Authentic Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke)
One of the most famous and beloved of all Hungarian dishes, this authentic Chicken Paprikash features chicken in an unforgettably rich, flavorful and creamy paprika-infused sauce! It's pure heaven!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoonspork lard (, or butter (lard is traditionally used and we strongly recommend it for the best flavor))
- 3 poundschicken pieces, bone-in and skin-on
- 2 mediumyellow onions, very finely chopped
- 2 clovesgarlic, finely minced
- 2roma tomatoes, seeds removed and very finely diced
- 1hungarian bell pepper, diced ((optional) )
- 3 tablespoonsquality, genuine imported sweet hungarian paprika
- 2 cupsquality chicken broth ((if using store-bought my favorite brand is aneto))
- 1 ½ teaspoonssea salt
- ½ teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoonsall-purpose flour
- ¾ cupfull fat sour cream (, room temperature (important to avoid lumps; be sure also to use full fat))
- ¼ cupheavy whipping cream
Directions
- 1
Heat the lard in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate. In the same oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes (and pepper if using) and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).
- 2
Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
- 3
In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream/cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer to heat through.
- 4
Serve the chicken paprikash with Hungarian nokedli, which is like German Spaetzle only they're very short and stubby. You can make nokedli with a spätzle scraper and using this recipe for the dough.