This easy Chicken Paprikash recipe features tender chicken simmered in a creamy paprika-infused sauce, creating a comforting and flavorful meal perfect for any occasion. It’s one of the most comforting chicken recipes we’ve ever tasted and is the perfect comforting dish for cold weather.
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We first had this dish in a small, dimly lit cafe in Budapest on a quiet November evening. It came out steaming, served with nokedli, a sticky egg noodle dumpling for a rich, filling meal. Since then, we’ve been chasing down the recipe from memory, hoping to recreate the flavors.
This authentic Chicken Paprikash recipe is the ultimate comfort food, perfect for busy weeknights or date nights, just like our one pan chicken and veggies or easy oven baked pork chops!
What Is Chicken Paprikash?
Chicken Paprikash, aka paprikás csirke, is a classic Hungarian dish known for its rich and delicious flavor profile. It typically consists of pan-seared chicken thighs simmered in a creamy sauce made with paprika, adding a distinct red color and a mildly spicy flavor to the dish.
The sauce often includes other ingredients like onions, garlic, and tomatoes, creating a savory and comforting meal. Creamy chicken paprikash is commonly served over spaetzle, egg noodles, or rice, making it a hearty and satisfying dish.
Chicken Paprikash Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken thighs: This cut of chicken is super flavorful and juicy, making them the perfect protein option for this dish.
- Salt
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing the onion, pepper, and garlic.
- Onion: Sauteed with the pepper and onion. Adds a depth of flavor to the dish.
- Red bell pepper: Adds a sweet, fruity flavor to the dish.
- Garlic cloves: Use fresh garlic cloves for this recipe.
- Black pepper
- All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the sauce.
- Chicken broth: We use chicken broth as it adds more flavor than just water. You could also use chicken stock if that’s all you have.
- Sweet paprika: We use Hungarian sweet paprika for this recipe. Smoked paprika can taste acrid.
- Cayenne pepper: Adds a slight kick to the recipe.
- Sour cream: Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor. If you want to cut down on some fat, you could also use Greek yogurt.
How to Make Chicken Paprikash
This dish is often made from a whole chicken cut into parts, but we like the dark meat flavor of chicken thighs. We also keep the skin on for added flavor at the end, but it’s important to make sure the crispy skin doesn’t get soaked in the sauce, or it will get soggy. If you’re not a fan of chicken skin, you can make this recipe without it. Simply follow the steps as directed, browning the chicken before making the sauce and braising it all. See our tips below to make the best chicken paprikash at home.
Prep the chicken
- First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Begin by seasoning the chicken with salt. Then brown it on medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven on the stove top and set it aside, draining off any excess fat.
Braise the chicken
- Add oil to the pan, swirling it to coat, and sauté the diced onion for about 5 minutes. Add the red bell peppers, cooking for an additional 3 minutes, followed by the garlic for an extra 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour and black pepper, ensuring an even coating. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the remaining chicken broth, stirring in the paprika and cayenne.
- Add tomatoes and chicken broth, allowing the mixture to simmer. Remove the pan from heat, nestle the chicken back into the pot, and carefully transfer it to the oven. Cook until the chicken reaches 175 degrees F and the sauce thickens, typically 25 to 30 minutes.
Make the sauce and serve
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken to a clean platter, and puree the cooking liquid using an immersion blender.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream with half a cup of cooking liquid, whisking to combine. Add this sour cream mixture back into the pot, bring it to a gentle simmer, and stir to thicken for about 5 minutes while the chicken rests.
- Place the chicken back into the sauce to serve hot. Serve the chicken paprikash over egg noodles with an extra ladle of sauce for the perfect meal. Top it with a garnish of minced fresh parsley, if desired.
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- Paprika loses its potency quickly. If making paprikash, it’s best to use fresh sweet paprika for the best flavor.
- Normally, we would add spices to the pan before the liquid. However, paprika burns quickly, so we do not recommend adding it to a hot pan without first adding the liquid.
- To make sure the sour cream incorporates smoothly into the sauce, make sure to add a little of the hot liquid to the sour cream and mix it together, tempering it before adding it to the pot.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches at least 170 degrees F. Chicken is done at 165°F according to the USDA, but the dark meat can handle cooking to temps past that to become even more tender.
