One of the most famous and beloved of all Hungarian dishes, this authentic Chicken Paprikash recipe features tender chicken in an unforgettably rich, flavorful and creamy paprika-infused sauce! It’s pure heaven!
Chicken Paprikash
Chicken paprikash hails from Hungary, a country with beautiful landscapes, cities, villages, cultures, traditions, people and food. I love hearing from our readers about their experiences visiting Hungary and falling in love with the country and its food. That’s what visiting Hungary does to people…they fall in love. I certainly did.  And Chicken Paprikash represents the very best of Hungarian cooking.
Just taking a tiny glimpse of Hungary – Budapest, the country’s capital, is a city bustling with life, color, beautiful architecture, and the aroma of food wafting from over 1500 restaurants. Below is Zrinyi Utca (street), leading to Saint Stephen’s Basilica, built in 1905 in honor of the first king of Hungary. (Incidentally, his mummified hand is kept as a relic in that basilica as they couldn’t find the rest of his body! Not really a topic for a recipe post though, is it? ;)
Shutterstock
My favorite area of Budapest is the Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya). Built in 1895 its neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque architecture is breathtaking. It’s situated on the hill on the Buda bank of the Danube overlooking the city and the atmosphere is so romantic. An evening stroll after dinner is a must – watching the lights of the city dance on the water, gazing at the magnificent Chain Bridge, and resting in the soft shadows of the Bastion walls.
Shutterstock
So now let’s talk a little about the FOOD. Specifically let’s talk about one of Hungary’s most popular dishes, Chicken Paprikash, known as Paprikás Csirke in Hungarian (pronounced paprikash cheerke). It’s a very simple but incredibly flavorful dish.
What Are the “Essential” Ingredients in Traditional Chicken Paprikash?
Each time I’ve been served chicken paprikash it was prepared virtually the same way with the same basic ingredients: Chicken, onions, garlic, water or broth, lots of paprika, sometimes tomatoes, salt, pepper and cream. Sometimes Hungarian bell peppers are included though most versions I’ve seen made by older generation Hungarian home cooks did not. The inclusion of bell peppers varies by region and cultural tradition.
What is the Best Paprika to Use?
The name of this dish, paprikash (paprikás), of course comes from the most important ingredient in the dish: Hungarian paprika. This star ingredient is central to the dish and as such there are two critical factors to the success of an authentic Chicken Paprikash:
1)Â Use the RIGHT paprika (see below) and 2) Use LOTS of it.
For the BEST chicken paprikash, both the quality and quantity of ground paprika must be ensured. Trust me, you will taste the difference!
We recommend this genuine imported Hungarian paprika from the Kalocsa region of Hungary. It has an extraordinarily rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color. Many of our readers have tried it and have reported back that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.
There are relatively few ingredients in this dish and so it is especially important to use the highest quality ingredients you can find. Get quality chicken, quality chicken broth, and quality sour cream. And if you at all possibly can, use lard to fry the chicken. Not just because it’s traditional, but because it makes food taste amazing! Lard will transform your cooking and baking. You can buy lard here on Amazon but I strongly recommend rendering your own. It’s super easy, learn how to render lard!
Should I Use Water or Broth?
While using broth is not “traditional” (traditionally just water is used), we highly recommend it for a richer flavor. For the chicken broth we recommend our personal favorite and in our opinion the best on the market: Aneto 100% All-Natural Chicken Broth imported from Barcelona, Spain.
Other broths on the market (including “premium” organic brands) are made with a “formula” using powders, extracts, flavorings, MSG masked in the form of “yeast extract”, and mystery ingredients like “natural flavors” that are FDA loopholes for things the manufacturers rather not spell out and we’d rather not have in our food system.  Aneto makes their broths following a recipe using real, whole ingredients the same way we do at home: The freshest vegetables, chicken meat and bones are selected and go into large pots where they simmer for hours until they’re reduced to a wonderfully rich, flavorful and healthy broth. Aneto is truly remarkable. Here is a list of the store locations selling their broths (with more locations regularly being added).
We took a tour of their factory in Barcelona few years ago and it was such an inspiring experience. Read more about what sets Aneto apart from other broth manufacturers.
Equipped with the BEST ingredients you’re now ready to make the BEST Chicken Paprikash!
I don’t know about you but I’m hungry. Are you ready to eat??
Chicken Paprikash Recipe
Then let’s get started!
Heat the lard in a heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides (traditionally the chicken is simmered without browning it but we HIGHLY recommend doing so – it vastly increases the flavor of the final dish). Transfer the chicken to a plate.
In the same oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes (and pepper if using) and fry another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched). Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat.
Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream/cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer to heat through.
Chicken paprikash is traditionally served with Hungarian nokedli, which are the same thing as Spaetzle only they’re much shorter and stubbier. You can make nokedli using a Spaetzle scraper and here is the recipe for the dough.
Enjoy!
Jó étvágyat!
