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Chicken Paprikash is a classic Hungarian comfort food with tender chicken thighs simmered in a rich, paprika-seasoned sauce finished with sour cream. Served over egg noodles or spaetzle, it’s the kind of warm, satisfying dinner that makes the whole house smell incredible.
The best part? It comes together with simple ingredients and just 10 minutes of hands-on prep.
If you love hearty European comfort food, try Authentic Hungarian Goulash or Chicken Schnitzel for more family favorites.
What Is Chicken Paprikash?
Chicken Paprikash (called Paprikás Csirke in Hungarian) is a traditional Hungarian dish built around sweet paprika, onions, and sour cream. It’s somewhere between a stew and a braised chicken dish, with a rich sauce that’s creamy, slightly tangy, and deeply flavored from generous amounts of paprika.
Unlike goulash, which is a brothy beef stew, paprikash has a thicker, creamier sauce thanks to the sour cream stirred in at the end. It’s one of Hungary’s most beloved comfort foods, and for good reason.
4 Tips That Make or Break This Recipe
A few key things will make or break this recipe, so keep these in mind before you start cooking.
- Use sweet Hungarian paprika. This is the single most important ingredient. Regular paprika, smoked paprika, or hot paprika will give you a completely different dish. Look for Hungarian sweet paprika in the international or spice aisle. The color should be deep red with a sweet, slightly earthy aroma. If your paprika has been sitting in the back of the cabinet for years, replace it. Stale paprika has almost no flavor.
- Brown the chicken in batches. Resist the urge to crowd the pan. If the pieces are too close together, they’ll steam instead of brown, and you’ll miss out on that flavorful golden crust that adds depth to the sauce.
- Stir in paprika off the heat. Paprika burns quickly over direct heat and turns bitter. Pull the pot off the burner before adding it, then stir it in to toast gently in the residual heat.
- Handle sour cream carefully. Adding cold sour cream directly to a hot pot can cause it to curdle and look grainy. To avoid this, temper it first by stirring a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the sour cream to warm it gradually, then add the mixture back to the pot. Never let the sauce boil after adding the sour cream.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Chicken Paprikash
This recipe comes together in one pot (a Dutch oven works perfectly) and takes about an hour from start to finish. Most of that time is hands-off simmering.
Step 1: Brown the Chicken
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Working in batches, brown the chicken for about 2 minutes per side until golden. You’re not cooking it through here, just building a flavorful crust. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
Don’t skip the browning. It adds a layer of savory depth to the sauce that you can’t get any other way.
Step 2: Cook the Onions and Aromatics
Add a little more oil to the same pot if needed, then add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the minced garlic, diced tomato, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the tomato starts to break down and everything smells amazing.
Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the paprika. You want it to toast gently in the residual heat without burning. Stir well so the paprika coats the onions and tomatoes evenly. The mixture will turn a gorgeous deep red.
Step 3: Simmer the Chicken
Return the browned chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth and bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. The chicken should be very tender and cooked through, and the sauce will reduce and deepen in flavor.
Check the seasoning toward the end of simmering and adjust salt as needed.
Step 4: Finish with Sour Cream
Remove the pot from the heat. If it’s easier, you can pull the chicken pieces out temporarily to make stirring smoother. Temper the sour cream by stirring a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the sour cream in a small bowl, then pour the warmed sour cream mixture back into the pot.
Stir gently until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Return the pot to low heat and warm everything through for a few minutes. Do not let it boil, or the sour cream can break.
Want a thicker sauce? If the consistency is thinner than you’d like, mix 1 tablespoon of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl to form a paste. Stir this into the sauce before adding the sour cream and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Step 5: Serve
Ladle the chicken and sauce generously over egg noodles, homemade spaetzle, or mashed potatoes.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika or fresh parsley if you’d like.
Slow Cooker Option: You can adapt this for the slow cooker. Brown the chicken and cook the onion mixture as directed, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the broth. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in the tempered sour cream just before serving.
What to Serve with Chicken Paprikash
Chicken paprikash is traditionally served over a starch that soaks up all that creamy sauce. Egg noodles are the most common pairing, but homemade spaetzle is the truly traditional Hungarian option and worth trying if you haven’t made it before. Mashed Potatoes, gnocchi, or Seasoned Rice all work well too.
