Traditional Hungarian Paprikash Recipes

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN PAPRIKASH (PAPRIKáS CSIRKE)

Steps:

• Heat the lard in a heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate. In the same oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes (and pepper if using) and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).
• Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat. Pour in the chicken broth. The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
• In a small bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream/cream mixture to form a smooth paste. Stir the cream mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer to heat through.
• Serve the chicken paprikash with Hungarian nokedli, which is like German Spaetzle only they're very short and stubby. You can make nokedli with a spätzle scraper and using this recipe for the dough.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• Season chicken generously on both sides with salt. Heat olive oil in a heavy, deep-sided pan (that comes with a lid) over high heat and brown the chicken well, skin-side down, about 5 minutes; flip and continue to sear until other side is browned, 3 to 4 minutes more. Turn off heat. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and reserve until needed; spoon out excess chicken fat if desired.
• Add onions and a pinch of salt to the same pan and saute over medium until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and flour and cook, stirring, another 3 to 4 minutes to form a tomato roux. Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer over high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and transfer chicken and accumulated juices back into the pan. Baste the tops with the sauce, cover the pan with the lid, and simmer, basting occasionally with the sauce, until the chicken is no longer pink in the centers and is fork-tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
• Skim some fat off the top of the sauce if desired. Whisk heavy cream and sour cream into the sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken and any juices back into the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, basting often, until chicken is heated through and very tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent.
• Add the green pepper, cook for 5 minutes or so, and add the mushrooms.
• Cook until the mushrooms are just softened.
• Add the paprika, caraway, pepper and salt (if you are not using salty stock, such as bullion cubes.)
• Stir and add the chicken thighs and mix.
• Add the tomatoes and enough stock to mostly cover the chicken.
• Cover and simmer slowly for approximately 45 minutes.
• The chicken should be falling off the bone, very tender.
• Remove the chicken to a deep serving plate that has been warmed.
• Reduce the stock a bit if it looks like it will be too much sauce.
• Mix some stock fully into the sour cream to thin it a bit, and then mix the sour cream into the rest of the stock.
• Heat until hot, but Do Not Boil.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve over buttered egg noodles.
• Miscellaneous Notes:.
• Use 8 thighs if very large. "Bone in" is great.
• Canned tomatoes are fine, as are bouillon cubes for the stock (in which case, don't add salt until the end, after you taste) and low-fat sour cream.
• The prep time includes chopping and sauteing the veggies, and making the sauce at the end.

TRADITIONAL HUNGARIAN PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• Saute chopped up onion in the oil. Pull it off from the heat.
• Add the paprika (both kind) to the sautéed onion. (If you leave it on the heat while you do this, the paprika will burn) Mix it until the paprika dissolved.
• Add chicken. Mix it together with the onion-paprika paste, until all the pieces are covered with the paste. Turn your heat up high, brown the meat, while you constantly mixing it. While you doing it, be careful not to burn the paprika paste!
• When all pieces look white all around, turn down the heat to low, add salt, cover and cook. During your low heat cooking the juices of the chicken will come out, so your dish will cook in its own juices. If you pick dry meat (breast) you have to add some liquid(chicken broth).
• After 10 minutes add pepper piece to the food. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Check for tenderness.
• Before serving, remove skin. Serve with pasta, or baked potato. Top the dish with a tablespoon of sour cream.
• Hungarians serve it with some pickled items on the side, such as cucumber, or pickled pepper.
• Enjoy.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain and keep warm., Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions; cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan, until onions begin to soften, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in flour and paprika; reduce heat to low. Cook until paprika is fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add broth; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth, 6-8 minutes. Return chicken to pan; simmer, covered, until a thermometer inserted into deepest part of thigh reads 170°, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter., Skim fat. Stir in sour cream; heat just until warmed through, 3-5 minutes (do not allow to boil). If desired, sprinkle with parsley and additional paprika. Serve with hot cooked noodles or mashed potatoes.