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This authentic chicken paprikash recipe comes from my mom who grew up in Budapest, Hungary! This signature Hungarian dish is the real deal.

Chicken Paprikash

What is Chicken Paprikash?

Chicken paprikash is a traditional Hungarian dish made with chicken stewed in a paprika sauce that’s finished with sour cream and served with nokedli (basically the Hungarian version of spaetzle) or egg noodles.

My mom, Judy, grew up in Budapest, Hungary and moved to the US when she was an adult. Hungarian is her first language, and I grew up eating and cooking traditional dishes that she prepared like chicken paprikash, goulash, and nokedli!

This year for Mother’s Day, I’m honoring my mom and mother in law on the blog with recipes that are developed by them, and I’ve gotten a lot of requests to make some of the recipes from my heritage here on the blog. The thing about Hungarian food, is that it’s very nightshade heavy, so I struggled to make AIP version. I did manage to make an AIP goulash in my cookbook, but I decided to forgo the idea of making an AIP chicken paprikash, and just share the traditional, real deal straight from my mom!

This recipe is gluten-free and can be made paleo and dairy-free when swapping the sour cream.

The Ingredients for The Chicken Paprikash

  • Lard (or bacon grease)
  • Chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in both works)
  • Onions & garlic
  • Bell pepper
  • Roma tomatoes
  • Carraway seeds
  • Paprika
  • Salt & pepper to taste

How to Make Chicken Paprikash

  • Brown the chicken: Using a deep, heavy pan (with a lid) heat the lard on medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  • Add the vegetables: In the same pan, add the onions and fry until golden brown.  Add the garlic, tomatoes pepper, ground caraway seeds and fry another 2-3 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).
  • Add the chicken and make the sauce: Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat.  Pour in the chicken broth.  The chicken should be mostly covered. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 – 60 minutes. The chicken should read an internal temperature of 165 F.
  • Serve: Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the sour cream and gently stiring into the sauce. Serve topped with parsley and with a side of gluten-free nokedli, egg noodles or cauliflower rice.

Chicken Paprikash

What do you serve with chicken paprikash?

Can you make this recipe without sour cream?

You can swap the sour cream for something like coconut cream with a pinch of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice!

Can you make this recipe AIP/nightshade free?

Since paprika is the star of the show, it can’t really be made paprika free without totally changing the recipe. This recipe is 100% developed by my mom, so as someone with nightshade intolerance, I haven’t had it in years. But trust me, I ate it as a kid and can vouch for it that it’s delicious!

Chicken Paprikash

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Authentic Chicken Paprikash

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Judy
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Cuisine: Hungarian
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Description

This traditional recipe from my mom is an authetntic Hungarian classic!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp lard (sub bacon fat)
  • 3 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in
  • 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 ripe Roma tomato, finely chopped (if not in season sub with 1.5 tbsp of tomato paste)
  • 1 tsp ground caraway seeds
  • 3–4 tbsp Hungarian paprika (adjust to taste)
  • 1.5–2 cups chicken broth (only use enough to barely cover the chicken)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (sub this for dairy-free/paleo)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Using a deep, heavy pan (with a lid) heat the lard on medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, add the onions and fry until golden brown.  Add the garlic, tomatoes pepper, ground caraway seeds and fry another 2-3 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt and pepper (paprika becomes bitter if scorched).
  3. Return the chicken to the pot and place it back over the heat.  Pour in the chicken broth.  The chicken should be mostly covered.
  4. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 – 60 minutes. The chicken should read an internal temperature of 165 F.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the sour cream and gently stiring into the sauce.
  6. Serve topped with parsley and with a side of gluten-free nokedli, egg noodles or cauliflower rice.

Notes

All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 520
  • Fat: 19.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 27.4g
  • Fiber: 4.1g
  • Protein: 59.8g