Chicken Paprikash {Easy And Yummy Hungarian Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

What is 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.

Both paprikash and goulash are paprika-based stews, but goulash is made with beef and vegetables, while paprikash is most typically made with chicken. Recipes vary, but goulash is usually not thickened with flour like paprikash is, and goulash typically isn't enriched with cream or sour cream.

Chicken paprikash (Hungarian: paprikás csirke or csirkepaprikás) or paprika chicken is a popular dish of Hungarian origin and one of the most famous variations on the paprikás preparations common to Hungarian tables. The name is derived from paprika, a spice commonly used in the country's cuisine.

Sour Cream – This will help add fat and thicken up our sauce. Flour – All-purpose flour is used to help thicken the Paprikash sauce.

Hungarian paprika is made from peppers that are harvested and then sorted, toasted, and blended to create different varieties. All Hungarian paprikas have some degree of rich, sweet red pepper flavor, but they range in pungency and heat.

Spanish paprika is typically of the sweet variety and is made from Spanish chiles. 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.

Soon, working-class Hungarians realized paprika could be used in traditionally bare-bones dishes like goulash (gulyás) to pack a cost-effective punch. During the culinary revelations of the last century, chefs realized the paprika's color made their food look more appetizing and added a refined taste as a side effect.

Hungary's national dish

Gulyás, known to English speakers as goulash, is a spicy meat stew containing lots of paprika pepper. Originally, it was eaten by the country's cattle herders and stockmen.

One of the best Hungaric*ms, i.e. real and high-quality Hungarian products is the ground rose paprika. As Encyclopedia Britannica writes: 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.

The name originates from the Hungarian gulyás [ˈɡujaːʃ]. The word gulya means 'herd of cattle' in Hungarian, and gulyás means 'herdsman' or 'cowboy'.

What does paprika mean in Hungary? ›

Legend has it that paprika was first grown by monks who wept from its hot taste when they tried to eat it. A more likely origin of the word, however, is the South Slavic term 'papar', meaning pepper. The hotness of traditional Hungarian paprika is preserved in the world-famous Erős Pista.

Paprika gives these dishes their brilliant orange color, and the intense peppery flavor and aroma so characteristic of Hungarian cuisine. “There is something about paprika itself that makes it synonymous with 'Hungarian.

The Szegedi paprika is a paprika that is known all over the world. It is a staple in Hungarian cooking, and my kitchen, and can be both sweet and spicy. I grew up smelling the aroma of the paprika in both my mother and grandmother's kitchen in the city and the country home.

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.

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.