Hungarian Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke)

 Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 6–8 chicken thighs/drumsticks)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock

1 cup (240 g) sour cream

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Sauté the onion: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden.

Add the paprika: Remove the pot briefly from the heat and stir in the Hungarian paprika. This prevents the paprika from burning.

Cook the chicken: Add the chicken pieces, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat the chicken.

Simmer: Pour in the chicken stock. Cover and simmer over low heat for 35–45 minutes, until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.

Make the creamy sauce: Mix the sour cream with the flour until smooth. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce to the sour cream mixture and stir.

Finish: Slowly stir the sour-cream mixture into the pot. Simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Do not boil strongly.

Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serving

Serve hot with Hungarian dumplings (nokedli), egg noodles, rice, or crusty bread.

Tip: Use good-quality Hungarian sweet paprika—it is the key ingredient that gives the dish its characteri

stic color and flavor.