If goulash is the international face of Hungarian cuisine, then chicken paprikash (csirke paprikas) is the heart of the Hungarian home. Virtually every family has its own version, handed down through generations, argued over at holiday tables, and perfected through years of practice. It is the dish grandmothers make when they want to show love, and the meal that Hungarians abroad miss the most.

Traditional Hungarian chicken paprikash served with galuska egg dumplings
Paprikas csirke galuskaval - Chicken paprikash with Hungarian egg dumplings (galuska). Photo: Sumit Surai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

What Makes Paprikash Different from Goulash

This is one of the most common questions from people new to Hungarian cuisine, and the answer matters a great deal in Hungarian kitchens. Goulash is a soup, flavored with paprika but without sour cream. Paprikash is a thicker, creamier preparation where sour cream is an essential ingredient, stirred into the sauce at the end of cooking to create a velvety, rose-colored coating for the meat.

The other key difference is the choice of meat. While goulash traditionally uses beef, paprikash is almost always made with chicken (though veal paprikash is also popular). The lighter meat allows the paprika and sour cream sauce to take center stage.

The Essential Ingredients

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg), cut into pieces
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
  • 200ml sour cream (full fat, minimum 20%)
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and halved
  • 1 ripe tomato, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons lard or butter
  • Salt to taste
  • 250ml water or chicken broth

Cooking Method

Preparing the Base

Melt the lard in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and cook them slowly, stirring often, until they become soft and translucent. This typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. The onions should be almost melting into the fat, not browned or caramelized.

Remove the pot from heat and stir in the paprika, coating the onions evenly. Return to low heat and add the chicken pieces. Turn them in the paprika-onion mixture until coated on all sides. Add the tomato, green pepper, and a pinch of salt.

Slow Cooking

Cover the pot and let the chicken cook in its own juices for about 10 minutes. Then add the water or broth. The liquid should come about halfway up the chicken pieces, not cover them entirely. Simmer gently, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

Finishing the Sauce

Remove the chicken pieces and set them aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour until smooth. Gradually add a few spoonfuls of the hot cooking liquid to the sour cream mixture, stirring constantly. This tempering process prevents the sour cream from curdling when it meets the hot sauce.

Pour the tempered sour cream back into the pot and stir well. Simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes, then return the chicken pieces to the sauce. The result should be a rich, creamy sauce with a beautiful pinkish-orange hue.

Key Cooking Tip

Never boil the sauce after adding sour cream. High heat will cause it to separate and become grainy. Keep it on the lowest possible simmer and stir gently. Also, use full-fat sour cream. Low-fat substitutes tend to curdle more easily and lack the richness that defines a proper paprikash.

Galuska: The Essential Side Dish

In Hungary, chicken paprikash is almost never served without galuska (also called nokedli), small egg dumplings that soak up the creamy sauce beautifully. They are quick to make and add a satisfying texture to the meal.

Galuska Dumplings

  • 300g all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 150ml water
  • Pinch of salt

Mix the flour, eggs, water, and salt into a thick, sticky batter. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Using a galuska maker or a flat board and knife, push small pieces of batter into the boiling water. The dumplings are done when they float to the surface, usually within 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and toss with a little butter to prevent sticking.

A good paprikash is not about complexity. It is about understanding three things perfectly: the onion, the paprika, and the sour cream. Get those right, and everything else follows.

Hungarian kitchen wisdom

Variations Worth Trying

  • Veal Paprikash: Replace chicken with veal shoulder, cubed. Cook slightly longer, about 50 to 60 minutes, until the meat is tender.
  • Mushroom Paprikash: A vegetarian version using mixed wild mushrooms. The earthy flavor of the mushrooms pairs wonderfully with the paprika sauce.
  • Fish Paprikash: Popular along the Danube and Tisza rivers, using freshwater fish like carp or catfish with a paprika and sour cream sauce.

For more on Hungarian cooking traditions, the Wikipedia article on Hungarian cuisine provides an extensive overview of the country's food culture and history.