Chicken paprikash and the classic Hungarian pasta nokedli are perfect partners and are almost always served together. Nokedli is made from a simple homemade noodle dough – similar to a very thick pancake batter – which is pressed through a special tool with holes directly into boiling water. The little dumpling-like noodles cook in just a few minutes before being drained and served.
The traditional Hungarian nokedli maker can be hard to find outside Hungary, but a German spaetzle maker works almost the same way.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
3 tbsp pork fat (or vegetable oil)
2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 1 cup / 120 g each)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bell pepper (or Hungarian wax pepper), finely chopped (about 3 oz / 90 g)
1 tomato, diced (about 4 oz / 110 g)
2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp whole caraway seeds
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (about 3.7 lbs / 1.7 kg)
2 tbsp sweet paprika powder
Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley to decorate
For the thickening mixture (habarás):
¾ cup sour cream (175 g)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Method
Sauté onions and garlic:
Heat the pork fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.Add vegetables and spices:
Stir in the chopped bell pepper, diced tomato, bay leaves, and caraway seeds. Cook for another 2 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.Brown the chicken:
Add the chicken pieces to the pot and brown lightly over medium-high heat on all sides.Add paprika and seasoning:
Spoon in the paprika powder, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat the chicken evenly.Simmer the stew:
Pour in enough water to just cover the chicken (about 3¼ cups / 800 ml, adjust depending on the size of your chicken). Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook over medium heat for approximately 50 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.Prepare the sour cream thickening (habarás):
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour until smooth. Add about a ladleful of the hot cooking liquid to the mixture, stirring to temper it and prevent curdling. Gradually stir the mixture back into the pot to thicken the sauce.Finish and serve:
Simmer for another minute, then remove from heat. Serve the chicken paprikash hot, with your choice of side—traditionally nokedli (Hungarian dumpling noodles) or pasta, even rice and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
Chicken paprikash is one of my favorite Hungarian dishes! I like how you added the cucumber salad. :)
Thanks Suzanne, I like this one a lot too, makes a good dinner party piece or family meal. Goes well with pasta or rice as well, but I always do the cucumber salad :)
[…] alternative to meat dishes with all the taste. It’s very similar to the Hungarian classic paprika chicken but with […]
I love this plate, mi mother-in-law did not used water on the nakedly, only eggs.
I guess that different regions in the course using the family recipe from pregenerations