Paprika Chicken
Paprika chicken is a dish of Hungarian origin traditionally made with chicken, paprika, and lard, served over pasta. There is no official recipe. Preparations of this dish often vary between families. In this Americanized version, sour cream is used in place of lard. Vegetables are optional—the traditional Hungarian version contains none.
- Prep
- 24 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 19 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Cut the chicken into eight pieces.
Procedure
Add the oil to a medium sauté pan. Sauté the onions for about 3–4 minutes or until they turn yellow.
Procedure
Add the chicken, peppercorns, salt, and paprika, and stir it rapidly. It is a lot of paprika, but it is not hot and this is a Paprikash. Add water immediately to cover the meat.
Procedure
Simmer over low heat. If using, add peppers and carrots after 10 minutes of simmering. Stir occasionally until the chicken is tender. If necessary add more water, but very sparingly. Do not boil the chicken—it should be almost fried in the end. This takes about 45–50 minutes. During the last 15 minutes, stop adding water and wait until the liquid is almost boiled off. Keep about a half finger's width of gravy on the bottom of the pan
Procedure
Add the sour cream and heavy cream to the gravy and stir. Add fresh chopped parsley on the top.
Procedure
Serve with dumplings, rice or mashed potatoes and salad.
Notes, tips, and variations
It is important not to use hot paprika, as this would make the soup too spicy and of the wrong consistency. In the United States, paprika is typically mild and sweet unless otherwise indicated.
Notes, tips, and variations
If desired, for every carrot used add ⅓ parsnip, thinly sliced. This takes away the slight sweetness of the carrot.
Notes, tips, and variations
If you want to avoid the heavy cream, use more sour cream.
Photo: Sumit Surai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 9 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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