Hungarian Chicken Paprikash

2 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. olive oil
2 T. paprika
1 (14 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained and seeded
4 chicken breast halves, skin on, and bone in (or boneless, skinless)
1/2 c. water (use chicken broth if used boneless, skinless breasts)
1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour stirred together with 1 T. water
2 T. sour cream, plus additional for serving
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Suggested accompaniment: egg noodles or larger shaped pasta i.e. farfalle, rotini, or shell.

Cook onion within olive oil in pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until onion is very tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute, being very careful not to burn it. Stir in water, salt and tomatoes, stirring vigorously to break up tomatoes. Add chicken and simmer, meat side down, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, until chicken is just cooked through, and tender, about 5 to 10 minutes longer. (I cook it for about 30 to 60 minutes to make the chicken fall off the bones, and to get the flavors blended throughout the dish.) Remove the chicken from the sauce and keep warm. Stir flour mixture and stir into sauce. Simmer, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, then season with salt and stir in 2 T. sour cream. Add chicken back to the sauce to warm and coat with the sauce. Serve, sprinkled with parsley, over noodles, with additional sour cream on the side.