for dinner, this Milk Street cookbook is for you. The recipes in, Cook What You Have: Make A Meal Out Of Almost Anything, have ten or fewer ingredients and rely on staples you probably already have on hand. Author and Milk Street founder Christopher Kimball is with us to talk simple cooking.   Chicken Paprikash Start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes (30 minutes active) Servings: 4 to 6 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed Kosher salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, plus more to serve 2 tablespoons tomato paste ¾ cup sour cream 1 tablespoon cornstarch Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken skin side down and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pieces and cook until browned on the second sides, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a large plate and set aside. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pot. Return the Dutch oven to medium and add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and tomato paste; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water and scrape up the browned bits, then nestle in the chicken and pour in the accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally, until a skewer inserted into the largest thigh meets no resistance, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and, using tongs, transfer the chicken to a wide, shallow serving bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cornstarch, then whisk this mixture into the braising liquid in the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, whisking often, until the sauce is creamy and slightly thicker than heavy cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Return the chicken and accumulated juices to the pot, turning to coat in the sauce. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken and sauce to the serving bowl and sprinkle with additional paprika. Optional garnish: Chopped fresh dill OR chopped fresh chives Excerpted from MILK STREET: COOK WHAT YOU HAVE by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2022 by CPK Media, LLC.