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    Home » European Union » Hungary » Chicken Paprikash Recipe

    Chicken Paprikash Recipe

    Published on Mar 2, 2022 Modified: Mar 2, 2022 by Melissa Torres This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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    This recipe is one of the most famous recipes to come out of Hungary. Chicken stewed in Hungarian paprika and sour cream makes for an easy and delicious meal! 

    Fork and knife on a plate of chicken paprikash on a plate and a side of mashed potatoes.

    “Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”

    I had Chicken Paprikash during a trip to Hungary and have been thinking about it since! It is a simple but delightful, crowd-pleasing meal. 

    Recipe Origins

    Chicken Paprikash is a delicious dinner popular in Hungary! It is made by cooking chicken pieces in a sauce made of paprika (a popular Hungarian spice) and sour cream. 

    The chicken is stewed in water, onions, and paprika and then the sauce is thickened after the chicken is finished cooking. 

    Why Make this Recipe

    1. “Travel” to Hungary: If you want to taste the flavors of Hungary, this Chicken Paprikash Recipe is a great way to do so! 
    2. Minimal Ingredients: For how flavorful this recipe is, you’ll be surprised at how little ingredients there are. Chicken, paprika, onions, sour cream and garlic make for one delicious dish. 
    3. Customizable: There are so many iterations of Chicken Paprikash, including other vegetables, spices, etc. This recipe is a base recipe with pretty standard ingredients and instructions. Feel free to add more flavorings as you desire!

    What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

    Ingredients 

    Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

    Measured ingredients to make chicken paprikash recipe.
    1. Lard: If you can find it, cook your onions in lard. If not, you can also use vegetable shortening, vegetable oil, or butter. 
    2. Paprika: Use sweet paprika (as opposed to spicy paprika). I imported mine from Hungary to make sure it had the best flavor. This isn’t necessary but I would certainly recommend it! It makes a huge difference. Using a high quality paprika is important because it is the only seasoning in the dish. 
    3. Chicken: Use bone in, skin on chicken pieces. I used legs and thighs. 
    4. All Purpose Flour: Optional, for thickening the sauce if desired. 

    Tools

    1. Dutch Oven + Lid: Can also use a pot if necessary 
    2. Utensils: Wooden spoon, tongs
    3. Meat Thermometer: Chicken must come to 165 degrees Fahrenheit
    4. Immersion Blender: Can also use a food processor or regular blender
    5. Small Bowls 

    How to Make this Recipe

    Step 1: Cook the Onions

    Steps 1-4 show how to season the bone-in chicken, saute the diced onions and incorporate the sweet paprika seasoning into the softened onions.

    Season the chicken with salt. Set aside.

    In a dutch oven add the lard and heat it up. Once it’s melted, add the onion. Saute the onion until translucent.

    Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and stir for another minute. Remove the dutch oven from the heat. Add the paprika and stir to coat the onions completely. 

    Step 2: Cook the Chicken 

    Dutch oven with chicken pieces added to the softened onions on the left. On the right, chicken cooking in its juices with some water and seasonings.

    Add the chicken and stir to coat the chicken in the paprika. Put the pot back on the heat.  

    Add the lid onto the pot for 5 minutes. Check the chicken. If it is releasing liquid (enough to come up the sides of the chicken), you do not need to add more water. If the pot still looks dry, add about 1 cup of water into the dutch oven, or enough to cover the chicken about halfway. 

    Add the lid back onto the pot and let it cook for 20 minutes. Then open the lid, flip the chicken, put the lid back on and cook for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

    Use tongs to remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set aside. 

    Step 3: Finish the Sauce

    Cooked chicken paprikash.

    Put the sour cream in a small bowl and spoon in a few spoonfuls of the sauce from the pot. Mix it up in the bowl to make it smooth.Add the sour cream mixture into the dutch oven and mix to combine. 

    Then, use a food processor or immersion blender to blend the sauce until it is completely smooth. 

    If your sauce is very thin: Add 1 tbsp of flour into a small bowl with a few spoonfuls of sauce from the dutch oven. Mix until smooth, then pour into the pureed sauce, allowing it to cook for a few minutes over medium heat. This will thicken the sauce. 

