Chicken paprikash – a staple food of Hungarian cuisine in its own right
Everything about chicken paprikash – how it came to be, how to make it and where to have the best when in Budapest.
Made from simple but typical Hungarian ingredients, chicken paprikash (or as locals call it: “csirkepaprikás” or “paprikás csirke”) is undeniably one of the most famous items of Hungarian cuisine, standing tall on the podium with goulash and fisherman’s soup . As the name suggests, chicken paprikash is characterized by the generous use of paprika, one of the staple spices of Hungarian cuisine.
The history of chicken paprikash
The appearance of chicken paprikash dates back to the early 19th century, when eating stew became popular among the peasants of the Alföld (the Great Hungarian Plain). Originally, peasants made stew of beef and lamb, but the use of poultry became more and more popular, which essentially laid the groundwork for the rise of chicken paprikash.
So, is chicken paprikash the same as chicken stew? One would rightly assume so, but the answer is no. Although paprikash and stew are close cousins in the world of gastronomy, there is an important difference: paprikash contains sour cream. Stew does not. But, apart from this, the two dishes are fairly similar.
The first ever documented recipe of chicken paprikash appeared in an 1830 cookbook written for “Hungarian housewives”, titled “Hungarian National Cookbook”. In the following decades, chicken paprikash took its rightful place among the staple Hungarian dishes such as roast beef, goulash, and other long-established classics, as demonstrated by its presence in the few remaining restaurant menus from before 1892 and multiple recommendations from tourists in the 19th century.
Fun fact about chicken paprikash: it’s actually the base ingredient of another popular Hungarian dish, Hortobágyi palacsinta (Hungarian stuffed crepes Hortobágy style), where ground chicken paprikash is used to stuff the crepes. In addition, the sauce poured on top of the crepes is also made by mixing the sauce of the chicken paprikash with – some more – sour cream.
![Hortobágyi palacsinta (Hungarian stuffed crepes Hortobágy [JE5] style) made from ground chicken paprikash](https://justbudapest.com/wp-content/uploads/csirkepaprikas_2.jpg)
Recipe for homemade chicken paprikash
Since its appearance some 200 years ago, this rich, flavorful dish has become a regular on Hungarian dining tables and, as is the case with many national dishes, several slightly different ways of preparation have spread since the original recipe was documented. That said, no matter what recipe you’ll find, it’ll most probably call for the following ingredients: chicken parts (mostly thighs, drumsticks, and wings) sweet paprika, ground pepper, yellow onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, and sour cream.
And now for the instructions: heat oil or lard in a pot (lard is recommended for enhanced flavor, but oil will do just fine). Add 2 diced yellow onions and fry for a minute. Then, remove the pot from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of paprika, and pour in a little water to prevent the paprika from burning. Add salt and pepper, then put it back over the heat and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken parts, bell peppers and tomatoes, and pour in enough water to cover most of the chicken. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, or even until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Add some more water if it gets too low.
Then, prepare a roux to thicken the sauce of the chicken paprikash. To do this, mix flour with sour cream in a small bowl, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add some sauce from the pot to the flour-sour cream mixture (so that the hot liquid won’t make it curdle), mix the roux some more, then add it to the pot. Finally, bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened and add some more salt and pepper to taste if necessary. That’s it, your chicken paprikash is done!
Chicken paprikash is traditionally served with small Hungarian dumplings called nokedli or galuska, very similar to German Spätzle. Nokedli is made from eggs, flour, water, and a little oil, and can be prepared quickly, even while the chicken is cooking. All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl, knead them until you get a soft batter, then scrape the batter into a large pot of boiling water (small amounts at a time) using a Spätzle scraper. As soon as the nokedlis float to the surface, they’re done. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a colander, then rinse them with water and add some oil to prevent them from sticking together.
The 4 best places to get chicken paprikash in Budapest
Cooking your own chicken paprikash is fun, but if you want your first encounter with this classic Hungarian dish to be an absolute success, you can’t go wrong with a real Hungarian restaurant. Let’s take a look at some places with strong chicken paprikash game.
1. DNB Budapest
If you want your first chicken paprikash experience to be special, DNB Budapest might just be your place. The restaurant is owned by and part of Hotel Marriott, so the quality is guaranteed, and it has breath-taking views of the Danube and the Buda panorama.
2. KIOSK
There’s something about KIOSK that make it stand out from the other restaurants. Sure, the spacious, unique interior is remarkable, but this “metropolitan meeting point” (as they refer to themselves) just oozes quality from every inch. And their chicken paprikash? It’s not like the dish needs any improvement as it is, but the smoky flavor and the chicken skin chips definitely put a twist on the regular experience!
4. Urban Betyár
Located near St. Stephen’s Basilica, Urban Betyár offers locals and tourists an extraordinary gastronomic and ethnographical experience. Open-view kitchen with traditional campfire cooking? Check. Interactive visitor center about the traditional Hungarian peasant culture? Check. A chicken paprikash that no other will live up to? Check. If these don’t convince you, we don’t know what will.
Chicken paprikash isn’t just famous, it’s pop culture famous!
What signifies the popularity of a dish more than appearing in famous novels and movies? That’s right, chicken paprikash has made its way into Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula (where Jonathan Harker has chicken paprikash for dinner during his journey to Dracula’s castle), multiple episodes of Star Trek (where apparently chicken paprikash is a popular choice for dinner in deep space), and even in Captain America: Civil War (where it’s established to be the ultimate superhero comfort food).
Some other Hungarian staples
Starving for more traditional Hungarian food? Read our articles on lángos, fisherman’s soup, and goulash.
Q&A
- What is chicken paprikash?
- Chicken paprikash (or as locals call it: “csirkepaprikás” or “paprikás csirke”) is one of the most well-known Hungarian dishes, similar to chicken stew, but it has sour cream added to it. The name chicken paprikash is derived from the generous use of use of paprika in the dish.
- Is chicken paprikash the same as chicken stew?
- While the two dishes are similar, chicken paprikash is different from chicken stew in that it has sour cream added to it.
- What should I eat chicken paprikash with?
- Chicken paprikash is traditionally served with nokedli (aka galuska), which are small Hungarian dumplings called made from eggs, flour, water, and a little oil.
Your experience is important.
Anything you have not found?
Ask a Question
Please log in to write a review.
There is no review yet.