Ah! Chicken Paprikash (Csirkepaprikás) is a classic Hungarian comfort dish—tender chicken in a rich, creamy, paprika-spiced sauce, usually served with dumplings, noodles, or rice. 🌶️🍗
Here’s a traditional, clear recipe:
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 2–3 lbs (1–1.5 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs & drumsticks work best)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth or water
- 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream
- 1–2 tbsp flour (optional, for thickening)
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- Optional: 1 bell pepper, chopped, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
To Serve:
- Nokedli (Hungarian dumplings) or egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Sear chicken
- Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Brown chicken pieces lightly on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Cook onions & paprika
- In the same pan, sauté onions until translucent (~5–7 min).
- Remove from heat, stir in paprika (prevents burning) until fragrant.
- Simmer chicken
- Return chicken to pan.
- Add broth to cover ~⅓–½ of the chicken.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 25–35 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Make creamy sauce
- In a small bowl, mix sour cream and flour (if using) to prevent curdling.
- Temper the sour cream by stirring in a few spoonfuls of hot liquid from the pan.
- Stir mixture into the chicken and simmer 5–10 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Serve
- Serve hot over noodles, rice, or dumplings. Garnish with paprika or parsley.
Tips
- Paprika matters: Use sweet Hungarian paprika, not smoked or hot, unless you like spice.
- Sour cream: Always temper before adding to hot sauce to prevent curdling.
- Vegetables: Bell peppers and garlic can be added for extra flavor.
- Make ahead: Paprikash tastes even better the next day after flavors meld.
I can also give a quick stovetop version without dumplings that’s ready in under 40 minutes if you want a weeknight-friendly recipe.
Do you want me to do that?
