Ahhh, Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) 🇭🇺🍗 — rich, cozy, and all about the paprika. This is the authentic, traditional version, not the watered-down cream soup kind.
Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke)
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 2½–3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (thighs & legs preferred)
- 2 tbsp lard or oil (lard is traditional)
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (good quality matters!)
- ½ tsp hot paprika (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Sauté onions
Heat fat in a heavy pot over medium heat.
Add onions and cook slowly until soft and lightly golden (10–15 min). - Add paprika (important step!)
Remove pot from heat.
Stir in sweet (and hot) paprika quickly — never burn paprika or it turns bitter. - Add chicken
Return to heat, add chicken pieces, salt, and pepper.
Turn to coat in paprika-onion mixture. - Simmer
Add water/broth just to partially cover chicken.
Cover and simmer gently 35–45 minutes, until chicken is tender. - Make sour cream slurry
Mix sour cream with flour until smooth. - Finish sauce
Stir slurry into the pot.
Simmer 5–10 minutes until thick and velvety.
Do not boil hard.
How Hungarians serve it 🇭🇺
- With nokedli (spaetzle) — traditional
- Or egg noodles, potatoes, or dumplings
- Often with cucumber salad on the side
Authentic tips
- ❌ No garlic
- ❌ No tomatoes or peppers in classic version
- ❌ No heavy cream
- ✅ Sour cream only at the end
- ✅ Use real Hungarian paprika — this dish lives or dies by it
Want variations?
- 🍄 Mushroom paprikash
- 🥓 With smoked bacon fat
- 🌶 Extra spicy Szeged-style
- 🥛 Dairy-free version (still authentic-ish)
Just tell me — I’ve got you 😊