    Add the chicken back into the sauce. Serve with noodles, dumplings, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy! 

    Other Flavors

    There are so many Chicken Paprikash Recipes on the internet and each family has their own iteration and flavors they add. In my research I have found recipes that include each of the following. Feel free to try them out if you’d like! 

    Vegetables + Meat

    • Carrots
    • Tomatoes 
    • Hungarian peppers 
    • Celery 
    • Bacon 

    Spices

    • Garlic powder
    • Maggi
    • Cumin
    • Caraway Seeds
    • Garlic Salt

    Expert Tips

    Plate of mashed potatoes and chicken paprikash.
    • If you want crispier chicken skin, you can brown the chicken in the Dutch oven before cooking the onions. However, most recipes I watched of Hungarians making a Chicken Paprikash Recipe did not do this.
    • Use fresh paprika! Ground spices lose their flavoring over time, so it’s best to use a fresh bottle, especially because the paprika flavoring is so important in this Chicken Paprikash Recipe.
    • Remove the dutch oven from the heat when adding the paprika. This ensures that the paprika doesn’t burn. 
    • If you are adding flour to your sauce to thicken it: Add some of the sauce into the flour bowl and mix to combine until completely smooth. Then add the flour into the sauce. If you skip this step, you will end up with flour lumps in your sauce. 

    Recipe FAQs

    Small bowl of sweet paprika behind a bowl of chicken paprikash sitting in the sauce and a fork tucked into the bowl.
    Why Add the Sauce into the Sour Cream?

    Adding the sauce into the sour cream is an important step in this recipe. Adding the warm sauce into the cold sour cream warms the temperature of the cream, bringing it closer to the temperature of the sauce. That way, it will be incorporated smoothly into the sauce.

     If you skip this step, the cold sour cream will lump up when added into the warm sauce. 

    Do I Have to Puree the Sauce?

    You do not need to puree the sauce if you do not want to. Some recipes do not do this, but others do. 

    In an effort to replicate the recipe I ate in Hungary, I chose to puree my sauce. 

    Do I Have to Thicken the Sauce?

    Some Chicken Paprikash Recipes call for thickening the sauce with flour but not all of them. In trying to imitate the recipe I ate in Hungary, I decided my chicken needed a thicker sauce.

    If you like a thinner sauce, you do not need to follow this step. 

    What to Serve with Chicken Paprikash 

    Usually this dish is served with egg noodles or dumplings. I also really like it with mashed potatoes.

    Storing Leftovers

    You can easily store leftovers! Put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    Freezing Tips

    I wouldn’t recommend freezing your Chicken Paprikash Recipe. The sour cream in the sauce leads to a strange texture when thawing. 

    If you’d like to freeze the recipe, do so before adding the sour cream into the sauce. You can then add the sour cream after you have thawed the chicken. 

    Reheating Instructions

    To reheat this recipe, I find it easiest to heat it up in the microwave. 

    What Nationality is Paprikash? 

    Chicken Paprikash comes from Hungary. 

    Did you enjoy this Chicken Paprikash Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you: 

    • Hungarian Langos
    • German Beef Rouladen
    • Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
    • Chicken Machboos from Bahrain
    • What To Serve with Chicken Marsala

    If you make this recipe at home, leave a review/comment on this post letting us know what you thought!

    And don’t forget to share a photo of your finished product on Facebook and Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.

    Chicken Paprikash Recipe

    This recipe is one of the most famous recipes to come out of Hungary. Chicken stewed in Hungarian paprika and sour cream makes for an easy and delicious meal! 
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: hungary
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 551kcal
    Author: The Foreign Fork

    Equipment

    • Dutch Oven + Lid
    • Wooden spoon, tongs
    • Meat Thermometer
    • Immersion Blender
    • Small Bowls

    Ingredients

    • Table Salt, for seasoning
    • ¼ cup lard, or vegetable oil/butter
    • 2 onions, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tbsp sweet paprika
    • 6 chicken bone-in, skin on chicken pieces (I used thigh and leg)
    • 6 tbsp sour cream
    • 1 tbsp all purpose flour, optional

