Csirkepaprikás is one of Hungary's best-known home dishes. Chicken simmers in a sauce built on a generous amount of sweet paprika and a surprising quantity of soft, golden onions, then gets finished with sour cream until it turns silky and rich. It's traditionally served with nokedli, a soft egg dumpling, that soaks up every spoonful of sauce.
In this recipe, you'll learn how to build the onion base so it tastes sweet rather than sharp, how to add paprika without scorching it, and how to stir sour cream into the sauce so it stays smooth.
Recipe Information
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: About 1 hour
- Total time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
- Equipment: 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven with a lid, wooden spoon, colander or spaetzle maker, large pot, instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 lb (1.4 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, such as thighs, drumsticks, and breast halves cut in half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) lard or neutral oil
For the Sauce
- 2 large yellow onions (about 1 lb / 450 g), finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper or green Hungarian pepper (about 5 oz / 140 g), seeded and cut into thin strips
- 3 tablespoons (18 g) sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) hot Hungarian paprika (optional)
- 1 ripe tomato (about 5 oz / 140 g), chopped
- 2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 3/4 cup (180 g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) all-purpose flour
For the Nokedli
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter, for tossing
- 1 tablespoon salt, for the cooking water
Watch the Paprika Step
Paprika can scorch in seconds, so the timing and the amount of heat are easier to see than to describe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Season and Sear the Chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Melt the lard in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Place the chicken skin side down in two batches, without crowding the pot. Sear for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and releases easily from the pot. Turn the pieces and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
Step 2: Cook the Onions
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft, golden, and sweet. Add the green pepper strips for the last 5 minutes.
If the onions start to brown too quickly, add a splash of broth and lower the heat. You want golden, not dark brown.
Step 3: Stir in the Paprika Off the Heat
Remove the pot from the heat and wait 1 minute. Add the sweet paprika and the hot paprika, if using. Stir quickly for about 30 seconds so the paprika coats the onions. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the broth right away to keep the paprika from burning.
Sweet paprika should smell fragrant and mellow. If it smells dusty or flat, it's past its best, and the sauce will taste dull.
Step 4: Braise the Chicken
Return the chicken and any juices to the pot, nestling the pieces among the onions and leaving the skin above the liquid. Add the chopped tomato and the remaining broth, pouring the broth around the chicken rather than over the skin.
Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 40 to 45 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through. If you're using breast pieces, add them for the last 20 minutes, since they cook faster. The dark meat is ready when it's very tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads about 175°F (80°C).
Step 5: Thicken With Sour Cream
Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover it loosely to keep it warm. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream and flour until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of hot liquid from the pot to the sour cream a little at a time, whisking constantly. This tempers the sour cream so it won't curdle.
Pour the sour cream mixture back into the pot and stir gently. Keep the heat low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be warm and lightly thickened, but don't let it boil. Taste and add salt if needed. Return the chicken to the pot to warm through.
Step 6: Make the Nokedli
While the chicken rests, bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the flour until a thick, sticky batter forms. Press the batter through a colander or spaetzle maker with a spatula, letting the dumplings drop into the water in batches. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes after they rise to the surface. Drain them and toss with the butter while they're still warm.
Step 7: Serve
Spoon the nokedli onto plates and top with the chicken and plenty of sauce. Serve with a cucumber salad on the side, since the crisp, tangy salad balances the rich, creamy sauce.
Useful Cooking Tips
- Use fresh paprika. Buy paprika in small amounts and replace it once the jar has lost its bright red color and sweet aroma.
- Cook the onions slowly. The sauce depends on sweet, soft onions. Rushing them makes the final dish taste sharp.
- Season at the end. Sour cream and broth can change the saltiness, so taste before adding more salt.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Scorched paprika: Paprika that cooks over direct heat turns bitter and dark. Remove the pot from the heat before adding it, and stir in broth right away.
- Undercooked onions: Onions that are only partly soft give the sauce a flat, raw taste. Give them the full 15 to 20 minutes.
- Boiling the sour cream: High heat makes the sauce grainy. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
- Dry chicken breast: Breast meat overcooks quickly. Add it later, or cook breast pieces separately if you want them tender.
- Thin sauce: If the sauce is too loose before you add the sour cream, simmer it uncovered for 5 minutes to reduce it.
Storage and Reheating
Let the chicken and sauce cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened.
You can freeze the chicken and sauce for up to 2 months. The sour cream may look slightly grainy after thawing, so reheat it slowly and whisk gently. Cook nokedli fresh whenever possible, since they firm up in the refrigerator.
Variations
- Mushroom paprikás: Add 8 oz (225 g) of sliced mushrooms to the pot with the onions, and cook until their liquid evaporates before adding the paprika.
- Breast-only version: Use only chicken breast halves and reduce the braising time to 20 to 25 minutes. Check that the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C).
- Pork version: Use 2 lb (900 g) of boneless pork shoulder cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes, and simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my sauce look grainy?
The sour cream was probably too cold, added too quickly, or allowed to boil. Bring the sour cream to room temperature, whisk the flour in, temper it with hot liquid, and keep the sauce at a gentle simmer.
What kind of paprika should I buy?
Look for sweet Hungarian paprika, which is often labeled "édesnemes" or simply "sweet." Choose a mild, unsmoked paprika for the most traditional flavor.
Can I make csirkepaprikás a day ahead?
Yes. The flavors develop well overnight. Refrigerate the chicken and sauce together, then reheat them gently and add a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened. Cook the nokedli fresh before serving.
How do you like your sauce, thick and rich or loose enough to spoon over noodles? Tell us in the comments.
Editor's note (not part of the article)
- Video position: I placed the video after the paprika step because that's where most home cooks make mistakes, such as scorching the paprika or adding it over direct heat. Readers see the color and heat level before they commit to the long braise.
- Blogger improvement: Turn on captions for the video and add a short text summary of the key steps below it. That helps readers watching on mobile with the sound off, and it helps anyone using a screen reader.
- Metric to watch: Track return visits from Facebook referrals within 30 days. Repeat visits from Facebook Groups show whether readers come back for recipes, which is a stronger signal of trust than a single visit.