🍗 Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Csirkepaprikás)
A rich, comforting dish from Hungary made with tender chicken in a creamy paprika sauce.
🧾 Ingredients (serves 4–6)
- 1 kg (2–2.5 lb) chicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in for best flavor)
- 2 tbsp oil or lard
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2–3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 green bell pepper (optional), sliced
- 1 tomato, chopped (or 1 tbsp tomato paste)
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- Âľ cup sour cream
- 1–2 tbsp flour (for thickening, optional)
👨‍🍳 Instructions
1. Sauté the base
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Cook onions until soft and lightly golden.
- Add garlic and cook briefly (don’t burn it).
2. Add paprika (important step)
- Remove pot from heat briefly.
- Stir in paprika, salt, and pepper.
(This prevents paprika from burning and turning bitter.)
3. Cook the chicken
- Return pot to heat.
- Add chicken pieces and coat in the paprika mixture.
- Add bell pepper and tomato.
- Pour in broth.
- Cover and simmer for 35–45 minutes, until chicken is tender.
4. Make it creamy
- Mix sour cream with flour (optional for thickening).
- Stir into the pot gently.
- Simmer another 5–10 minutes (do not boil strongly after adding sour cream).
🍽️ Serve with
- Egg noodles or traditional Hungarian nokedli (dumplings)
- Rice or mashed potatoes also work well
đź’ˇ Tips for best flavor
- Use Hungarian sweet paprika for authentic taste
- Don’t burn the paprika—it’s the key flavor
- Sour cream should be added at low heat to avoid curdling
- Chicken thighs give the juiciest result
A true Hungarian comfort dish—creamy, smoky, and deeply satisfying. 🍗🌶️
