Every cuisine has at least one dish that is considered iconic and yet recipes vary depending upon the region and family customs. So it is with Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke). I’ll outline how I make it and in the Notes (below) I’ll refer to some variations.
I have the (perhaps bad) habit of researching foods I have cooked for years before sharing my recipe here. George Lang, an admired Hungarian food historian and cookbook author, said that the first written version of this recipe was dated 1817. By 1879, the popularity of paprika dishes had spread to the point where Escoffier included it on his menu - Gulyas Hongroie and Poulet au Paprika.
Lang discusses paprika at length in his 1971 “The Cuisine of Hungary” referring to paprika’s roots in Turkey. But, he says “Hungarians hit on the holy trinity of lard, onion and pure ground paprika.” He even includes early recipes from 1829 and those three ingredients, plus chicken of course and sour cream are the basics for Paprikás Csirke. The first two Hungarian cookbooks I ever had were published in 1954 and 1960. Again, very simple recipes. Since then, many have introduced variations which I outline in Notes. Bottom line is that I have always made this using the classic, simple approach. The secret to success is to use lard, lots of sweet onions and the best, freshest paprika you can find.
By the way, I was surprised to discover that Lang and some other writers made a distinction between pörkölt and paprikas. In Hungarian, a pörkölt is like a stew seasoned with paprika, and the technique (which keeps liquids to a minimum) can be used with a variety of meats. Apparently, the “paprikas” technique is more like a braise, with the meat cooking in liquid AND it “must”(?) end by adding a sour cream/flour mixture to the juices to create a sauce.
Confession. Whenever my chicken paprikas was ready to eat I often considered making the cream sauce to be an extra, optional step and was usually too lazy to do it - though sour cream is always served on the side. I never knew I was “breaking” some rule. Oh well. At present, most of the photos I share here will not show a cream sauce, though I will explain that step.
Here's the Recipe!
Getting Ready
dutch oven or large pot
lard
Vidalia or sweet onions
chicken; My grocer sells chicken thighs in packs of nine. I buy two breasts and cut them in half or thirds depending on their size. That’s enough for family or company if served with nokkedli.
good paprika and paprika cream
cooking time can be up to 30 minutes for the onions and then about 45 more for the chicken to cook to internal temp of 165F. If overcooked, the meat will begin to fall off the bone. This will still taste ok, but is a mess to serve.
1-2 large sweet onions, chopped
2-3 TB lard
I prefer sweet or Vidalia onions and I usually end up with about 2 cups chopped - for roughly 2 kg (4.5 lbs.) of chicken. By the time the cooking is done they almost melt away. If you were prepping a fancy pants dinner, maybe do a fine chop. Otherwise, a rustic chop will do.
In a heavy pot (I use a Dutch oven) cook the onions over medium heat - low and slow delivers the best results and yields the first layer of flavour. Don’t rush this. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent - NOT browned or caramelized. Add a wee bit of water if they begin to stick to the pan. This could take 20-30 minutes.
2 TB sweet powdered paprika
1 TB gulyas cream
about 3-4 lb chicken (2 kg) (bone-in, skin-on)
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. chicken broth or water (optional)
The quality of the paprika makes all the difference here, and labels that say “pride” and “exquisite” are no guarantee of quality. Read more - try to get one of the brands I recommend. Notes below explain why in this case I use gulyas cream instead of paprika cream.
See Notes where I explain that I prefer thigh meat. I tend to pay less attention to the weight, and more to the number of pieces and what will nicely fit into my Dutch oven - and give me the preferred number of servings. My grocer sells chicken thighs in packs of nine. I buy two breasts and cut them in half or thirds depending on their size. That’s enough for family or company if served with nokkedli.
Paprika is notorious for burning over high heat. Take the pot off the heat, add the paprika and stir, and return to medium-low heat. Place the chicken pieces into the pot and gently stir to coat all pieces with the paprika. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken.
Caution. The paprika is still liable to burn at this point, so start with low heat, stirring often until pan juices increase. You’re never going to crank up the heat higher than medium.
Optional - within the first 15 minutes the chicken will release some liquid but anyone nervous about the chicken sticking to the pot right away - and even worse - burning - should feel free to add 1/4 cup of water or ideally chicken broth.
Cover and cook over low medium heat for about 45 minutes - gently stirring every 10 minutes or so. One thing you are trying to achieve by “stirring” is to avoid burning and things sticking to the pot. When you go in there with your wooden spoon, just poke around the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing is sticking.
If you have made this a wee bit ahead of time, reheat it gently and slowly to avoid burning at the bottom of the pot.
Cream Sauce (optional)
Remember - I almost never do this. Temporarily transfer the chicken to another dish. Fish out any bits you don’t want in the sauce - maybe a piece of skin or bone. In a small bowl mix/whisk together 1/2 cup of sour cream with 2 TB of flour - ideally Easy Blend. To this add some of the liquid from the pot until you have a loose, lump-free mixture. Add this to the pot and whisk it into the plain paprika sauce. Replace the chicken and give it all a gentle stir to coat the chicken. Or if serving family style you could put the chicken on a serving platter and do a pour-over with the creamed sauce. To be a bit more decadent add a bit of heavy cream to the sauce or drizzle some over the family-style presentation.
Usually served with sour cream, nokkedli/galuska and cucumber salad and/or pickles.
Notes and Tips...
Fat - some recipes will say to use oil, but the best results come from using lard - easily found at most delis. Lard is no longer considered to be a taboo fat. Google this or read this brief overview.
Onions - seeking depths of flavour in various forms, I prefer to use Vidalia (sweet) onions, though regular yellow onions will work fine.
Chicken - some recipes suggest you use a whole chicken cut into parts; for years I bought thighs, drumsticks and breasts (cut in half) but always felt the breast meat was a bit dry. Once we were “empty nest” I began to use our favourite - thigh meat.
Paprika - this should be the best you can get your hands on and - sad to say - that’s not always easy in Southern Ontario. Read more about this great paprika I found at Starsky’s - and use gulyas cream. This differs from paprika cream in one way - it contains a wee bit of tomato paste. Though I never add tomatoes to paprikas chicken, I use the gulyas cream to add that extra tiny flavour profile. If gulyas cream is not available, use paprika cream.
Method Variations - NONE of which I use
begin by browning chicken which is then removed to cook onions, after which chicken is placed back in the pot etc.
add tomatoes or tomato paste and/or yellow Hungarian peppers and/or garlic and/or white wine
season chicken with salt and pepper to begin and then dredge in flour
start cooking on the stovetop and finish in the oven
For KB Recipe Attribution Practices please click here.
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