Hungarian Chicken Goulash
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This Chicken Goulash recipe is made in traditional Hungarian fashion where simple ingredients yield a tremendous depth of flavor! Hearty, delicious, and satisfying to the soul, this Hungarian chicken goulash is even better the next day after the flavors have had time to develop!
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 (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 Spaetzle. 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 smoking 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!
Hungarian Chicken Goulash
Let’s get started!
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.
Add the bell peppers and the paprika powder and cook for another 7-8 minutes.
Add the chicken breast and stir to combine.
Add the tomatoes and enough chicken broth to cover everything.
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.
Serve the goulash hot with a dollop of sour cream (the sour cream is a fabulous addition, don’t omit it!).
Enjoy!
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Hungarian Chicken Goulash
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 1 1/2 pounds, cubed
- 1/4 cup genuine Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds , crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
- 4 cups quality chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium high heat. Saute the onions until tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. 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. Add the caraway seeds, bay leaves and cracked peppercorns. Stir to combine. Pour in enough of the chicken broth to just cover the mixture, about 4 cups. Bring the goulash to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 15, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
Dear Kimberly: Thanks so much for sharing. I made it for my wife and I and she said it is the best dish that I have prepared to date — and I’ve made a number of good meals, so it was a hit. She was dubious about the 1/4 cup paprika, but it came out great. (Genuine Hungarian sweet paprika was used — hard to find but worth it.)
My personal variations on the recipe: 4 thighs cooked with carrots, onions, celery, black pepper and seasonings to create the chicken stock. Then took the meat off the chicken and set to the side. Used the created stock as the base for the goulash. I goofed and only had 2 peppers, but it still came out great. Today I am remaking it pretty much the same but with 4 red bells and 2 orange, so we will have to see how it comes out. I thank you very much again for sharing.
Wonderful, Jim, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! Nothing beats homemade chicken stock, great call on that!
Can I make this chicken goulash in a Crockpot? Thanks!
Hi Sky, yes you can but I would first follow the instructions to saute the veggies for the best flavor. Then, at Step 3, transfer everything to a crock pot and I’d aim for about 5-6 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.
So yummy. I have prepared it. Entire house smells like garlic and Hungarian paprika. I added spattzles (small German noodles). It is great. Greetings from BC, Canada
Greetings to BC, Bea, and I’m so glad you enjoyed this goulash, thank you!
Hi, Kimberley, thank you so much for sharing these Hungarian recipes. My Grandmother (Kata Schmidt) came to the USA in 1906 from what is now Romania but, was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She made the very best chicken goulash ever and I’ve been searching for a recipe like hers for long, long time. I had almost given up but then came across your recipes. You’ve given me a tangible memory of my grandmother. I made the recipe this past Sunday. Delicious. Thanks again.
That’s wonderful, Bill. I’m so happy this brought back fond memories for you and really appreciate the feedback, thank you. I hope to see you again. Best, Kimberly
This looks great. I have to make Goulash for the first time tomorrow and your recipe is a big help. I really like the recipe printing format you have. Can I ask what recipe plug in you are using on your blog? I havent found one I like yet.
Hi, Andrea! Absolutely, I use Easy Recipe Plus. Thanks for visiting and happy cooking!