Chicken Paprikash
It has been a while since I have posted any new recipes and some of my regular followers may be wondering why. August was a crazy month! Between getting a lot of unexpected hours at work, shopping for a new car, and dealing with a serious bout of headaches, I didn’t see much of my kitchen last month. I consumed more than my share of take-out and all the while longed to be back in front of my stove. Things have finally started to settle down(fingers crossed) and I am now back in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.
I just got back from a trip to Ely, Minnesota, where I was visiting my relatives and breathing in some much needed fresh air. I spent a lot of time during my stay talking with my mom and some of my aunts and uncles about their food memories growing up in Ely. I learned so many unexpected things and left the north country with a renewed passion for cooking simple, traditional food. You can expect to see much of this passion translated into the recipes I will be posting for the next while. My mother’s family comes from Italy and Slovenia, so many of the recipes will be of that origin. My father’s family is mostly Hungarian, so some of the recipes(including this one) will come from there as well. I will continue to use healthy swap outs for some of the ingredients to keep things figure friendly, but refuse to compromise too much on the flavor.
This is my first go at making chicken paprikash. I think it turned out pretty damn good. Just to make sure, I had my friend Bridget, who has spent much time in Hungary and considers herself a paprikash expert, taste test the final product. She said it was delicious, but thought I should have used slightly less sour cream, so I have altered this recipe accordingly. She also explained that my cooking process was a bit different than a traditional paprikash and that she adds a few more ingredients as well, such as Hungarian peppers. I think it is worth repeating: This is NOT a traditional chicken paprikash. It is my version of the dish.
Chicken Paprikash
Serves 3 to 6 people
- 6 Chicken Thighs(bone-in, skin on or off…your choice)
- 1/2 inch slice of Salt Pork
- 1-2 Tbs Olive or Canola Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 10-12 Mushrooms, sliced
- 5 Tbs Paprika(preferably Hungarian)
- 12 ounces Lite Sour Cream
- Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
In a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and the salt pork. Allow the salt pork to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until most of the fat has rendered out. Remove the pork and set it aside.
Add onions and a pinch of salt to the pot and let them cook until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally. In the mean time, season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add the chicken and a bit more oil if need be to the pot and brown the chicken thoroughly on both sides.
Stir in the mushrooms and paprika and cook for one minute more. Be careful not to burn the paprika! Return the salt pork to the pot.
Add enough water to the pot to almost cover the chicken and with a wooden spoon, stir everything together, and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Once the liquid is bubbling, turn down the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Let the chicken simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. Chicken should be very tender.
Remove chicken from the pot and set it aside. Remove the slab of salt pork as well and discard.
Whisk in the sour cream, a bit at a time, until you have a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and paprika if need be.
Return the chicken to the pot and coat it in the sauce. Let everything cook for a few minutes more before serving.
I served my paprikash with a medley of fresh summer veggies. I would also recommend trying it over a bed of egg noodles or with some potato dumplings. Try using the leftover sauce for breakfast over toast and eggs, it’s delicious!
Enjoy!
Another spectacular looking dinner! I am a fan.
i have a feeling the Kobe Sisters Cookbook and Ely Catholic Cookbook are about to get a workout!
I’m glad you are trying out recipes from other cultures, but since this was featured on foodgawker, I feel I have to comment.
Sorry, this is not an authentic Csirke Paprikás. Take it from a Hungarian! You left out the garlic, capsicums, tomato…and the purists would say the traditional version is not made with mushrooms. To thicken the sauce, we can add flour either at the stage where the onions have fried, which, incidentally, is also when the paprika is added. To avoid the bitter taste of burnt paprika, pour a little water or broth to temporarily lower the heat and stir, stir, stir! It is also common to add the flour towards the end by mixing it in with the sour cream before stirring it into the sauce. That will thicken the sauce and solve your sour-cream overload problem.
Wikipedia gives a good description of the ingredients
I would thank you for the advice and comments. I have read many paprikash recipes(which are all different)and am completely aware and maybe should have said so, that this is not an authentic version of the dish. This is my family recipe and since my current focus is on my family recipes, it is the one I used. Authentic or not, it is a simple and delicious dish and I would serve it at my table any time.
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! I love how the recipes are inspired by family favorites! Thank you for sharing, and I hope you are feeling better.
I agree, there are many recipes for this. My grandfather, who apprenticed to a Hungarian butcher, came to the US from Bohemia in 1914. His paprikash also lacked fresh capsicums, garlic and tomatoes, probably since it dated from the time before they were widely grown in greenhouses in Europe.
Thank you!
Sounds like a fun trip! This chicken looks wonderful! I love all the flavors, sounds like an amazing dinner.
Pretty Sure emc knows how to thicken a dish using the most basic flour methods whether at the end or beginning of a dish. Everybodies a critic.
You would be correct. Thanks Mom:)
This was your cousin Krista’s favorite dish…especially when I made it with Hungarian dumplings. I learned it from my neighbor in Germany who was Hungarian.
Looking forward to a Thanksgiving weekend of nothing but good eats and good cooking and GREAT! recipes.
PS: this Paprikash recipe is in the Kobe sister’s cookbook.
Oh and did I mention Elise is Hungarian on her father’s side? Seriously, I believe most cooking is regional and all countries have several versions of the same titled dish. I don’t know two Italians who make the same sauce.
Just clicked on to foodbuzz and found your chicken paprikash. Buzzed you!
I must agree with some of the commenters that Hungarian cuisine is just like per se the Italian cuisine which I’m both a part of as far as heritage and tradition. No two recipes are alike, every region does have different ways of making traditional dishes. My mother was born in Transylvania, so was my grandmother, and they were the “real” Hungarians, according to history.
They would certainly agree with your method…Chicken Paprikash means just that!!! Paprika is the main ingredient…as long as you make it beautiful, rich and rosy…even the sour cream is optional, according to “Kosher Law”…that is not even permitted to use with meats.
So, my dear, your chicken paprikash is SUPERB, creamy and delicious. I only use the dark meat myself, and love it thick and creamy with the rosy rich color and flavor.
Hungry Hungarian is correct about the thickening method with the flour, and the method of the paprika, and sour cream, but as far as adding mushrooms, I would welcome that as a “super plus”…there’s a saying in Hungarian…”ahany haz, annyi szokas”…meaning, every house has different methods, or something like that!
I also posted a chicken paprikash recipe about a month ago on my blog. You can type it in my search box to view it!
elisabeth@foodandthrift
From one Hungarian-Italian to another, thank you for taking the time to comment. I was aware of the use of the flour when I made the dish. I just didn’t think it was necessary. I will check your recipe out.
I loved the mushrooms! They gave a wonderful texture that brought out the amazing sauce in a different way than the chicken. I am thinking of stealing the idea and adding to the recipe that I learnt in Hungary!