    Instructions

    • Season the chicken with salt. Set aside.
    • In a dutch oven add the ¼ cup lard and heat it up. Once it's melted, add the 2 diced onions. Saute the onion until translucent.
    • Once the onion is translucent, add the 2 cloves of garlic and stir for another minute. Remove the dutch oven from the heat. Add the 2 tbsp sweet paprika and stir to coat the onions completely.
    • Add the 6 pieces of bone-in chicken and stir to coat the chicken in the paprika. Put the pot back on the heat.
    • Add the lid onto the pot for 5 minutes. Check the chicken. If it is releasing liquid (enough to come up the sides of the chicken), you do not need to add more water. If the pot still looks dry, add about 1 cup of water into the dutch oven, or enough to cover the chicken about halfway.
    • Add the lid back onto the pot and let it cook for 20 minutes. Then open the lid, flip the chicken, put the lid back on and cook for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Use tongs to remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set aside.
    • Put the 6 tbsp sour cream in a small bowl and spoon in a few spoonfuls of the sauce from the pot. Mix it up in the bowl to make it smooth.
    • Add the sour cream mixture into the dutch oven and mix to combine. Then, use a food processor or immersion blender to blend the sauce until it is completely smooth.
    • If your sauce is very thin: Add 1 tbsp of flour into a small bowl with a few spoonfuls of sauce from the dutch oven. Mix until smooth, then pour into the pureed sauce, allowing it to cook for a few minutes over medium heat. This will thicken the sauce.
    • Add the chicken back into the sauce. Serve with noodles, dumplings, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
    • Lard: If you can find it, cook your onions in lard. If not, you can also use vegetable shortening, vegetable oil, or butter.
    • Paprika: Use sweet paprika (as opposed to spicy paprika). I imported mine from Hungary to make sure it had the best flavor. This isn’t necessary but I would certainly recommend it! It makes a huge difference. Using a high quality paprika is important because it is the only seasoning in the dish. 
    • Chicken: Use bone in, skin on chicken pieces. I used legs and thighs.
    • All Purpose Flour: Optional, for thickening the sauce if desired.
    • Why add the sauce to the sour cream? 
    • I’ve seen some recipes call for adding carrots, tomatoes, hungarian peppers, bacon, or celery to this too. You can do this if you wish. 
    • Other recipes add garlic powder, maggi, cumin, caraway seeds or other spices. 
    • You can brown the chicken before cooking the onions, but the recipes I watched of Hungarians making this recipe did not do that.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2119IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheForeignFork or tag #TheForeignFork!

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    Chicken, Hungary, Main Course

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    Comments

    1. Gary Szabo says

      August 15, 2022 at 12:06 pm

      I like this recipe, however, I don’t know of anyone in Hungary who eats it with mashed potatoes. Traditionally it is served with Galuska (Hungarian dumplings) or rice and eaten like curry

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        August 18, 2022 at 10:52 am

        Hi Gary, I mention that in the article 🙂 Mashed potatoes are not traditional, but I do think its delicious! So glad you like the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    2. Joanne says

      July 10, 2022 at 4:04 pm

      4 stars
      There was no chicken broth or water added (except for that 1 cup). Was that missing from the recipe? I added about 1-1/2 C chicken broth…otherwise the recipe was delish! And I will make it again

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        July 20, 2022 at 9:46 am

        Hi Joanne, I’m not sure I understand your question. The water step that is written out in the recipe is the only time water should be added. If you added the liquid, you did it right!

        Reply
    3. Susan says

      March 15, 2022 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      I’m glad you added recommendations for other vegetables like carrot and pepper. So many variations depending on the area of Hungary. Your recipe is right on. I was taught early. We added green pepper, chopped with the onion. We didn’t use garlic. I strain the broth into a plastic pitcher then whisk in the flour and sour cream and strain back into the pot. No need to remove the chicken. I buy my paprika from Hungary through Amazon. Olyan nagyon jó!

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        March 15, 2022 at 2:26 pm

        Thanks for the input Susie, I love hearing your experience! I will need to try it with green pepper next time 🙂

        Reply
    4. Carol says

      March 08, 2022 at 8:51 am

      Can you provide a link to the paprika you use and imported from Hungary? The recipe looks delicious.

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        March 08, 2022 at 9:32 am

        Yes! This is the one I bought 🙂 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CZLTCP8?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

        Reply

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