If goulash is what Hungary is known for abroad, paprikash is what Hungarians actually eat at home. Csirke paprikas, chicken cooked in a paprika and sour cream sauce, is among the most common weekday meals in the country. It is comfort food in the truest sense, the kind of dish that grandmothers teach and families argue about at holiday tables.
The dish is straightforward to prepare, but the details matter. The quality of the paprika, the timing of the sour cream, and the way the nokedli (dumplings) are made all affect the final result considerably.
The Difference Between Paprikash and Porkolt
This is a point worth clarifying early, because the two dishes are frequently confused outside Hungary. Both use paprika as the primary seasoning. Both involve slow-cooked meat in a sauce built on onions. The difference is sour cream.
Paprikash contains sour cream, which is stirred into the sauce to create the characteristic creamy, orange-pink colour. Porkolt does not. Porkolt is the thicker, darker stew that many international recipes incorrectly call goulash. Paprikash is lighter, creamier, and traditionally made with chicken or veal rather than beef.
The classification is not a minor distinction. Asking a Hungarian cook whether their goulash contains sour cream is a reliable way to start an argument.
Historical Background
Paprikash in its current form dates to the 19th century, when paprika and sour cream became established as a flavour combination in Hungarian cooking. Before this, chicken was typically prepared with simple roasting or in broths. The arrival of paprika as a mainstream spice transformed the possibilities.
The dish became particularly associated with home cooking rather than restaurant cuisine. While goulash and porkolt appeared on inn and tavern menus, paprikash remained the domain of the household kitchen. This association persists today: it is far easier to find a good paprikash in a Hungarian home than in a Budapest restaurant, where the dish is sometimes treated as too ordinary to feature.
Image: Wikimedia Commons. Chicken paprikash served at an Easter food festival in Budapest, 2019.
The Recipe
Csirke Paprikas with Nokedli
For the paprikash:
- 1 whole chicken (approximately 1.5kg), cut into 8 pieces
- 2 large onions, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons lard or sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika (optional)
- 1 green pepper, halved
- 1 tomato, halved
- 200ml sour cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 200ml water or chicken stock
- Salt to taste
For the nokedli:
- 300g plain flour
- 3 eggs
- 100ml water
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- Heat the lard in a heavy pot. Add the onions and cook on medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until completely soft.
- Remove from heat. Add the paprika and stir immediately. Return to low heat.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and add to the pot. Turn to coat in the paprika-onion mixture.
- Add the green pepper halves and tomato halves. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the chicken pieces.
- Cover and simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Remove the chicken pieces. Discard the pepper and tomato halves.
- Mix the sour cream with the flour in a small bowl. Gradually stir in a few tablespoons of the hot sauce to temper, then pour the mixture back into the pot. Stir continuously over low heat for three to four minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth.
- Return the chicken to the sauce. Keep warm while preparing the nokedli.
- For the nokedli: beat the eggs, flour, water, and salt into a thick, sticky batter. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Using a nokedli grater or a colander with large holes, press the batter directly into the boiling water. Cook for two minutes once the dumplings float to the surface. Drain well.
- Serve the paprikash over the nokedli.
Key Techniques
Tempering the Sour Cream
The most common mistake with paprikash is adding cold sour cream directly to hot liquid. This causes the cream to curdle, producing a grainy, unappealing sauce. The solution is to mix the sour cream with a small amount of flour first, then gradually add hot liquid from the pot to raise its temperature before combining. This technique, called tempering, ensures a smooth, glossy sauce every time.
Choosing the Chicken
Traditional Hungarian paprikash uses a whole chicken cut into pieces, including the back and the wings. The bones and skin contribute flavour and body to the sauce. Using boneless, skinless chicken breast will produce a technically acceptable but significantly less flavourful result. If whole chickens are impractical, thighs with skin and bone are the best alternative.
The Paprika Question
Sweet paprika is the foundation. Some cooks add a small amount of hot paprika for complexity, but the dish should never be aggressively spicy. The overall impression should be warm, rich, and savoury, with the paprika providing colour and sweetness rather than heat. As with goulash, fresh paprika is essential: paprika that has been in the cupboard for over a year should be replaced.
What to Serve Alongside
Nokedli is the traditional accompaniment and the one you will find in virtually every Hungarian household. Some families serve paprikash with tarhonya (egg barley pasta) instead, particularly in the countryside. Plain white rice appears occasionally but is considered a modern substitution rather than a traditional pairing.
A simple cucumber salad dressed with vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of paprika is the most common side dish. Pickled vegetables are also appropriate. Heavy side dishes are unnecessary since the sauce and dumplings already make this a substantial meal.
Variations Worth Knowing
While chicken is the most common protein, paprikash is also made with veal (borju paprikas), which produces a more delicate result. Fish paprikash (hal paprikas) is a specialty of the Tisza River region and uses freshwater fish like catfish or carp. Mushroom paprikash offers a satisfying vegetarian alternative and follows the same basic technique.
For more on the broader context of Hungarian cooking, the Wikipedia article on chicken paprikash provides additional historical and cultural background.