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Home » Food » By Country or Region » Eastern Europe » Hungary » Hungarian Chicken Goulash

Hungarian Chicken Goulash

April 15, 2013 by Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet · 48 Comments

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Hungarian Chicken Goulash

Whether you live in what is currently a cool and rainy place like Washington, an area that is just beginning to thaw out from a mini ice age, or some warm and sunny region, this Hungarian Chicken Goulash is something you will all enjoy regardless of your current climate conditions.

I love Hungarian food.  I love the country, the people, the culture, the traditions…their handmade leather goods, their architecture (Budapest is one stunning city – that famous bridge, the parliament, the Fisherman’s Wharf, wow!)  and those fantastic and incredible little túró rudi’s – Hungarian chocolate bars that are kept refrigerated.  An outer coating of chocolate with a sweet and tangy cheese curd in the middle.  I could write sonnets about these cheesy-chocolate delights…*sigh*…focus, Kimberly, focus.

My brother had the opportunity to live in Hungary for two years, so he (the lucky guy) got to experience much more of Hungary than I did.  He also speaks Hungarian fluently.  Just before we moved back to the U.S. he took me to what had been one of favorite restaurants in Budapest.  Rustic wood tables and benches, wood walls and floors.  Charming atmosphere.  The food was served on wooden slab-like plates.  We realized it probably wasn’t the most hygienic (you know, as you cut into wood with utensils it’s easy for food particles to get stuck in the grooves over time).  Still, it didn’t detract from our enjoyment of the meal one bit.  Our favorite dish to order was the Pörkölt, a traditional thick Hungarian meat stew that is served over Hungarian egg noodles that resemble German Spätzle.  Along with it we enjoyed a classic Hungarian cucumber salad and for dessert Washideg Meggyleves, a well-known and delicious chilled cherry soup (cherries, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, sour cream, etc).  We ordered this same meal several times during our last trip to Budapest.

I found a smokin’ deal on some lovely organic yellow bell peppers last week and so I stocked up.  Yesterday I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner.  I remembered I had those bell peppers.  I also had some chicken thawing in the fridge.  Why not a chicken version of Hungary’s national dish?

You will be amazed at how a few simple ingredients elicit such an amazing depth of flavor.  The key is adding lots and lots of paprika and slowly stewing down the soup for a good hour or more.  I’m always amused when I see “authentic” Hungarian recipes on the web that call for a teaspoon or two of paprika.  In Hungary, paprika is quite literally added by the handful.  That is what gives you the classic flavor that makes Hungarian food so delicious.  That and pork fat, butter, onions, kolbász (traditional Hungarian sausage)…oh my!

Using quality, real Hungarian paprika SO important for the best flavor results.  There’s no comparison in flavor.  We recommend this genuine 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, written back and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.

Equipped with the best Hungarian paprika you’re all set for a delicious feast – Bon appetit!

Or, as the Hungarians say – Jó étvágyat!

Let’s get started!

First we’re going to start with the bell peppers and onions.

Chicken Goulash prep 1

Chop the onions into stew-sized pieces.

Chicken Goulash prep 2

Chop the yellow and/or orange bell peppers.

Chicken Goulash prep 3

Mince the garlic.  Yes, we need lots and lots of garlic!

Chicken Goulash prep 4

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven (I use and love Lodge) over medium high heat and cook the onions for about 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent and just beginning to turn golden.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Chicken Goulash prep 5

Add the bell peppers and the paprika powder and cook for another 7-8 minutes.

Chicken Goulash prep 6

Cube the chicken breast.

Chicken Goulash prep 7

Add the chicken breast along with the paprika and bouillon cubes.  *NOTE:  Update – add the paprika in with the bell peppers instead (see former step).

Chicken Goulash prep 8

Stir to combine.

Chicken Goulash prep 11

Oops, I almost forgot.  We’re going to add some tomatoes as well.

Chicken Goulash prep 9

After you add the tomatoes, add just enough water to cover the stew ingredients, about 4 cups.

Chicken Goulash prep 10

Add the bay leaves, cracked peppercorns, and crushed caraway seeds.  Stir to combine.  Bring the goulash to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and continue to simmer, covered, for an hour.

Hungarian Chicken Goulash prep 12

Serve the goulash hot with a dollop of sour cream (the sour cream makes a huge difference – don’t omit).

