Authentic Chicken Paprikash (Hungarian Paprikás Csirke)

Chicken paprikash on top of spaetzle or nokedli on a plate with a dollop of sour cream on the side.

5 from 9 votes

Authentic Chicken Paprikash (Hungarian Paprikás Csirke)

An authentic recipe for one of the most beloved and popular Hungarian dishes — saucy chicken paprikash (aka paprikás csirke) with tender chicken in a rich, creamy, and flavorful paprika sauce served over nokedli (spaetzle) with a dollop of sour cream.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Hungarian

Servings:

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Jana Dziak

Ingredients

1 Batch Homemade Spaetzle Noodles
6 Chicken Thighs I prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken, but you can use a whole chicken or whatever else you have and prefer.
2 Cups Chicken Bone Broth or Stock
¼ Cup Fat or Oil I prefer lard or tallow. Lard is most authentic.
3 Large Onions Thinly sliced.
4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste I usually just use 1 whole small, standard can.
6 Cloves Garlic Finely minced.
2 Tablespoons Hungarian Paprika Sweet or a mix of sweet and hot. Quality matters.
1 Cup Full-fat Sour Cream Plus extra for serving.
¼ Cup Flour All-purpose and can be subbed with gluten-free flour.
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt And more if needed.
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper And more if needed.

Instructions

Prep all of your ingredients. Slice your onions as thinly as possible. Sprinkle your raw chicken with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. This is a good time to get your spaetzle started if you are making it from scratch.
In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the fat or oil until hot and shimmering. Brown your chicken skin-side down (if the skinless chicken is being used, it doesn't matter), and do not move it until golden and crispy. This takes about 5 minutes. Moving the chicken too early will tear the skin. Set the chicken aside.
Add the onions and a small pinch of salt to the same pot and cook until translucent and turning golden yellow. If required, add more fat.
Add the tomato paste and stir until the paste begins to turn a darker red color—about 60 seconds.
Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
Once the onions are very soft, turn the heat up and deglaze the pot with your chicken stock, scraping the fond with a wooden spoon. Add the paprika now.
Add the chicken (skin-side up) and nestle it into the liquid in the pot. The top should be emerging from the braising liquid you have created.
Now, turn the heat up and let it get to a low boil. Once that happens, cover the pot and turn the heat to low.
The chicken will take 30 minutes to tenderize and finish cooking unless you are using an older hen or rooster which will take longer.
At the end of cooking time, uncover the pot and let the chicken continue simmering. Taste for salt and adjust as necessary.
Now you will temper the sour cream so that it does not break: In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and all-purpose flour with a fork. To this bowl of sour cream, very slowly add a ladle full of the hot liquid from the pot and whisk it the entire time.
Pour the sour cream mixture into the pot with the fresh parsley and stir it gently around the chicken. Let this simmer, uncovered, on the lowest setting until it thickens up. This should take about 5 minutes.
Spoon your buttered spaetzle onto plates. Add the chicken on top. Pour more sauce over the chicken.
Add a dollop of sour cream to each plate on the side and finish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, cracked black pepper, and more paprika. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
Store the chicken paprikash in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Reheat it by gently letting it come back to a warm to hot temperature in a covered pot on the stove with a splash of water or stock added.

Freeze up to 5 months but keep the chicken and sauce tightly covered. Let it thaw in the refrigerator first before reheating as described above.

Nutrition