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This Chicken Paprikash is Hungarian comfort food made with chicken thighs simmered in a tomato and onion sauce seasoned with lots of sweet paprika. It is my variation on the classic Hungarian Paprikash that is simple to make yet comforting.
For more Hungarian and German family recipes, try my Chicken Schnitzel, Authentic Hungarian Goulash, and German Potato Salad.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Only 10 Minute Prep Time – Super quick to prep and get cooking!
- Simple Yet Flavorful – Simple ingredients but the Hungarian paprika adds so much flavor.
- Comforting – The combination of the tender chicken and creamy sauce all piled on top of egg noodles is the ultimate comfort meal.
Ingredients For Chicken Paprikash
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs – You can use chicken breasts, but the cook time will need to be reduced and may not allow time for the flavors to blend.
- Vegetable or Canola Oil
- Onion – you can use white or yellow
- Minced Garlic – fresh is best, but you can use the minced in a jar if it’s what you have
- Large Fresh Tomato
- Spices – black pepper, salt, Hungarian paprika (sweet paprika, not smoked)
- Chicken Broth or Stock
- Sour Cream – to make this lighter you can swap in plain greek yogurt
- Butter and Flour – optional to thicken the sauce
How To Make Hungarian Paprikash
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Just a few easy steps and you have a comforting, filling dinner in only an hour.
- Brown Chicken – Start by heating the oil in a Dutch oven and browning the chicken in a single layer over medium-high heat. You’ll need to do this in batches. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- Cook Aromatics and Tomatoes – To the same pan, add a little more oil then add the onions and cook until they start to soften and become translucent. Add the garlic, tomato, salt, and pepper and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove the dutch oven from the heat and stir in the paprika.
- Add Chicken – Add the chicken back to the pot and return to the heat. Pour in chicken broth then bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes.
- Add Sour Cream – Stir in the sour cream to the pan and mix well. You want to heat it through, but do not bring it to a boil.
- Serve – Serve the chicken and sauce over egg noodles or Spaetzle.
FAQs
Chicken Paprikash is a traditional Hungarian recipe that is comforting and similar to a stew. The key flavor element in the dish is from the Hungarian paprika – hence the name! The traditional recipe typically uses thighs and drumsticks, but variations use other cuts of chicken.
Traditionally, bone-in drumsticks or thighs are used in paprikash. However, you can use any cut of chicken, including breasts. Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe helps cut down on cook time so dinner is ready in no time!
Serving Suggestions
It is typically served over noodles or even dumplings. But other options for serving are fluffy mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or seasoned rice. In our family, we often serve a Butter Lettuce Salad or Creamy German Cucumber Salad on the side.
Variations
- Bone-In Chicken – Instead of boneless thighs, you can use pieces of bone-in chicken like thighs or drumsticks. They will need to simmer longer (about 45 minutes) to be fully cooked.
- Spicy – As written, this recipe isn’t spicy. But if you like things spicier you can add red pepper flakes or a little cayenne pepper.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheating – Leftovers can be reheated in a pan on the stove until the chicken is warmed through.
- Use Hungarian Paprika – The paprika is the key flavor of this dish so it’s important to use the right one. Use sweet Hungarian paprika to get the right flavor. Do not use a hot, smoked, or Spanish paprika.
- Adding Sour Cream – When adding the sour cream, you can pull out the chicken to make it easier to stir in the sour cream.
More Chicken Recipes
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Baked Chicken Tenders
- Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Panera Green Goddess Salad with Chicken
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 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 paprika 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 and brown chicken over medium-high heat; about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan if needed, then add onions and cook until they begin to soften and become translucent; 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato, salt and pepper and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Carefully move the pot off of the heat and stir in the paprika.
- Add the chicken back to the pot and move back over the heat. Pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes.
- Add sour cream to the pan and mix well. Heat through, but be careful not to boil. Serve over egg noodles or Spaetzle.
- Optional, to thicken: If your sauce is too thin, mix 1 tablespoon softened butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl, then stir into the chicken mixture.