For lighter sides, a simple salad helps balance the richness of the dish:
A piece of crusty bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread is great for soaking up extra sauce.
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Let leftovers cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavors actually improve as the dish sits, so next-day paprikash is even better.
Reheating: Warm leftovers gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened too much. Avoid boiling, as this can cause the sour cream to separate. You can also reheat in the microwave at 50% power, stirring halfway through.
Freezing: Chicken paprikash can be frozen, but the sour cream sauce may change texture slightly when thawed. For best results, freeze the chicken and sauce without the sour cream, then stir in fresh sour cream when you reheat. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between paprikash and goulash?
Goulash is a brothy beef stew seasoned with paprika, usually served like a soup with bread or noodles. Paprikash is a chicken dish with a thicker, creamier sauce that gets its richness from sour cream stirred in at the end. Both use paprika as a key flavoring, but the texture and protein are quite different. If you love one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.
Try our Authentic Hungarian Goulash for a cozy beef version.
What kind of paprika is best for chicken paprikash?
Sweet Hungarian paprika is what you want here. It has a deep, slightly sweet flavor and vibrant red color that defines this dish. Regular grocery store paprika (often labeled just “paprika”) is much milder and won’t give you the same result. Avoid smoked paprika or hot paprika, as both will change the flavor profile entirely.
Can I use bone-in chicken instead?
Absolutely. Bone-in thighs or drumsticks are actually more traditional and add extra flavor to the sauce. Just increase the simmering time to about 45 minutes to make sure the chicken cooks all the way through. Check that the internal temperature reaches 165°F at the thickest part.
Is chicken paprikash supposed to be thick or thin?
The sauce should be somewhere in between. It’s not as thick as a gravy, but it shouldn’t be watery either. Think of a consistency that coats the back of a spoon nicely. If yours turns out thinner than you’d like, mix 1 tablespoon softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour and stir it into the sauce before adding the sour cream. Let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Can I use smoked paprika for chicken paprikash?
It’s not recommended. Smoked paprika has a very different flavor profile that will overpower the dish and change it from a classic paprikash into something else entirely. Sweet Hungarian paprika is the way to go for authentic flavor. If you can only find regular (non-Hungarian) sweet paprika, it will work in a pinch but the flavor won’t be as rich.
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Chicken Stroganoff
- One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
- Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- Easy Beef Stew
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (plus more as needed)
- 1 large onion diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large tomato seeded and diced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika (not smoked)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1 tablespoon softened butter + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening)
- Egg noodles, spaetzle or mashed potatoes for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown in batches, about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pot if needed. Add onions and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic, diced tomato, salt, and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more until the tomato begins to soften.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika until everything is well coated.
- Add the chicken back to the pot and return to heat. Pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove from heat. Temper the sour cream by stirring a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into the sour cream, then stir the mixture back into the pot. Warm gently over low heat. Do not boil.
- Optional: If the sauce is too thin, mix 1 tablespoon softened butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl, then stir into the sauce before adding sour cream. Simmer a few minutes to thicken.
- Serve over egg noodles, spaetzle, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Use sweet Hungarian paprika. This is the key ingredient. Regular, smoked, or hot paprika will give you a completely different dish. Look for it in the international or spice aisle.
- Fresh paprika matters. If your paprika has been sitting in the cabinet for over a year, replace it. Stale paprika has very little flavor.
- Add paprika off the heat. Remove the pot from the burner before stirring in the paprika to prevent it from burning and turning bitter.
- Temper the sour cream. Stir a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into the sour cream before adding it to the pot. This prevents curdling and keeps the sauce smooth.
- Don’t boil after adding sour cream. Keep the heat low to maintain a creamy texture.
- Brown in batches. Crowding the pan will steam the chicken instead of browning it. Work in 2 to 3 batches depending on the size of your pot.
- Bone-in chicken option. You can use bone-in thighs or drumsticks for more traditional paprikash. Increase simmering time to about 45 minutes and check that internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Greek yogurt substitution. Plain Greek yogurt can replace sour cream for a lighter version. Temper it the same way.
- Slow cooker option. Brown the chicken and cook the aromatics as directed, then transfer to a slow cooker with broth. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in tempered sour cream before serving.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating. Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of broth. Avoid boiling.
- Freezing. Freeze without the sour cream for best results, up to 2 to 3 months. Stir in fresh sour cream when reheating.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
