Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Dumplings

Twig arrived with a question. “Why is it called paprikash?” Gerzsi held up a red tin. “Because of this. Sweet paprika.” Chicken paprikash is one of the classic dishes of Hungary, and the paprika is what turns the sauce that warm red-orange color.

Twig’s job was the dumpling dough. She stirred flour, salt, an egg and water until her spoon got stuck, then kneaded it with both paws until it was smooth. Boiling water is a grown-up job, so Gerzsi pinched off little walnut-sized pieces and dropped them into the pot. Twig counted them. She lost count at forty-one.

The chicken went into the Dutch oven next, dusted with flour, and came out golden. Then the onion, the green pepper, the tomatoes and the paprika went in, and the whole kitchen turned warm and sweet. Clyde pushed his head through the window and sniffed. “That smells red,” he said. Nobody knew what that meant, but everybody agreed.

Then came the sour cream. Gerzsi had the cold tub in one paw and was about to tip it straight into the bubbling pot. Chef Tamás took the tub, spooned the sour cream into a small bowl with the flour and set a ladle of hot sauce beside it. Then he tapped the recipe card at step 8. Gerzsi whisked the hot sauce in a little at a time, stirred everything back into the pot, and the sauce stayed silky.

The dumplings got two minutes in a skillet with butter and parsley. Twig had the first spoonful of everything. Her verdict: “More dumplings.” Clyde’s verdict, from the window: “More of everything.”

Why this one works

A light coat of flour helps the chicken brown and thickens the sauce a little later on. The paprika cooks for a few minutes with the onion, pepper and tomato, so its flavor opens up in the oil. The sour cream is mixed with flour and warmed with some of the hot sauce before it goes into the pot, so it blends in smoothly instead of separating.

Chicken Paprikash with Buttered Dumplings

• Servings: 4
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Time: 50 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Chicken braised in a sweet paprika, tomato and sour cream sauce, with small homemade egg dumplings tossed in butter and parsley.

Ingredients

For the dumplings
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
For the chicken and sauce
• 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 lb (1.4 to 1.8 kg), cut into 6 to 8 pieces, skin removed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 Italian frying pepper, chopped, divided
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup (about 150 g) finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chicken broth
• 3/4 cup (180 g) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
To finish
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil for the dumplings.
2. Dough: Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and make a hollow in the middle. Pour in the egg and water, stir until a dough forms, then knead it for a few minutes until smooth.
3. Cook the dumplings: Pinch or scoop off pieces about the size of a walnut and drop them into the boiling water. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender all the way through. Drain, rinse under cold water and cover with a clean towel.
4. Prepare the chicken: While the water heats, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Roll them in the 1/2 cup flour and shake off what doesn’t stick.
5. Brown: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Lift it out onto a plate.
6. Build the sauce: Add the paprika, half of the chopped pepper, the tomatoes and the onion to the pot. Stir for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Keep stirring, because paprika scorches quickly.
7. Simmer: Return the chicken to the pot, pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the chicken is cooked through (165°F / 74°C in the thickest part).
8. Sour cream: In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream with the 2 tablespoons flour. Whisk in about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the hot sauce from the pot, a little at a time. Stir the mixture into the pot and take it off the heat.
9. Butter the dumplings: Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings and parsley and toss for about 2 minutes, until hot.
10. Serve: Scatter the rest of the chopped pepper over the chicken and serve the buttered dumplings alongside.

An Italian frying pepper is a mild, light green pepper. A Cubanelle works too. Once the sour cream is in, don’t let the sauce boil, or it can split. The dumplings can be cooked a few hours ahead. Keep them covered and warm them in the butter just before serving.

🛒 Worth buying for this recipe

• Le Creuset Signature 5½-Quart Round Dutch Oven. The 5 to 6 quart winner in America’s Test Kitchen’s Dutch oven test. Heavy enameled cast iron browns the chicken evenly and holds a gentle simmer. Check price. See it on Amazon
• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7 qt Enameled Cast Iron Casserole. The Best Buy in the same America’s Test Kitchen test. Plenty of room for a whole cut-up chicken. Check price. See it on Amazon
• T-fal Experience Nonstick Fry Pan, 12.5 inch. The Best Buy in America’s Test Kitchen’s nonstick skillet test. Big enough to toss all the dumplings in butter at once. About $45 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• OXO Good Grips Scoop and Strain Skimmer. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s spider skimmer test. It lifts a whole batch of dumplings out of the water in one go. Check price. See it on Amazon
• OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s tongs test. For turning the chicken pieces while they brown. About $18 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8″ Chef’s Knife. The winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s chef’s knife test. For cutting up the chicken and chopping the onion and pepper. About $47 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
• FAAY 13.5″ Teak Cooking Spoon. A co-winner in America’s Test Kitchen’s wooden spoon test. Its flat edge keeps the paprika moving so it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Check price. See it on Amazon

How Chef Tamás makes it

Chef Tamás cooks his paprikash in lard or bacon fat instead of oil, and he uses only chicken thighs. His thickener is sour cream, milk, cream and flour, and he finishes the sauce with a little butter so it turns silky.

🧰 Tools we use

Tamás didn’t name brands for this one. The linked models are America’s Test Kitchen’s picks for the same jobs.

• A cast-iron Dutch oven. See the ATK pick on Amazon
• A big pot for the dumpling water. See the ATK stockpot pick on Amazon
• A nokedli maker (a dumpling grater) for the galuska.

💡 Chef Tamás’s tricks

• Take the pot off the heat before the paprika goes onto the onion, so it doesn’t burn.
• Cook the onion slowly, until it turns translucent.
• It needs tomato and pepper, a lecsó base.
• Toss the galuska in butter or lard.
• The most common mistakes he sees: burnt, bitter paprika, sour cream that curdles, sticky or hard dumplings, overcooked dry chicken, a thin and bland sauce, and too little salt.
• How he serves it: with sour cream on top, or with tarhonya (Hungarian egg barley) or boiled pasta.
• He keeps the galuska separate from the sauce. Paprikash keeps for 1 to 2 days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.

Adapted from Chicken Paprikash on Saveur. Cooked our way at the inn.

Sources

• Saveur: Chicken Paprikash
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best Dutch ovens
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best nonstick skillets
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best spider skimmers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best kitchen tongs
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best chef’s knives
• America’s Test Kitchen: The best wooden spoons
• NBC Select: The best board games for kids