What makes this dish special is the Hungarian paprika, which can be either sweet or spicy depending on how it is prepared. If you visit Hungary, you’ll see that nearly every restaurant has a version of chicken paprikash on their menu!
The version of chicken paprikash I ate was on the spicy side, and I really liked it! The paprika sauce was very rich and creamy, and the noodles and chicken absorbed all the spice to make every bite very flavorful. It tasted like warm comfort food I’d love to eat on a cold winter day!
This version of chicken paprikash was prepared over a wood-burning fire, but it can also be prepared on the stove. The ingredients are also very simple: chicken, egg noodles, paprika, onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, stock, and sour cream. The onions and peppers are cooked together before adding the garlic and tomatoes. Finally, paprika is added to season everything. Then, the browned chicken is coated with the mixture before adding the stock. Everything simmers together to create a thick sauce, which is served over egg noodles and topped with sour cream.
If you want to make this dish vegetarian, you can substitute the chicken for mushrooms to make gomba paprikash (mushroom paprikash). It also tastes great and has just as much flavor as chicken paprikash!
Hungary is known for its paprika, a main ingredient in chicken paprikash. Hungary is one of the top producers of paprika in the world because the country’s climate and geography are ideal for growing the peppers paprika comes from.
