Chicken Paprikash Recipe | Small Town Woman (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken paprikash sauce made of? ›

Paprikas csirke is made with pan seared bone-in chicken pieces tat are then braised in a simple sauce made with chicken stock, onions, garlic, tomato paste or tomatoes, and lots of good quality sweet Hungarian paprika. The one thing you mustn't skimp on is using good Hungarian paprika.

Paprikash, or paprikas in Hungarian, is a traditional paprika-based stew. The most famous preparation is chicken paprikash (paprikas csirke), although veal is sometimes used. Bone-in chicken pieces are browned in butter or lard, then braised until tender in a sauce of onions, garlic, water and paprika.

As the story goes, around 1920, a Gundel chef seeking to mimic the French use of heavy cream to create luxurious sauces doctored a chicken pörkölt with the more common option in Hungary—sour cream. The resulting thickened, tangy and boldly red sauce became the hallmark of what is now chicken paprikash.

Hungarian paprika is often lauded as the most desirable and most flavorful iteration of the spice. It can be either hot or sweet and is made using ground Hungarian paprika chile peppers. In Hungary, paprika is further divided into eight categories based on gradations of sweetness and hotness.

If you don't have this everyday version on hand, you can use sweet Hungarian paprika as a substitute. Because regular paprika is mainly used for color rather than flavor, though, expect the flavor of your dish to change if the recipe calls for a decent amount of the spice.

Due to the favourable climate, and geographical conditions Hungarian paprika has a bright red colour and a distinctive rich flavour that allowed Hungary to became one of the leading producers in the world. Kalocsa and Szeged in the southern part of Hungary are the heart of production in Hungary.

In Hungary, paprika is grown in the Kalocsa and Szeged regions, where the climate is drier and the sun burns longer, giving the peppers their unique color and sweet zest.

“It's an essential ingredient in Hungarian cuisine and it gives many dishes their brilliant, orange-red colour and intense, peppery flavour and aroma. Paprika can be sweet, hot and even smoked – and it comes in different grades of coarseness and colour.”

Lunch is the major meal of the day, traditionally with several courses, but often just one course in modern times. Cold or hot appetizers may be served sometimes (for example, fish, egg or liver), then soup. Soup is followed by a main dish.

In Hungary this traditional food is called veresbors, while the pepper itself is called fűszerpaprika.

What wine goes with chicken paprikash? ›

Suggested pairing

We recommend serving a full-bodied Hungarian white, such as Disznókő Dry Furmint.

Their beloved paprika has been banned from stores and markets after one-third of test samples were found poisoned with lead oxide. The drastic action was taken by health authorities last week after nearly 50 people were hospitalized with stomach aches, paralysis of limbs and other symptoms of lead poisoning.

Goulash terminologies can be confusing. Abroad, goulash has retained its original meaning — a paprika-strewn beef stew usually served with egg dumplings (galuska or nokedli) on the side. A paprikash is essentially the same thing except it's made with chicken or veal and finished with sour cream.

Paprika contains high levels of vitamins C and E, with the former providing protection against cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. The iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium also found in paprika helps to purify the blood and keep the heart healthy.

What Does Paprikash Taste Like? Paprikash is a hearty chicken stew, that although simple in it's ingredients, is complex and rich. The primary ingredient and therefore flavour, is paprika which is earthy and fruity.

Paprika is the Hungarian word for pepper, and Hungarian-style paprika is not smoked, but rather fairly sweet. It was the Turks who introduced the chilies to Hungary, and it's a very popular spice in Hungarian cuisine, giving distinctive flavor to soups and stews such as chicken paprikash and beef goulash.

Paprika is a spice powder made from drying and then grinding the pods of several different types of Capsicum annuum peppers (and in Hungarian the word paprika, confusingly, also refers to the peppers themselves).