Chicken Paprikash is one of the most famous and beloved of all Hungarian dishes.
The perfect chicken paprikash consists of tender, juicy chicken in an unforgettably rich, flavorful and creamy paprika-infused sauce…served over perfectly hot buttered egg noodles…a very simple but incredibly flavorful dish.
The perfect Chicken Paprikash will warm your home with its spirit-lifting aroma.
Chicken Paprikash is to Hungarians as chicken and dumplings are to those of us brought up in the Deep South…
(well, not quite…after all, have you ever tasted MY mom’s Chicken and Dumplins…if not, drop in on her any time and tell her that I sent you…she never forgets to keep the light on.)
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The Ingredientts
any other kitchen experiment, it is important to choose the highest quality ingredients you can find…,quality chicken, quality chicken broth, and quality sour cream.
Also feel free to experiment with different spices and veggies until you find exactly what you like best.
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The Chicken
3-4# bone-in, skin-on chicken…any type will work…such as 6 large or 8 small thighs…or 12 drumsticks.
Use drumsticks or thighs instead of chicken breasts. Chicken breasts will become dry and mealy if cooked for the longer cooking times required in cooking soups and stews.
Also uaing bone-in skin-on chicken will add more flavor to the sauce and keep the chicken moist and juicy.
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The Spices
1/2tsp black pepper
1tsp salt
1/4C paprika
The fact that paprika is very important in this dish should be a no-brainer because the name of the dish is chicken paprika-ish.
But in order to make the perfect chicken paprikash, it is important that youu use the perfect paprika.
One good source of the perfect Hungarian paprika is Amazon,…(gee, isn’t that a good source of just about anything..hope my husband doesn’t realize just exactly how many things I have added to my cart during this whole hiberation thing)…
Paprika lose its flavor over time. Be sure to check the date. Don’t like me and find spices that have been out of date for the last seven years when we moved recently.
Sweet or hot Hungarian paprika if you can find them, even though you can get by with using the cheap paprika at Walmart.
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The Veggies
- 2 medium yellow onions, very finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1C canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 Hungarian bell pepper, diced
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Other
- 1Tbsp olive oil
- 1C chicken broth
- 1/2C sour cream
- 3Tbsp flour
- 3Tbsp butter
Prep Work
Preheat oven to 300°.
Take sour cream out of fridge so that it can come to room temperature. It is important that the sour cream is at room temperature when you add it to the dish because this will help it blend more smoothly into the hot tomato sauce..instead of separating and giving the sauce a curdled look.
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Cook the Chicken
Browning the chicken first increases the flavor of the final dish….so don’t skip this step. To do this…
Season the chicken aggressively with salt and pepper.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.
Add 1Tbsp butter. Let melt.
Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels….removing any moisture from the surface of the chicken is essential for getting it to brown.
Place chicken skin-side down in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
Cook about five minutes per side.
The chicken is cooked through whenever it reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer,…or if the juices run clear, instead of pink, when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife.
Remove chicken onto a plate.
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Cook the Onions
Peel and slice the onions.
Add the sliced onions to the pan.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook them, stirring often, for about seven minutes, until lightly browned,
Scrape up any browned bits from the chicken as you are cooking the onions so that you can dissolve browned bits on bottom of skillet.
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Finish the Sauce
Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper. Stir just until the veggies are evenly coated and spices…about thirty seconds.
Be careful not to burn it This is very easy to do, Burnt papfrika will make your sauce taste bitter.
Add garlic and tomatoes to pan
Saute for two or three minutes. This helps the spice release its full bouquet of aroma.
Pour chicken stock into skillet
Return chicken back to the pan
Cover.
Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
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Add the Sour Cream
Stir the flour into the sour cream until it forms a smooth paste. …free of lumps. This creates a roux that will help make the sauce thicker.
First temper this mixture by slowly stirring some of the hot cooking liquid into the roux until it is warm, before adding it to the pot.
Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
Do not add the sour cream to the paprikash if the sour cream is still cold…this will make the hot sauce curdle,
Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
If the sauce seems like it is going to curdle, turn the heat back on just enough to warm it through.
Add the chicken back to the pan.
Coat with the sauce.
The paprika chicken is done when the sauce has thickened.
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Serve
Hungarians typically serve their chicken paptrikash with nokedli, which is similar to German Spaetzle…but shorter and more stubby. Here is the recipe if you’re actually coronavirus bored to try making your own.
If you’re not that bored yet, there are other options—such as dumplings, rice, egg noodles, boiled potatoes, and bread.
