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Chicken paprikash is usually made with bone-in pieces of chicken, but I’m making my version with chicken breast for a quicker, easier weeknight dinner. The chicken stays beautifully tender, while a big spoonful of soured cream stirred in at the end makes the paprika-rich sauce taste silky and luxurious. A really good Hungarian paprika is key here, so I’ll show you the one I use to get the best flavour.
“We had this as a main for two people but did rice instead of pasta as we’d had pasta the night before. It was delicious and I’m sure will be with pasta as well. My husband had it the day after for lunch on it’s own and it was a huge bowl full and he loved it like that too. We loved it so much that it’s on our weekly menu.”
Nicky’s Notes
There’s something wonderfully comforting about a pan of chicken paprikash bubbling away on the hob. The aroma alone is enough to make people drift into the kitchen and start lifting lids.
My version takes a few practical shortcuts from the classic style, and I’m completely fine with that. I use chicken breast instead of bone-in pieces for a quicker cook, and it also includes tomatoes, which gives the sauce a little brightness. It still has that rich, cosy feel you want from chicken paprikash, just in a version that fits more neatly into everyday life.
It’s also the sort of dinner that wins people over unexpectedly. On paper, it sounds simple. On the plate, it tastes generous. That glossy paprika sauce clinging to pasta or spooned over mash does a lot of heavy lifting.
Table of Contents
What is Chicken Paprikash
Chicken paprikash is a comforting Hungarian dish made with chicken simmered in a rich paprika-based sauce, usually finished with sour cream for a silky, mellow finish. It’s known for its warm red colour, tender chicken, and cosy, savoury flavour.
It’s savoury, slightly sweet from the onions and paprika, and finished with that creamy tang that makes the sauce feel properly luxurious.
📋 Ingredients
- I’m using chicken breast instead of bone-in chicken, but it you prefer you can use bone-in pieces. You will need to simmer the dish for 20-30 minutes longer you do.
- Soured cream – don’t be tempested to go for low-fat or it may split when stirring it into the sauce. Full fat soured cream is best for the BEST flavour too.
Ingredient spotlight: Paprika
Paprika is the heart of this dish, so it’s worth using a good one. I recommend using Hungarian Sweet Paprika (<- affiliate link) because it has a richer colour, a better aroma and a deeper flavour than standard paprika. It really does make a difference. If you can’t find Hungarian paprika, regular paprika is absolutely fine — just try to use the freshest one you can get your hands on.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
**Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
Soften the chopped onion in a little butter and oil, then add the chicken pieces dusted in seasoned flour and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the paprika and garlic, then add the tinned tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes, then lid off for 10 minutes until thickened, stir through the soured cream, and serve.
Pro Tips
- Use Hungarian paprika for the most authentic flavour and colour.
- If you want the sauce to be a little thicker, just simmer for 5-10 minutes longer with the lid off.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
I love to drizzle over a little more soured cream and a sprinkling of parsley before serving. Chicken paprikash is all about giving that sauce something to cling to.
Pasta is a brilliant choice because it catches all that silky paprika sauce beautifully. Mashed potatoes are perfect when you want it to lean fully into comfort food, and bread is ideal for mopping up every last bit left on the plate.
Pictured above is a larger version of regular fusilli pasta called Fusilli Gigante (or Giganti). It’s usually in the luxury or world foods section of larger supermarkets.
📺 Watch how to make it
If you like seeing the texture and consistency before you cook, the video is well worth a watch. It gives a really helpful visual for how the sauce should look once the sour cream has been stirred through.
Chicken Paprikash Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil I use sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 3 chicken breasts approx. 525g/1.1lbs, chopped into bite-size chunks
- 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet or spiced paprika I use sweet, but use the spicy one if you like a little heat.
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes in juice
- 480 ml (2 cups) hot chicken stock
- 225 ml (1 cup) sour cream
To Serve:
- cooked pasta such as pappardelle, tagliatelle or penne
- handful of chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan (on that has a lid), over a medium-high heat.1 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add the chopped onion, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.1 large onion
- Toss the chicken breast pieces together with the flour, salt, and pepper.3 chicken breasts, 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken a few times, until lightly browned all over.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add in the paprika and minced cloves of garlic. Stir together for a minute to coat the chicken.2 tbsp Hungarian sweet or spiced paprika, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the stock and bring to the boil.400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes in juice, 480 ml (2 cups) hot chicken stock
- Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid, give everything as stir and simmer for a further 10 minutes, with the lid off, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir through half of the sour cream.225 ml (1 cup) sour cream
- Serve the chicken paprikash with pasta (it also tastes great with mashed potato!), topped with the rest of the sour cream and a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley. Oh and don't forget a hunk of bread on the side.cooked pasta, handful of chopped parsley
Video
Notes
Reheat in a pan, stirring occasionally until piping hot throughout. Freezing: Make the paprikash, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a pan, stirring occasionally until piping hot throughout. Scaling up or down Scale down the recipe to serve 2 by halving all of the ingredients. The method is the same, but you will probably only need to simmer for about 20 minutes instead of 25 minutes. Scale up the recipe to double the serving to 8 people by doubling all of the ingredients EXCEPT the chicken stock. Just use 480ml (2 cups) of chicken stock (so you’re keeping the amount the same as you would when making for 4 people) – otherwise it will take too long for the liquid to reduce down.
You can always add in an extra splash of stock if it needs it whilst simmering. Nutritional Information is per serving (serves 4) NOT including the pasta or parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken paprikash recipe was first posted in March 2021. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 Love a creamy chicken recipe?
🥘 My Blue Cast Iron
I get asked so many times about my blue casserole pan. I use it in loads of my recipes.
It’s a Le Creuset Signature Enamelled Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish With Lid, 30 cm, 3.2 Litres
Mine is ‘Marseille Blue’. It’s a real workhorse and has been used hundreds of times.
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Just delicious. Absolutely loved the flavour.Thank you for another great recipe .