Hungary | Poultry | Chicken | Winter

Paprikás Csirke

(Hungarian chicken paprikash)

Yield: 4-6 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Chicken cut into serving pieces, patted dry 3 1/2 to 4 lbs
Oil, butter or lard 2 Tbsp
 
Onions sliced thin 2 each
Hungarian sweet paprika 1/4 cup
Flour 2 Tbsp
     
Stock or water   1 1/2 cups
Salt & pepper   to taste
     
Sour cream   1 cup
Lemon juice (opt.)   1 Tbsp

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Brown → Sauté → Simmer → Stir in finishing cream
  1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy bottomed pot or skillet.  Add the chicken pieces a few at a time and brown on all sides.  Remove to a platter.
  2. Remove excess oil or add more as needed and saute onions over medium heat until wilted and beginning to color.  Stir in paprika and flour and cook through 1-2 more minutes.
  3. Whisk in the stock or water to prevent lumps.  Add the chicken pieces along with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  4. Remove chicken to a platter and skim excess fat from sauce.  Stir in sour cream and lemon juice if using.  Adjust salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.
  5. Return chicken and heat through.

VARIATIONS

  • Some recipes call for green peppers to be added with the onions. Others call for tomatoes or mushrooms to be added with the stock.
  • Use a little hot paprika with the sweet for an extra kick.
  • Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast for a lower fat version.
  • Some recipes have the flour stirred into the sour cream instead and then added with it at the end to thicken the sauce. Others add no flour at all. I think the version above works best.

NOTES

  • Paprikás csirke is one Hungary's most famous dishes. It is most often served with buttered noodles, spaetzle or bread dumplings.
  • It is important for the flavor of this dish to use genuine, high quality Hungarian paprika, not the typical supermarket variety.