Csirkepaprikás — Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Hungary's soul-warming chicken stew: chicken braised in a deeply paprika-stained sauce of onions and tomato, then finished with a swirl of sour cream into a glossy, russet gravy. Csirkepaprikás is built on good Hungarian paprika and the simplest of techniques, traditionally served with nokedli (little dumplings) to soak up every drop. Comfort food at its most generous.
Soften a generous amount of finely chopped onion in lard or oil until golden, then take the pan off the heat and stir in plenty of good Hungarian sweet paprika (off the heat, so it doesn't burn and turn bitter). Add chicken pieces, a little tomato and pepper, and a splash of water or stock, and braise gently until the chicken is tender and the sauce is rich and red. Finish by stirring in sour cream (tempered so it doesn't split). Serve with nokedli dumplings.
- Use a lot of good fresh Hungarian sweet paprika — it's the whole dish, so quality and quantity matter.
- Stir the paprika in off the heat — burnt paprika turns harsh and bitter in seconds.
- Temper the sour cream before adding so the sauce stays smooth and doesn't curdle.
Equipment
- Heavy pot or deep pan with lid
- Small bowl (to temper cream)
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Paprikash
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces (thighs/legs, bone-in)
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2–3 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tomato + 1 pepper, chopped; lard or oil; salt
To finish
- 200 ml sour cream
- 1 tbsp flour (to stabilise the cream)
To serve
- Nokedli / spätzle-style dumplings
วิธีทำ
- ขั้น01
Cook the finely chopped onions slowly in lard or oil until soft and golden — this large amount of onion is the base of the sauce.
- ขั้น02
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sweet paprika so it blooms in the fat without burning (burnt paprika turns bitter). Stir quickly to coat.
- ขั้น03
Return to the heat, add the chicken, chopped tomato and pepper, season, and add a splash of water or stock. Cover and braise gently until the chicken is tender and the sauce is rich and red, about 40 minutes.
- ขั้น04
Whisk the flour into the sour cream, then stir in a few spoons of the hot sauce to temper it. Stir this mixture back into the pot off the boil so it doesn't split.
- ขั้น05
Warm through gently without boiling hard. Check seasoning. Serve over nokedli dumplings, with the glossy red sauce spooned over.
Make ahead
You can make the paprika-chicken base ahead and reheat, stirring in the sour cream just before serving for the smoothest sauce. Cooking ahead deepens the flavour. Make the nokedli fresh, or boil ahead and reheat in butter.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and the flavour deepens overnight. Reheat gently without boiling so the sour-cream sauce doesn't split. It freezes acceptably, though cream sauces can change texture slightly on thawing — reheat slow and low and whisk to bring it back together.
Variations
Paprikás csirke with nokedli
The classic pairing — little flour dumplings (nokedli) cooked like spätzle to mop up the sauce.
Pörkölt
A close cousin: a thicker paprika meat stew (often beef or pork) without the sour cream finish.
Heat it up
Add a little hot paprika or a fresh chilli alongside the sweet paprika for warmth.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
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Why add the paprika off the heat?
Paprika scorches very easily, and burnt paprika turns harsh and bitter — ruining the dish. The trick is to take the pan off the heat before stirring the paprika into the hot fat, so it blooms and releases its colour and flavour without burning. Stir quickly, then return to the heat and add liquid promptly.
What paprika should I use?
Good Hungarian sweet paprika (édesnemes), and plenty of it — it's the defining flavour and colour of the dish, so quality and freshness really matter. Stale, dull paprika gives a flat result. Use a generous couple of tablespoons; you can add a little hot paprika too if you want some warmth.
How do I stop the sour cream curdling?
Temper it: whisk a spoonful of flour into the sour cream for stability, then stir in a few ladles of the hot sauce to warm it gradually before adding it back to the pot. Add it off a hard boil and don't let the sauce boil vigorously afterwards — gentle heat keeps it smooth and prevents splitting.
What is nokedli?
Nokedli (or galuska) are small, soft Hungarian egg dumplings, made by pressing a simple flour-egg batter through a holed tool into boiling water — essentially the Hungarian cousin of German spätzle. They're the traditional partner for paprikash, perfect for soaking up the rich, creamy red sauce. Buttered egg noodles are an easy substitute.
What's the difference between paprikash and pörkölt?
Both are paprika-rich Hungarian stews. Paprikás (paprikash) is finished with sour cream for a creamy sauce and is usually made with chicken or veal. Pörkölt is a thicker stew without the cream, often made with beef or pork, with a more concentrated paprika-onion gravy. (Gulyás/goulash is soupier still.)
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