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Chicken Paprikash is one of the most famous and beloved Hungarian recipes out there, and it’s not hard to see why. Tender chicken, hearty veggies, and a rich, creamy paprika-infused sauce make each bite unforgettable. Hungarian comfort food will become your family’s newest obsession!
You know what’s cool about chicken paprikash (besides the amazing flavor…)? It looks like something you had to slave over all day. But in reality, this is a very hands-off dish. You’re only responsible for a little prep, the occasional stir, and adding a spice or two. You don’t have to tell anyone just how easy it is to make!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Paprikash Recipe
- Tender and Juicy Chicken. If you’ve ever wondered what to make with a chicken breast, this is the dish for you. This chicken stays incredibly tender and juicy thanks to cooking it low and slow after a hard sear. The result is succulent chicken that falls apart with a fork.
- Sauce. Let’s be clear – the sauce is the star of this dish. Creamy, rich, and deliciously spiced, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. You’ll want to be sure you have some good bread to sop up every last bite!
- So Easy. Whenever I see a dish that takes longer than an hour, I often assume that means it’s complicated. Not so with chicken paprikash! With the exception of a little prep in the beginning, the vast majority of the cook time is hands off.
What Does Chicken Paprikash Taste Like?
Chicken paprikash is one of our favorite traditional Hungarian recipes. It’s similar to goulash, but it uses flour as a thickener and includes sour cream in the gravy. It has a rich, savory flavor with light sweetness thanks to the use of paprika, a spice commonly found in Hungarian cuisine. The richness added by the sour cream only makes everything more irresistible!
What You’ll Need
You probably have some chicken breasts in that fridge or freezer of yours. Got some wine?! Heck yeah you do! Onions, carrots and tomatoes, too? Canned will do. Get it all together and let’s do this! Scroll to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- For the Chicken: Boneless chicken breasts, flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Veggies: Onions, carrots, garlic, and tomatoes (fresh are best, but canned is fine).
- Seasoning: Parsley, thyme, and paprika.
- For the Sauce: White wine, chicken broth, and sour cream.
- Egg Noodles: For serving.
How to Make Chicken Paprikash
Now that you have all your ingredients prepared, it’s time to get cooking! Check out the recipe card for detailed directions.
- Sear the Chicken. Mix your spice rub together in a medium-sized bowl while you heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Coat each side of the chicken breast with the spice rub, shake off any excess, and add it to the hot oil. Brown each side for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
- Saute Veggies. Add onions, carrots, parsley, and thyme to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until it’s very fragrant. Mix in the tomatoes, being sure to scrape up all the browned chicken bits from the bottom.
- Make the Sauce. Pour in the wine and chicken broth and bring everything to a boil.
- Cook. Return the chicken to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for an hour.
- Finish. Just before you’re ready to serve, take the chicken out of the pan, and whisk the sour cream into the sauce until it’s totally combined. Serve over egg noodles and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Spices. If it’s been a while since you’ve frequented your spice cabinet, make sure none of them are more than 8 months old. If so, they won’t have nearly as much flavor as they’re supposed to – and paprika is a central ingredient in this dish. I recommend using paprika that’s newer than 3 months old for the best results.
- Paprika. The best kind of paprika to use for chicken paprikash is – you guessed it – authentic Hungarian paprika. If you can get your hands on it, you’re in for some serious yumminess. Hungarian paprika is super rich and flavorful, but it’s not a dealbreaker if you don’t have access to it. Just use regular sweet paprika instead! If the flavor isn’t strong enough, you can always add some extra.
- Chicken Temperature. Before you place your chicken over the egg noodles and pour on the sauce, go ahead and check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant read thermometer. If your chicken pieces are particularly thick, they may need a little more time to cook. Once the chicken reaches 165°F, you’re good to go!
- Egg Noodles. Wide or medium-wide egg noodles pair best with chicken paprikash. They do a better job of holding onto that sumptuous sauce!
- Cook the Noodles While the Sauce Simmers. In order for your noodles to be nice and warm when you add the chicken and the sauce, cook them on another burner while the sauce and the chicken simmer rather than preparing them at the beginning.
How to Serve Chicken Paprikash
We love to serve paprikash over egg noodles in our house. It’s super traditional and really good. But feel free to change things up if you’re not feeling the egg noodles for any reason. These flavors would be great over cauliflower rice, dumplings, mashed potatoes, or jasmine rice. I also heartily recommend a good piece of crusty bread or naan to soak up all that delicious sauce!
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Leftover chicken paprikash should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy it within 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat it over medium-low heat until the chicken is warm and the sauce is simmering.
- Freeze: Since this dish uses sour cream in the sauce, I don’t recommend freezing it. The thawing process will cause the sauce to separate.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- salt and pepper, , to taste
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves, , cut crosswise in half
- 2 onions, , thinly sliced
- 3 large carrots, , roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 2 fresh tomatoes, , roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Egg Noodles, , cooked
- flat leaf parsley, , for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
- In a large dish or bowl, I use a Pyrex 8×8, whisk together the flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and toss until evenly coated; shake off any excess and add to hot oil.
- Cook over medium heat until browned; about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add the sliced onions and carrots to the skillet.
- Stir in parsley and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft.
- Add garlic and continue to cook for a minute, or until fragrant.
- Mix in the tomatoes.
- Pour in wine and chicken broth, and bring to a boil.
- Return the chicken pieces to the pan.
- Turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
- Divide the cooked egg noodles among 4 to 6 dinner plates.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set on top of egg noddles.
- Whisk the sour cream into the pan and continue to whisk until thoroughly combined; remove from heat.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and noodles.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Serve.
Equipment
- Stove
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
What a lovely dish! I love recipes that remind us of home, or are our families treasures. I have recipes my Grandma makes that make me so happy! I have made sure to get her recipes, for future love of course! Hugs, Terra
Oh yeah……now your talk’n! Love, love, love and a family favourite growing up. Sometimes when there was no egg noodles in the house my mother would use plain rice. It was just as good.
Happy Easter, Kate! Love this, and so perfect for serving over egg noodles!
Happy Easter to you and your family, Kate! Ahh…Chicken Paprikash. So very yummy and a childhood favorite. Grew up on it as well…an heirloom recipe (from my German-Hungarian great grandmother) with authentic Hungarian dumplings! You have inspired me to share my family recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipe! xo
Happy Easter to you too. Really tempting and beautiful recipe.
This dish looks like a chickenoholic’s dream come true.
Keep them coming.
Happy Easter… what a lovely chicken dish to celebrate the day. 🙂
You´re right, I do have everything in my fridge. I do love this recipe too, and with noodles is wonderful! The flavor of our childhood are so great as grown-ups. Happy Easter Kate!
He is Risen, indeed!
What a wonderful chicken paprikash. I made a good pork version last year served over butter crumbed egg noodles that looks very similar to yours. I posted it here and need to make it again but with chicken.
http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/119759.html
My dad made TWO dishes successfully, a white bean soup with pork hocks and a baked mashed white bean casserole over salted cod. I’ve made the first one and was happy with the results but the latter, has eluded me. I wish he (and my mom) were around so I could ask them for additional cooking help and so I could serve them the results.
Chicken paprikash in my opinion is a very comforting food! Yum 🙂
Happy Easter to you and your adorable family!
I’m not a very big chicken fan (mainly because I never know what to do with it – aside from tossing it into a vat of grease!), but this dish looks beautiful, and delicious!
Thanks for sharing another family recipe! xo