This easy chicken paprikash recipe is a traditional Hungarian dish with chicken cooked in a sauce loaded with paprika and sour cream.
Have you ever had chicken paprikash? If you haven’t, then you area really missing out. For those that haven’t even heard of it, it is the Hungarian National Dish. Well maybe not, but paprika is super popular in Hungary! Basically this dish is chicken loaded with paprika.
I easily remember the first time I ever had it. There was a small little restaurant in Longwood that my dad and mom both really enjoyed, called Chef Henry’s. It specialized in Eastern European which meant everything on the menu was foreign to me when I was a kid. Oh and remember I was super pick. So my mom suggested the only thing that she thought I’d be willing to eat and enjoy – chicken paprikash. I will admit I was skeptical but after one bite all was forgiven.
Over the next couple of years, I actually requested that we go to Chef Henry’s just so I could get chicken paprikash. Sadly Chef Henry’s eventually closed, and for a while it was just one of those dishes I had forgotten about. But a couple of years ago, I was looking for something different during a cold night and an easy chicken paprikash popped in my head! After doing a ton of research and trial and error on a few occasions, I found the recipe that reminds me of my childhood visits to Chef Henry’s. Now just a heads up, traditional chicken paprikash calls for Hungarian paprika which is much spicier than regular paprika, so if you can’t handle the heat go with your standard paprika. Oh and the perfect complement to this dish is German spaetzle or cheddar pierogies which I happened to share a couple of days ago. Enjoy!
What Ingredients are in this Easy Chicken Paprikash?
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- All-purpose flour
- Spices – paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Sweet onion
- Chicken stock
- Sour cream
What Type of Paprika Should I Use?
So if you go to the grocery store, you’ll see paprika, smoked paprika and Hungarian paprika. Those are in order of mildest to hottest. Lauren and I can’t take a ton of heat so we normally just do paprika or a combination of paprika and smoked paprika. But if you like your dishes on the hot side, go with Hungarian paprika.
Other Chicken Recipes:
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp paprika OR smoked paprika OR Hungarian paprika (depends on how much spice you like)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Combine flour, 2 tbsp paprika, salt and pepper. Depending on your tolerance for spice, the type of paprika you use will make a big difference. Regular paprika has almost no heat level while Hungarian has a kick. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. (VERY IMPORTANT - save the leftover flour, do not throw out)
- Heat oil in large dutch over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion, cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp paprika and saute the onion until it's tender, about 2 minutes.
- Return chicken to the pot and add chicken stock. Bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done.
- Once chicken is done, make mixture to thicken sauce. With leftover flour, add 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup of liquid from dutch over. Mix until smooth. Add mixture to pot and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasional. Turn heat off and add remaining 1/2 sour cream, stirring constantly. The sauce should be a very pale orange color. Shred chicken in pot and serve over some spaetzel or pierogies. Enjoy!
I’ve never had chicken paprikash. Sounds tasty though.