Hungarian Chicken Goulash

4.8 from 8 reviews
Hungarian Chicken Goulash
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
1 hour
Total time
1 hour 10 mins
 
Made in authentic Hungarian fashion, simple ingredients yield tremendous depth of flavor.
: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com
Cuisine: Hungarian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 large yellow onions, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 yellow or orange bell peppers (or a combination of the two), chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, diced
  • 3 chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), cubed
  • ¼ cup genuine important Hungarian paprika
  • 3 chicken bouillon cubes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Sour cream
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Saute the onions until tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  2. Add the bell peppers and the paprika powder and cook for another 7-8 minutes until tender. Add the tomatoes and chicken and cook for another two minutes.
  3. Add the bouillon cubes, caraway seeds, bay leaves and cracked peppercorns. Stir to combine. Pour in enough water to just cover the mixture, about 4 cups.
  4. Bring the goulash to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
3.5.3240


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48 Comments →

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48 Responses

  1. Elaine Magenheim says

    January 22, 2023 at 12:27 pm

    Can you suggest the best Hungarian paprika to purchase? Many thanks

    Reply
    • Kimberly Killebrew says

      January 22, 2023 at 3:46 pm

      Hi Elaine, yes, for the absolute best results it’s imperative to not just use “Hungarian” or “Hungarian style” paprika, but one that is actually imported from Hungary. You’ll have to read the label carefully to ascertain that. Here is an example of REAL imported Hungarian paprika: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UU2KXQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004UU2KXQ&linkCode=xm2&tag=thedargou09-20

      Reply
  2. Lynne Stadler says

    November 26, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    I made this with very little garlic (personal choice) and no peppers. It was delicious!! I’ll definitely make it again.

    Reply
  3. MICHAEL HEGEDUS says

    July 15, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    Can you use Chicken Stock instead of bouillon cubes?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 30, 2021 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Michael, yes you can.

      Reply
  4. Tristan says

    March 14, 2021 at 11:20 am

    I made a half batch last night. I now see from your pic how much liquid there is. I was expecting far less liquid, it is more like soup. And so much so, that I felt I couldn’t thickening the sauce without a major hit to the flavor. Next time, I will not add water, and it should come out to the consistency I was expected. Also the recipe evaluation system only allows me a 5-star selection. I was going to rate it 3.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      March 20, 2021 at 3:25 pm

      Hi Tristan, unlike German style goulash which is a thick stew, traditional Hungarian goulash is just what you said – a soup. I checked the star rating option and it it’s working – you can select between 1 and 5 stars.

      Reply
  5. Jim Y says

    January 16, 2021 at 3:38 pm

    Hey, I just wanted to reach out. I made this originally according to the recipe (mostly) in 2017, and it was a big hit. I saw all the lovely peppers at the market and decided it was time to try it again. However, this time I wanted it to be a Beef Goulash. So I took your recipe and replaced the chicken with diced London Broil (on sale, of course), removed the chicken bullion, and replaced the water with beef broth, leaving everything the same. It came out wonderful, and now we have another excellent variation on this lovely dish. This time I served it over egg noodles, and that was a big hit as well. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 16, 2021 at 10:59 pm

      Thanks so much for the feedback, Jim, I’m happy you enjoyed both versions!

      Reply
  6. Jon says

    September 23, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    Added mushrooms, and large chunks of potato and carrot. Mushrooms were a mistake,left a very un-goulashy undertaste. Brought to boil, then baked couple hours on low covered, then uncovered for last hour. Came out fine. Tasty, healthy meal. Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Debbie says

    July 11, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Thank you for your recipe–I enjoyed this along with your beef gulyás. I’ve had a lot of different variations over the years and this is a good one. One thing that surprised me outside of the recipe, though, was the comment you made about your brother living in Hungary for 2 years and speaking Hungarian fluently! He must be extremely gifted with languages! I lived in Hungary for 22 years (just moved back to the US recently) and wished I’d had that gift! Hungarian is supposedly one of the hardest languages in the world–along with Japanese, Finnish, and Navajo Indian. It’s said to be about 8x more difficult than Spanish. My husband & I studied Hungarian pretty intensively and still found it to be very extraordinarily difficult. We could understand & express most anything that we wanted to, but hesitate to say we spoke fluently, as that’s a very high standard. Your brother must be quite a guy!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 13, 2018 at 9:51 pm

      He’s definitely gifted and even had the accent down pat – the Hungarians were pretty astonished at how well he spoke. He still keeps in touch with friends there. I’m glad you enjoyed this goulash, Debbie, thank you!

      Reply
  8. Lauren says

    February 17, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    My son had been asking if we could try making Hungarian Goulash ever since he had a delicious cup at a cafe in Amsterdam (a long way from Hungary but still closer than Massachusetts). So tonight we tried your version. I was a bit wary of adding that whole 1/4 cup of paprika, but I tossed it all in. And it was delicious. Thanks for sharing. We will definitely make this again.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      February 17, 2018 at 6:50 pm

      Fantastic, Lauren, I’m glad you had the courage to add all the paprika, it’s a must – so glad you enjoyed the goulash, thank you!

      Reply
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kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

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