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 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? ;)
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.
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) 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.
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.
You can purchase their broths on Amazon (they also have THE most incredible paella broths!) and when they offer their 6-pack deal it’s the best value. They also have a low sodium option. You can also purchase their broths in a variety of stores across the United States (and generally at the same lower price as their Amazon 6-pack deal). Here is a list of the store locations selling their broths (with more locations regularly being added).
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??
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!
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Be sure to try these other delicious Hungarian dishes!
Authentic Hungarian Pörkölt (Beef & Onion Stew)
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
- 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.
Oskar says
Kimberly
Thank you for this recipe. My mom used to make it for me growing up and it is the perfect memory. I am from Austro-Hungarian-Czech lineage via parents going back many generations. A Danube river mongrel, so this sole food.
I am making this for my son and daughter-in-law to experience the “Old country” This makes the cut.
I will look for your goulash the next time.
Cheers,
PS, the background was great and I loved it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Oskar, I appreciate it!
Oskar says
If licking a plate was considered appropriate behavior, we would have done so with the paprikash. We enjoyed it and it replicated the recipe my mother taught me. I have made your paprikash, goulash and weinerschnitzel. They all bring back my growing up since I originally came from the Hapsburg ruled area.
Our weinerschnitzel was with pork. When in Vienna and Bratislava last year, no one served veal. Way too expensive. My mom was a very good cook, having learned from her mom and I assure you she would have approved. I served it with sliced tomato and red onions in a oil/vinegar salt and pepper dressing to cut the oil. I am enjoying all your recipes and descriptions and cultural info. Well done Kimberly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I really appreciate the compliment, Oskar, and am thrilled that you enjoyed all three of these recipes, thank you!
Comfort says
Old Mashed Grapes!!! can i put 10 stars on this recipe!? my aunt was hungarian and would occasionally make this when we went to visit (back in the 50’s!). i have not had this since i was pretty small, but always wanted it. after years of talking about it, i made it for dinner tonite (2/21/2020). a Great success. and i have sooo much left over! i cooked potatoes and carrots and mashed ’em up for underneath. my boyfriend is going to make noodles for the left overs when we next have it. easy recipe, clear to follow. we are both disabled, so cutting all that stuff up was hard on me. i started the recipe at 5pm. we didn’t eat until 8pm! whew, i’m so tired, it will take me two days to clean up (really!) lol you are bookmarked. i may try some of your other recipes later. thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Comfort! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and were able to take that culinary walk down memory lane. Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope you enjoy the other recipes you try.