Here’s a classic Chicken Paprikash 🍗 — a comforting Hungarian dish with tender chicken in a creamy, paprika-spiced sauce.
🍗 Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the chicken
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on recommended)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2–3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional, for depth)
- 1 cup chicken broth
For the sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1–2 tsp flour (optional, to thicken)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Optional sides
- Egg noodles, spaetzle, or mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Brown the chicken
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown chicken on all sides (5–6 minutes per side). Remove and set aside.
- Cook onions & garlic
- In the same pan, sauté onions until soft and golden (5–7 min).
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add paprika
- Remove pan from heat briefly (to avoid burning paprika).
- Stir in paprika until fragrant.
- Simmer chicken
- Return chicken to the pan.
- Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook 30–40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Make creamy sauce
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Stir sour cream and flour together until smooth.
- Slowly mix into pan juices over low heat.
- Season with salt and pepper. Do not boil after adding sour cream to prevent curdling.
- Serve
- Return chicken to sauce.
- Serve hot over noodles, spaetzle, or mashed potatoes.
💡 Tips
- Use sweet Hungarian paprika for authentic flavor.
- Brown chicken well for deeper flavor.
- Low and slow simmering keeps chicken tender and juicy.
- Stir sour cream in slowly over low heat to prevent curdling.
🌟 Variations
- With bell peppers: Add sliced red bell pepper for extra sweetness.
- Spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne or hot paprika.
- Thicker sauce: Use more flour or reduce sauce longer before adding sour cream.
- Chicken breast version: Cut into large pieces; cook slightly less to avoid drying.
If you want, I can give you a quick 30-minute Chicken Paprikash that’s almost as good as the traditional slow-cooked version, perfect for weeknights.
Do you want me to do that?
