Chicken Paprikas with Dumplings

Chicken paprikash (paprikas in Hungarian) is one of Hungary’s most beloved comfort dishes, the kind of stew Hungarian grandmothers have been making for generations. Onions sauteed in butter create the foundation, then a generous tablespoon of paprika blooms in the warm fat to develop its full color and flavor before the chicken joins the pot.

The sour cream finish is what makes this paprikash and not goulash. A tablespoon of flour mixed with a full cup of sour cream tempers and thickens the pan juices into a silky, brick-red sauce that coats the chicken without curdling. The flour stabilizes the dairy so it can stand up to the residual heat without breaking.

The homemade dumplings (nokedli or galuska) are non-negotiable. Two cups of flour, two eggs, water, and salt mix into a sticky batter that gets dropped by tiny teaspoons directly into boiling salted water. They cook in seconds, rising to the surface when done. These free-form dumplings catch the paprika cream sauce in their irregular crevices in a way no pasta or rice can match.

Dip your spoon in the boiling water between drops to prevent the batter from sticking, as the recipe instructs. Otherwise you’ll end up wrestling a doughy spoon.

Pro Tips

• Use Hungarian sweet paprika, not generic supermarket paprika; the difference in color and flavor is dramatic.
• Bloom the paprika in butter for 15-30 seconds before adding chicken; raw paprika tastes flat and dusty.
• Stir the sour cream mixture into the pan juices off the heat or on very low heat; high temperatures break the dairy and leave you with curdled sauce.
• Make the dumplings while the chicken finishes simmering so everything is hot and ready at the same time.

Variations

• Add a half teaspoon of caraway seeds to the onions for a more savory, slightly licorice-edged flavor.
• Use bone-in chicken thighs for richer, more forgiving meat that stays juicy through long cooking.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste for a deeper, redder sauce.