Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash with Nokedli (Csirkepaprikás)

A Hungarian classic of bone-in chicken braised slowly with sweet paprika and onion, then enriched at the end with sour cream into a silky, deep-red sauce, spooned over tender egg dumplings (nokedli).

Prep

20 min

Cook

70 min

Total

90 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.4 kg (about 3 lb) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, mixed cuts give the best flavor and body in the sauce
• •5 g (1 tbsp) fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) lard or unsalted butter, lard is more traditional; schmaltz works too
• •300 g (about 2 medium) yellow onions, finely chopped
• •30 g (¼ cup) sweet Hungarian paprika (Édes), use genuine Hungarian sweet paprika, not Spanish smoked or hot paprika
• •5 g (1½ tsp) hot Hungarian paprika (Erős), optional; add to taste for warmth
• •2 g (1 tsp) sweet Hungarian caraway seeds, optional but traditional, lightly crushed
• •250 ml (1 cup) warm chicken stock or water
• •1 whole small bay leaf
• •200 g (¾ cup) sour cream (full-fat), traditional Hungarian tejföl; crème fraîche works well too
• •15 g (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour, for the sour-cream liaison
• •300 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour (for nokedli)
• •2 whole large eggs (for nokedli)
• •120 ml (½ cup) lukewarm water (for nokedli), adjust as needed
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine salt (for nokedli)
• •15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter (for nokedli), to finish the dumplings
• •10 g (2 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to garnish

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken pieces dry and season all over with the salt. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prep the onions; this dries the skin so it browns well and seasons the meat evenly.
2. 2 Make the nokedli dough: in a bowl, whisk the eggs, water, and ½ tsp salt. Stir in the 300 g flour to make a thick, smooth, stretchy batter that slowly drops from the spoon (a bit looser than American drop biscuit dough). Rest while the chicken cooks.
3. 3 Heat the lard or butter in a wide heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches skin-side down, brown the chicken thighs and drumsticks for about 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden. Transfer to a plate; do not crowd the pot.
4. 4 Pour off all but about 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the fat. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onions with a small pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the onions are soft, translucent, and just turning pale gold; they should never color deeply, or the paprika will turn bitter.
5. 5 Take the pot off the heat and let the onions cool for about 15 seconds. Sprinkle in the sweet paprika, the hot paprika if using, and the caraway. Stir constantly for 10 to 15 seconds so the paprika blooms in the residual heat and dissolves into the onion fat; do not let it scorch on direct flame.
6. 6 Return the chicken to the pot along with any juices. Pour in the warm stock, add the bay leaf, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender; the thighs should read 75°C / 165°F on an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part and pull easily from the bone.
7. 7 While the chicken finishes, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Scrape the nokedli batter onto a wet wooden board (or hold a perforated skimmer over the pot) and slide the dough off in small bits with a wet teaspoon or push it through the holes with a rubber spatula, dropping each piece into the boiling water. Alternatively, use a nokedli / spätzle press.
8. 8 Cook the nokedli for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float and look set. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain, and toss with the 15 g butter in a bowl; cover to keep warm while you finish the sauce.
9. 9 Make the sour-cream liaison: in a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and flour together until completely smooth, with no lumps.
10. 10 Remove the bay leaf from the chicken. Slide the chicken to one side and lower the heat to its very lowest setting. Ladle about 120 ml (½ cup) of the hot sauce into the sour-cream mixture and whisk to temper, then stir the tempered mixture back into the pot. Warm the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes until silky and just thick enough to coat a spoon; do not let it boil, or the sour cream will break and turn grainy.
11. 11 Taste the sauce and adjust with more salt or a pinch of sugar if the paprika tastes sharp. Remove from the heat.
12. 12 To serve, spoon a bed of nokedli onto each plate or a large platter, arrange the chicken pieces on top, and ladle the sauce over. Scatter with the chopped parsley and serve immediately with extra sour cream on the side if you like.