Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Chicken in a paprika-tomato-onion sauce, Chicken Paprikash is a tasty and unique entrée that’s perfect for dinner or brunch.
Today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of a rainstorm. Because bad weather when you travel is really just a sign.
Rain in Monet’s gardens? Take beautiful pictures of visitors with umbrellas. Snow in Norway? Time for a reindeer sleigh ride. Rain AND snow in Budapest? Perfect for a cooking class!
Which is how I came to make Chicken Paprikash!
This Hungarian comfort food consists of chicken in a paprika sauce, served over spaetzle-like pasta or egg noodles. It’s unique, flavorful and loaded with natural goodness.
Serve it for a family dinner with a nice salad. Or add it to the Mother’s Day buffet! You really didn’t want that same ol’ quiche again, did you?
Step by Step Overview
If desired, pre-brown the chicken in a couple tablespoons of butter. (We skipped this in our class). Remove the chicken but don’t drain the oil.
Sautee chopped onion in butter or oil until tender. Stir in Paprika.
Add the chicken (back) to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes, peppers and water. Stir to mix.
Stir in the chopped garlic and Piros Arany pepper paste if using. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes.
Mix flour into sour cream then stir into the sauce. Stir briefly over heat to thicken.
Serve over nokedli (spaetzles) or thick egg noodles.
Enjoy!
On Hungarian Peppers and Paprika
In Hungary, they use Hungarian sweet peppers in this. Since I don’t think I’ve seen them in the U.S., I used a similar looking mild pepper, the banana pepper (which I always have frozen for my unstuffed Banana Pepper Soup). Our instructor told us that others had mentioned using these too.
The other pepper was a large amount of (dried, ground) Hungarian paprika. The instructor kept repeating, another spoonful, and it soon became clear that this is an ingredient rather than a seasoning.
Now if this wasn’t enough, there is also a pepper cream that we added called Piros Arany. It’s delicious but I think it could be successfully omitted if you’re having trouble sourcing it (we only used one big spoonful).
Finally, my most exciting discovery was Eros Pista, a condiment of finely minced hot peppers mixed with salt. This was served on the side with the meal, as well as with our snack tray of cheeses and sausages. I thought it was spicy and marvelous, though my mild-eating husband stopped after the first bite!
Tips & FAQs
In Hungary, our Chicken Paprikash was served with nokedli, Hungary’s version of Spaetzles. For expediency in completing this recipe today, I used a commercial old fashioned thick egg noodle.
The chicken in Hungary was cut into legs and thighs and was thick, meaty and delightful, much like the larger free range chickens I usually enjoy. Sadly, when I picked up “Amish” chicken at the grocer here they were quite scrawny, in which case I’d actually allocate two leg quarters per person.
And for more ideas for your brunch table, check out:
- Kings Hawaiian Pineapple Cheesecake Danishes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Chicken Paprikash from Art of Natural Living
- Maple Bacon Monkey Bread from Blogghetti
- Caprese Asparagus from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pesto Chicken Salad Cups from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Classic Chicken Salad (redo) from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Potatoes Boulangére from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 2 chicken leg quarters large, with the leg and thigh cut apart, or 4 small,
- 2 yellow onions medium, chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian Paprika or heaping tablespoons even!
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 banana pepper large, chopped (since you probably won’t find Hungarian peppers in the US)
- 1 cup water
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Piros Arany pepper paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature (important to avoid lumps; be sure also to use full fat)
- Salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- If desired, pre-brown the chicken in a couple tablespoons of butter. (This was not done in our class). Remove the chicken but don’t drain the oil.
- Sautee chopped onion in butter or oil until tender. Stir in Paprika.
- Add the chicken (back) to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes, peppers and water. Stir to mix.
- Stir in the chopped garlic and Piros Arany pepper paste if using. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes.
- Mix flour into sour cream then stir into the sauce. Stir briefly over heat to thicken.
- Serve over nokedli (spaetzles) or thick egg noodles.
I love how you turn lemons into lemonade on your trips. This recipe is the result of a good attitude. I love it.