Chicken paprikash

What it is

Paprikash is a dish from Hungarian cuisine, prepared in the families of the Hungarian community and served in restaurants in Berehove. The most famous version is chicken: pieces of chicken are stewed in a sauce made from onions, lard, and ground sweet paprika, and at the end, sour cream mixed with a spoonful of flour is added.

Paprikash differs from pörkölt in that it includes sour cream: it softens the paprika and makes the sauce a delicate pink. Sweet pepper and tomato are often added.

In paprikash, 'light' meat is used — chicken, veal, or fish; the most popular in the restaurants of Berehove is chicken and catfish paprikash.

Paprikash is served with small dumplings (Hungarian — nokedli), and less frequently with potatoes. Onions, lard, and red paprika are the basis of many Hungarian dishes in Transcarpathia, and ground paprika is found in almost every Hungarian family in the region.

History and name

The first printed recipe for 'Paprikás Csirke' was included by Hungarian chef István Cifrái in the 'National Culinary Book' in 1830. Like goulash, paprikash is considered a dish of Hungarian shepherds, cooked in a cauldron outdoors.

In a study of the gastronomy of the Berehove district (Transcarpathian Hungarian Institute named after Ferenc Rákóczi II, 2022), chicken paprikash and catfish paprikash were named among the most popular dishes in local restaurants. According to this study, ground red paprika is found in almost every Hungarian family in Transcarpathia.

Ingredients and allergens

Chicken1–1.5 kgHomemade chicken is the base for paprikash, which was adopted from Hungarian cuisine in Transcarpathia.

Ground paprika1–2 tbsp sweetThe main spice for bograch and Transcarpathian sausages.

Onion2–3 pcsFried onion in lard or oil is a common seasoning in Carpathian dishes.

Lard2–3 tbspRendered pork fat for frying deruny and hurka.

Sour cream200–300 gThick homemade sour cream is the base for banosh and machanka, a common dressing for Carpathian dishes.Contains allergens: milk

Wheat flour1 tbsp for the sauce + 250–300 g for dumplingsFor the dough of varenyky, palačinky, bobalyok, and pasky.Contains allergens: gluten

Eggs1–2 pcs (for dumplings)Chicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Bell pepper1–2 pcs, optionalFresh pepper for bograch — a Hungarian heritage of Transcarpathia.

Tomatoes1–2 pcs, optionalAdded to bograch at the end of stewing.

Also: garlic (1–2 cloves, optional), salt (to taste)

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 4–6 servings

• Chicken — 1–1.5 kg
• Ground paprika — 1–2 tbsp sweet
• Onion — 2–3 pcs
• Lard — 2–3 tbsp
• Bell pepper — 1–2 pcs
• Tomatoes — 1–2 pcs
• Garlic — 1–2 cloves
• Sour cream — 200–300 g
• Wheat flour — 1 tbsp for the sauce + 250–300 g for dumplings
• Eggs — 1–2 pcs (for dumplings)
• Salt — to taste

1. Finely chop the onion and slowly sauté it in lard until it becomes transparent; add garlic.
2. Remove the pot from the heat, add paprika, stir, and immediately pour in a little water to prevent the paprika from burning and becoming bitter.
3. Add pieces of chicken, salt, and diced pepper and tomato. Add only a little water: the chicken will release its juice.
4. Stew covered over low heat for 40–60 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally instead of stirring, so the meat does not fall apart.
5. Meanwhile, prepare a thin dough for the dumplings from flour, eggs, water, and salt, and cook small dumplings in salted boiling water.
6. Mix sour cream with a spoonful of flour, pour it into the sauce, gently stir, and bring to a boil.

How it is served

Hot, with dumplings (nokedli) drizzled with sauce; also with boiled potatoes or rice.

Variants

Paprikash can also be made with catfish, veal, or mushrooms. If sour cream is not added, it becomes pörkölt.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Berehove and other communities in Transcarpathia where the Hungarian community lives. The area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food

In tradition

In the families of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, paprikash is a common home dish, and in the restaurants of Berehove, it is one of the most popular. Locally sourced ground paprika is often used for it: Halyna Shchuka mentions 'Dobroni paprika' as a well-known spice of the region.

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