Chicken paprikash is a traditional Hungarian dish made with chicken, paprika, and sour cream. It can be served with spaetzle or as a soup. The recipe includes dredging the chicken in flour and paprika, sautéing onions, adding water, and cooking for 40 minutes. The dish can also be made with pork or veal, and vegetarians can use mushrooms or mock meat.
Chicken paprikash is a traditional Hungarian dish similar to goulash. Its main ingredients are chicken, paprika and sour cream. Variations sometimes include adding ginger, garlic, and onions, among a variety of other ingredients. It is commonly served on spaetzle, but can also be served as a soup. The preparation of the dish takes about an hour.
A chicken paprikash recipe typically includes salt; paprika; dredging flour; a pint of sour cream; two chopped onions; and a whole raw chicken. The flour, paprika and salt are combined in a shallow bowl or spread out on a plate. The chicken is cut into individual pieces, such as legs and breasts or small strips. Once cut, the chicken pieces are washed and dried before being dredged in the flour mixture.
Next, the butter is heated on the hob until it melts. The dredged chicken parts are placed in the butter for about 16 minutes. Each piece is flipped once on the halfway mark. The chicken is considered done when both sides are slightly brown.
The chopped onions are now sautéed in the heated butter until golden brown. At this point the chicken is added back to the pot along with the salt, paprika and 1/2 cup (236 mL) of water. The mixture cooks over low heat for about 40 minutes. Additional salt and paprika can be added for taste.
Your paprika selection is important because it can change the flavor of your entire chicken paprikash recipe. Hungarian paprika is generally used in traditional dishes. The strength of the paprika can also affect the color of the finished dish. Mild paprika tends to be bright red, while hotter paprika is often brown.
Once the chicken paprikash finishes cooking, sour cream is added. The entire mixture is stirred until creamy and then served hot. Hungarian Chicken Paprikash is traditionally served with spaetzle, which is a type of egg noodle. Homemade spaetzle tends to be somewhat round, similar to chickpeas, while commercial spaetzle makers create short, spaghetti-like strands. Regular spaetzle is generally preferred with chicken paprikash since the paprikash sauce already has so much flavor. However, spaetzle can be served with cheese, sauerkraut, mushrooms, or many other ingredients.
This dish can also be served as a soup. The recipe is the same, but the dish is served alone in a bowl. Spaetzle or other noodles can be added to the soup. Starting with smaller pieces of chicken may make it easier to consume in soup form.
Chicken paprikash isn’t the only type of paprikash. Vegetarians may prefer mushroom paprikash or substitute real chicken for mock meat. Instead of chicken, pork or veal are two popular alternative protein ingredients.
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