Chicken Paprikash {Easy And Yummy Hungarian Recipe} (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.

Paprika paste is the vital base layer of many Hungarian stews, like gulyás (goulash), halászlé (fish stew), pörkölt (stew), lecsó (pepper stew), and csirke paprikás (paprika chicken). The paste is usually bloomed in hot oil, added just after onions, garlic, or other mirepoix to build flavor and body.

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.

In Hungary there are many kinds of paprika, but in U.S. grocery stores you will likely just find one version that either comes from Hungary or from California. Paprika is the Hungarian word for pepper, and Hungarian-style paprika is not smoked, but rather fairly sweet.

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.

After paprika, garlic and onion bulbs are some of the most popular aromatics, either or both being used in most every savoury dish. Herbs are also a key component of Hungarian cuisine, with dill, bay leaf, marjoram, and parsley being the most common.

The Backbone of Hungarian Cuisine

“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.”

The rose paprika of Hungary is generally considered the finest variety. It is made from choice dark red pods that have a sweet flavour and aroma. A sharper Hungarian variety, Koenigspaprika, or king's paprika, is made from the whole pepper.

Lunch in Hungary usually begins with a soup. Unike in many Eastern European countries, few soups have a characteristically sour taste. At the top of the soup hierarchy sits the flavorful húsleves, literally meat soup, usually made from long-simmered beef or poultry. No wedding reception is complete without it.

What do Hungarians call paprika? ›

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

McCormick® Culinary® Hungarian Style Paprika uses only the highest quality peppers to deliver a sweet and slightly pungent flavor, and a deep red color. Specially made for chefs to inspire extraordinary menus and deliver consistent recipes.

Hungarian paprika is made using blends of different varieties of pepper. There are eight different grades, which are sorted according to sweetness, heat levels and coarseness. There are some hotter grades, known as csipős or erős, but sweeter, more flavourful paprika is more commonly used.

Paprika is rich in iron and vitamin E, two micronutrients vital for healthy blood. Iron is a crucial part of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that helps carry oxygen throughout your body, while vitamin E is needed to create healthy membranes for these cells ( 31 , 32 ).

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 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).