Easy Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings, a flavourful Hungarian dish ideal for a midweek dinner. It's ready in about 30 minutes, and can be enjoyed by the whole family. No need for a side dish either, the dumplings make it a complete meal. Simple, easy to make and delicious!
One more quick chicken dinner over here, this time with Hungarian flavours. After my Easy One-Pot Chicken Goulash, which is another favourite Hungarian dish of mine, I decided that I can't have enough of the Hungarian sweet paprika, and had to use it again.
Was it worth paying that extra bit to get the real paprika? Definitely! It's a shame that it's not easily available in shops, perhaps in larger ones that have an international aisle, otherwise you can purchase it online.
I absolutely love the vibrant red colour and sweet taste, which is far better than the cheaper options we get in stores. Any dish you add some paprika to gets a lovely redish colour, and makes the sauce taste so delicious.
This Hungarian chicken paprikash is a simple chicken dish with an onion and paprika sauce and homemade flour dumplings that are fluffy, and dead easy to make.
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How to make chicken paprikash
I used skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for this paprikash, but you can use drumsticks, chicken leg quarters or chicken breast too. However, if you use chicken breasts, the cooking time will be less, I reckon about 20 minutes maximum cooking.
- season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper
- heat up the oil in a large pan, add the chicken thighs and fry on both sides until light brown, it should take about 3 minutes on each side
Note! At this point the chickens thighs are not cooked, just seared, but they will cook further with the sauce.
- remove the chicken thighs from the pan, and add the chopped onions. Fry on a low to medium heat until golden, then add the garlic and paprika and bring the chicken thighs back to the pan
Note! Add the water quickly, otherwise the paprika will have a bitter taste if it's on the heat for a long time.
- add the hot water (or chicken stock/broth), tomato paste and leave to cook with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced
- season with salt, pepper and dried thyme
How to make dumplings for the paprikash
While the chicken in cooking in the sauce, we can make the dumplings. They cook very quickly, so make sure you make them towards the end when the chicken is almost ready.
- beat the egg well (ideally with a hand mixer) add a pinch of salt, the oil and flour, and mix to get a smooth paste
Note! Make sure that the egg is beaten well, otherwise the dumplings will be quite tough and rubbery, rather than light and fluffy.
- bring a pan of salted water to the boil, and use a spoon to scoop out about 5-6 soft balls from the flour paste and drop them in the water - they will triple their volume, and be cooked in about 2-3 minutes
- once the dumplings are ready, add them to the paprikash, garnish with chopped parsley, and remove from the heat
What to serve with chicken paprikash
If you make the paprikash without dumplings, you can choose to have carbs and veggies on the side for a complete meal; or just veggies if you are looking for a low-carb meal option.
Carbs that work well here: noodles, rice, flatbread, mashed potatoes or even pasta of any kind. Or a nice tabbouleh salad, anything works really.
As for veggies, I like to go for Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic, or steamed vegetables of any kind, broccoli, sprouts, carrots, and so on. And there you have, a fabulous chicken recipe to make you lick your fingers clean.
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Easy Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings, a flavourful Hungarian dish ideal for a midweek dinner. It's ready in about 30 minutes, and can be enjoyed by the whole family. No need for a side dish either, the dumplings make it a complete meal. Simple, easy to make and delicious!
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
- 2 cups hot water (or chicken stock/broth)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- a pinch of salt
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To make the paprikash, heat up the oil, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and fry on both sides until light brown.
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Remove from the pan and set aside.
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Peel and chop the onions, and add them to the pan (add more oil if necessary), and fry on a low to medium heat until golden.
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Add the garlic and paprika, bring the chicken thighs back in, add the water, tomato sauce and leave to cook on a medium heat with the lid on until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced.
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Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Beat the egg well with a hand mixer until foamy, add the oil and sifted flour, and mix well to get a smooth paste.
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Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, and use a spoon to scoop out about 5-6 balls from the flour paste.
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Drop them in the water, and cook for 2-3 minutes until they triple their volume and are soft and fluffy.
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Season the sauce with salt, pepper and thyme, add the dumplings to the chicken, and garlish with fresh parsley.
Barb C
This sounds great! Could you maybe put in a bit more onion, paprika and water and cook the dumplings with the chicken? Thanks!
Daniela Anderson
Yes, the dumplings can be cooked with the chicken too, l just wanted a variety of colours, so decided to cook them separately so they can keep the white colour, otherwise they can all be made in one pot.
Connie Thomas
I cook my dumplings separately cause they in tend to get soggy
Daniela Apostol
These dumplings don't get soggy, it's safe to cook them together.