Slow-simmered Chicken Paprikash

Chicken paprikash is one of those Hungarian dishes that lives or dies by the paprika. Use the dusty pre-ground stuff in the back of your spice rack and you’ll get a flat, ordinary chicken stew. Use fresh, fragrant Hungarian sweet paprika and you’ll understand why this dish is the national pride of Hungarian home cooking.

Blooming the paprika in hot fat for a full minute before adding the onions is the technique most home cooks skip. The fat releases the paprika’s water-soluble red pigment and oil-soluble flavor compounds, building a deep, brick-red base that infuses the entire dish. Done right, the chicken comes out colored a glowing red-orange.

Lard is traditional and gives the most authentic flavor, but a neutral oil works too. The fresh chiles add gentle heat without overpowering the paprika, and the tomato tempers everything with a touch of acid.

The sour cream finish is the textural payoff. Whisking the cream with flour first prevents curdling, and stirring in a cup of hot pan juices before adding it back tempers the cream so it integrates into the sauce as a glossy, tangy finish instead of breaking into curds.

Serve over wide egg noodles or traditional Hungarian nokedli dumplings to catch every drop of the sauce.

Chef Tips

• Buy Hungarian sweet paprika if you can find it. The flavor is incomparable to standard supermarket paprika.
• Don’t let the paprika scorch. Burned paprika tastes bitter and ruins the dish. Bloom over moderate heat, not high.
• Use bone-in, skin-on chicken for the most flavor. Boneless breasts dry out in the long simmer.
• Temper the sour cream gradually. Cold cream into hot pot equals broken sauce.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of hot Hungarian paprika alongside the sweet for more heat.
• Stir in 1⁄2 cup heavy cream alongside the sour cream for a richer, mellower sauce.
• Use pork shoulder cubes in place of chicken for a hearty pork paprikash.