Instructions
1️⃣ Sauté the base
- Heat oil/lard in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.
- Remove from heat, stir in paprika quickly (so it doesn’t burn), then return to low heat.
2️⃣ Add chicken
- Place chicken pieces in the pot, season with salt and pepper, and brown lightly.
- Add garlic, tomato, and pepper. Stir to coat with paprika oil.
3️⃣ Simmer
- Pour in broth just to cover the chicken.
- Cover and simmer gently for 40–50 minutes, turning chicken halfway through, until meat is tender.
4️⃣ Make the creamy finish
- In a bowl, mix sour cream with flour until smooth (optional for thicker sauce).
- Remove chicken from pot; whisk a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into the sour cream mixture to temper.
- Stir mixture back into the pot over low heat — do not boil.
- Return chicken to sauce and warm through.
5️⃣ Serve
- Serve immediately over nokedli dumplings or egg noodles, with plenty of sauce.
💡 Hungarian tip:🍗 Hungarian Chicken Paprikash – Paprikás Csirke
The flavor magic here comes from good-quality Hungarian paprika — fresh, sweet, and vibrant. Old paprika loses flavor quickly, so buy small amounts and store airtight.
If you’d like, I can give you a one-pot rustic version that Hungarian grandmothers make without flour, letting the sauce naturally thicken from the onions and reduced broth. That one’s extra silky and traditional.