- Pat chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture before searing them. If you can, leave them on a wire rack, over a baking sheet, skin side up, in the fridge overnight to air dry. This will help the chicken thighs get that nice golden brown crust on the outside.
- Play around with the spices according to your personal preference. If you’re not a spice fan, dial down the cayenne pepper and paprika a bit and vice versa.
What to Serve With This Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Recipe
For authentic Hungarian chicken paprikash, this dish is traditionally served over nokedli or spaetzle. But if that’s not an option, you can serve it with egg noodles for a taste of Hungarian comfort food. If you want to keep things low carb, you can pair it with cauliflower rice, shredded sauteed cabbage, or veggies.
Leftovers & Reheating
Store leftover chicken paprikash in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 2 months. Make sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight if reheating from the freezer.
To reheat:
- Place a medium saucepan over medium heat on the stove top. Add the creamy paprika sauce and heat. Then, add the chicken to heat in the sauce.
- Remove from heat and serve with egg noodles or rice.
More Comfort Food Chicken Recipes
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No need to travel to Budapest to get a taste of Hungarian cuisine (although we highly recommend it). With this simple recipe, you can make authentic chicken paprikash at home. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day, with ingredients that come together and wrap around you like a warm hug.
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
- 4 – 6 garlic cloves minced
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cup Chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
- ½ cup Sour cream
Instructions
Sear the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and adjust the oven racks so to the middle-low tier.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all sides with salt.
- Preheat a large Dutch oven or braiser over medium high heat.
- Place the chicken in the hot pan, skin side down until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and brown the other side, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board or dish and set aside.
- Carefully drain the fat from the hot Dutch oven and return it to the medium heat.
Braise the Chicken
- Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.
- Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the pepper cook another 3 minutes, until just softened.
- Add the minced garlic, and cook 30 seconds longer.
- Add the flour and black pepper and stir to coat.
- Add a splash of the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the remaining chicken broth and stir in the paprika and cayenne.
- Add in the tomatoes and allow the liquid to come to a simmer, stirring gently.
- Remove from heat.
- Nestle the chicken back into the pot, keeping the skin above the liquid, and carefully transfer to the oven.
- Cook until the chicken reaches 175 degrees F and the sauce has thickened 25 to 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven.
- Transfer the chicken to a clean platter while you make the sauce.
Make the Sauce
- With an immersion blender, puree the cooking liquid.
- Add the sour cream to a small bowl.
- Ladle in a half cup of the cooking liquid into the bowl with the sour cream, whisking to combine.
- Next, whisk the sour cream mixture into the Dutch oven to combine completely.
- Bring the liquid to a gently simmer over medium-low heat and stir to thicken, about 5 minutes longer while the chicken rests.
Serve
- When ready to serve, nestle the chicken back into the Dutch oven to coat with the sauce.
- Serve the chicken with sauce ladled overtop with egg noodles, spaetzle, or sautéed cabbage.
Notes
- Paprika loses its potency quickly. If making paprikash, it’s best to use fresh sweet paprika for the best flavor.
- Normally, we would add spices to the pan before the liquid. However, paprika burns quickly, so we do not recommend adding it to a hot pan without first adding the liquid.
- To make sure the sour cream incorporates smoothly into the sauce, make sure to add a little of the hot liquid to the sour cream and mix it together, tempering it before adding it to the pot.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches at least 170 degrees F. Chicken is done at 165°F according to the USDA, but the dark meat can handle cooking to temps past that to become even more tender.
- Pat chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture before searing them. If you can, leave them on a wire rack, over a baking sheet, skin side up, in the fridge overnight to air dry. This will help the chicken thighs get that nice golden brown crust on the outside.
- Play around with the spices according to your personal preference. If you’re not a spice fan, dial down the cayenne pepper and paprika a bit and vice versa.
Nutrition
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Save Recipe BookmarkRecipe FAQs
Yes! If you don’t feel like dealing with bones, feel free to use boneless thighs. Keep in mind that the cooking time may be less with boneless meat.
Paprikash is a traditional Hungarian dish with paprika being the main spice. Paprika is a highly-used spice in Hungary, lending to the name of the dish.
Yes! Just brown your chicken like normal and sauté the veggies for flavor. Then, add the rest of the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Don’t add the sour cream until the very end when you’re about to serve to avoid separation.