Be sure to try these other delicious Hungarian dishes:
Authentic Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pork lard , or butter (lard is traditionally used and we strongly recommend it for the best flavor)
- 3 pounds chicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on (this is traditional and recommended because it creates the most flavor, but alternatively you can use boneless/skinless pieces of chicken)
- 2 medium yellow onions, very finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and very finely diced
- 1 Hungarian bell pepper, diced (optional)
- 3-4 tablespoons quality, genuine imported sweet Hungarian paprika
- 2 cups Aneto 100% All-Natural Chicken Broth (our most favorite chicken broth)
- or Aneto low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup full fat sour cream , room temperature (important to avoid lumps; be sure also to use full fat)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Heat the lard in a heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate. In the same oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes (and pepper if using) and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).
- Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
- In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream/cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer to heat through.
- Serve the chicken paprikash with Hungarian nokedli, which is like German Spaetzle only they're very short and stubby. You can make nokedli with a spätzle scraper and using this recipe for the dough.
Nutrition
Tricia says
I just made your recipe and it turned out perfect! My husband even went back for seconds. I used the sweet paprika I brought back from Hungary when I was there a couple of weeks ago. You can’t find it here. One change to the recipe – I did not add flour to the sour cream/cream mixture – the sauce thickened up just fine.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Tricia, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
Blitzo says
This is good! Thank you for sharing your recipe because they turned out perfect.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Blitzo, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Lori Hungate says
Is the calorie amount for just one chicken thigh?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Lori, this recipe makes 6 servings. The nutrition/calorie info is for one serving or 1/6th of the recipe.
Yvonne Lindsey says
Can you please tell me when you add the heavy whipping cream. It doesn’t say it in the directions. I can’t wait to try it!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Yvonne, it’s in Step 3. Combine the sour cream and whipping cream, add the flour to form a paste, and then stir into the sauce. Happy cooking!
Susan says
Totally delicious, thank you!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you, Susan!
Amanda Ray says
Do not, I repeat, do not accidentally buy smoked paprika instead of sweet Hungarian paprika. I did not realize there was a spice I detested so much. Sweet Hungarian is pure magic. I’ve made this before and it was top notch….with the right paprika!!
Thanks for sharing!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Fantastic, Amanda, I’m happy you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback! :)
Savanah Walesch says
This was very delicious. I had Chicken Paprikash when I was visiting Budapest. This is how I remember it being and the sauce is just fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Savanah!
Tom c says
I followed your chicken Paprikás recipe very close to what you ordered. I presented a winner dish. I don’t like spaezel, so I used an egg noodle made of durum wheat. I’m 1/2 Hungarian, so this hit home. Thanks for your quantity adjustable RECIPE.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thanks so much, Tom, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Siobhan says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe and have served it for many guests who rave about it. Great flavors, not too difficult to make and a great comfort dish or something to dress up and impress company. I love having leftovers, but often it’s gobbled up!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so glad, Siobhan, thank you very much!
Petra M. says
Hello, it’s very nice what you write about Hungary, and very appreciated! As a Hungarian I would say however that we usually neither use garlic, nor tomatoes or bell pepper with this recipe. Just chicken, onions, lard (or oil), salt and sour cream. It still tastes like heaven and it’s one of my favorite dishes!
Andrew says
Wonderful recipe I’ve used it numerous times. I also tried a quick version in the instant pot. While it came out good with the chicken being very tender the sauce was more watery. I simmered it down so it ended up working but sticking with the stove yields the best results.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Fantastic, Andrew, thank you so much for the feedback!
Bonnie says
I made this in the fast track method as the hubby likes his chicken dry and after working all day I need a 30 minute meal. I did everything correctly, but skipped the 40 minutes. I used a fine mesh strainer to whisk the flour into the cream mixture and that was an excellent way to incorporate it without lumps. I simmered the chicken broth for just 5 minutes, added the cream and it was delicious. The hubby loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thanks for the feedback, Bonnie, I’m happy it was a hit!
Harrison piper says
Great recipe made it for a flat of 8 boys and everyone loved it. We used chicken thighs and they came out beautifully. Served with mash so cheap and delicious will definitely be making again!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so glad, Harrison, thank you very much for the feedback!
Andreea says
This was so delicious but we couldn’t eat too much because it became quite overpowering. I didn’t check it throughout the 40min that it was simmering and I think I over did it. It had reduced so much that it almost burned. It was still such a delicious meal, but just couldn’t have too much ☹
Will be making this again, but will keep an eye on it while simmering haha
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Andreea, thanks for the feedback! It sounds like you had the temperature too high. Keep it to a very low simmer and it won’t reduce significantly or burn! :)
Andreea says
Yes the temperature was definitely too high. I cooked it in my cast iron so I thought it would be okay with higher heat. My bad haha. Now I know for next time. Thank you again for the recipe
RachelR says
Followed this recipe closely, used the Hungarian peppers listed as optional as well as the full tablespoon amounts of paprika and only chicken breasts. I used Kerry’s Irish Gold Butter instead of lard and I used a store-brand chicken stock and this came out AMAZING. Definitely spend the money on the higher quality paprika that’s recommended. You can tell the difference from grocery store paprikas even just from the smell, its flavorful with a little sweetness and it just made this dish spectacular. So creamy but SO flavorful. Definitely not the pale sour cream-based version I knew growing up. This recipe is a major glow up!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel, and really appreciate the feedback! :)