Creamy, smoky and full of irresistible flavours, this Hungarian-inspired Chicken Paprikash will instantly become one of your favourite dishes!
Modest ingredients with lots of love
Not too good for my waist but so good for my tastebuds, I just can’t get enough of creamy dishes! Bring on creamy savoury sauces and creamy dessert because you’ll never hear me say no. This New Year’s resolution can always start tomorrow!
Lucky for me, this creamy Chicken Paprikash isn’t too bad with the calorie count. When I first dived into a plate of one of Hungary’s most famous dishes, I fell head over heels in love with this dish.
A dish I thought would be quite difficult to replicate at home, but I was wrong! This Hungarian-inspired Chicken Paprikash is quite simple, but it’ll knock your socks off.
All we need is modest ingredients with a lot of love! Good quality smoked paprika, and a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, like garlic, wine, tomato paste, chicken stock and sour cream.
I’ve used boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets, which were seared, and cooked until they were tender. Then it’s all about that winning paprikash sauce; creamy, smoky, and slightly sour. I could go on for days about how amazing this sauce is!
The wardrobe game
We just returned from our impromptu 3-day road trip from Mudgee, a rural town famous for its wineries. Probably not an ideal trip with a toddler, but our 3-year-old Kai loved it.
When we arrived, I passed out from the long drive so Tomi (hubby) had to entertain Kai for a couple of hours, or perhaps it was the other way around.
Kai invented the wardrobe game on the spot. He asked hubby to stand inside a wardrobe, then he slid the door close. ‘See you later! Daddy, go to work now!’ He said in his little but high-pitched voice.
Filled with imagination, Kai then pretended they were in a lift together and squished himself inside the dark wardrobe with hubby. He would then tell Tomi to press different floor numbers.
Kai instructed Tomi to stay in the wardrobe, then he heard his little feet running out of the room. He took a while to return, so hubby thought he forgot about the game, but sure enough, little fingers slid the door open. ‘Here daddy’ he hands over a tiny box of his sultanas. ‘Just in case you get hungry’ before sliding the door closed again.
I was almost in tears from laughter when hubby filled me in. I couldn’t believe hubby had to stand still in the wardrobe for almost an hour! My laughter stopped immediately when hubby goes to Kai ‘Why don’t you now show mummy your wardrobe game’
More satisfyingly good dishes to try:
Meatballs in Tomato Herb Sauce
Ukrainian-inspired Beef and Potato Stew
Chicken, Potato & Olive Provencal
Easy Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs
Ingredients for Chicken Paprikash
Skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets are my preferred cut because it’s much juicier and tastier than chicken breast. However, chicken breasts will work too, just slightly drier.
Smoked paprika – Traditionally Hungarian smoked paprika is used in Chicken Paprikash but it’s hard to get hold of here, so I used Spanish smoked paprika. To get a beautiful smoky flavour in the sauce, make sure your smoked paprika is still good. It should have a strong smokey aroma; if it doesn’t, it’s no longer good.
Chicken stock/broth – I prefer using salt-reduced or low-sodium chicken stock because I have more control over the sodium level. This way I can adjust the seasoning in dishes to my liking. It’s always better to be under-seasoned than over-seasoned as it’s easier to fix.
Dry white wine is lower in sugar levels than other varieties of white wine. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are popular dry white wine varieties.
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How to make Chicken Paprikash
Step-by-step guide with photos
Season the chicken thighs all over with some salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat, then fry 2 or 3 chicken thighs at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear it. Transfer the chicken to a plate for later.
Use paper towels with tongs to remove most of the fat in the frying pan. A little oil or film remaining in the pan is good.
In the same frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add in the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add in the paprika and stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then pour in the wine. Cook the wine until the alcohol smell disappears, then add in the stock, tomato paste, oregano and chicken powder. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
Return the chicken to the pan in a single layer and simmer for 8 minutes on each side (16 minutes of cooking time in total)
Gather the chicken to the side of the pan, then stir in the sour cream in the sauce until it melts. Place the chicken back into one layer and cook just until the sauce is well heated through (approx. 2-3 minutes). Give the sauce a taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking if needed.
Serving suggestions – Chicken Paprikash goes well with so many things: potatoes, fries, green beans, crusty bread, and salads.
Leftovers – Allow the chicken to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It should be good for up to 3 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 6 small to medium chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) (NOTE 1)
- salt and pepper to season and taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil (mild or light)
- 40 gm unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika (NOTE 2)
- ½ cup dry white wine (NOTE 3)
- ½ cup salt-reduced chicken stock (low sodium) (NOTE 4)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chicken powder (or chicken stock powder/cube)
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs all over with some salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat, then fry 2 or 3 chicken thighs at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear it. Transfer the chicken to a plate for later.
- Use paper towels with tongs to remove most of the fat in the frying pan. A little oil or film remaining in the pan is good.
- In the same frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add in the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add in the paprika and stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then pour in the wine. Cook the wine until the alcohol smell disappears, then add in the stock, tomato paste, oregano and chicken powder. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
- Return the chicken to the pan in a single layer and simmer for 8 minutes on each side (16 minutes of cooking time in total)
- Gather the chicken to the side of the pan, then stir in the sour cream in the sauce until it melts. Place the chicken back into one layer and cook just until the sauce is well heated through (approx. 2-3 minutes). Give the sauce a taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking if needed.
