A neighbor from Budapest taught me this dish many years ago, and it has been a cold weather favorite at our house ever since. Chicken thighs simmer slowly with lots of onions and sweet paprika, and at the end a spoonful of sour cream turns the sauce silky and pink-orange. It is cozy, gentle food, not spicy at all, and the sauce over buttered egg noodles is pure comfort. The key is good, fresh sweet paprika and plenty of patience with the onions.
Servings: 6 · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 60 min
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb (1.1 kg), about 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil or lard
- 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp (14 g) sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium ripe tomato, diced
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cup (240 g) full-fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp (8 g) all-purpose flour
- 12 oz (340 g) wide egg noodles, to serve
- 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, for the noodles
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Method
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season them all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in skin side down and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until the skin is golden. Turn and cook 2 minutes more, then move the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of the fat.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until soft and light golden. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika for 30 seconds. Paprika burns easily and turns bitter, so this step is always done off the heat.
- Return the pan to medium heat and add the bell pepper, tomato and broth. Stir, then put the chicken back in skin side up with any juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is very tender and reaches 175°F (80°C) near the bone.
- Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles in salted boiling water according to the package, drain and toss with the butter.
- Lift the chicken onto a plate. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the flour until smooth, then whisk in a ladle of the hot sauce to warm it. Stir this mixture into the pan, return the chicken and heat for 3 to 4 minutes over low heat without letting it boil. Taste for salt, sprinkle with parsley and serve over the noodles.
Tips and variations
- Check that your paprika is fresh and bright red; old paprika tastes dusty and flat.
- Warming the sour cream with some hot sauce first keeps it from curdling.
- For a little warmth, replace 1 tsp of the sweet paprika with hot paprika.
- Traditional Hungarian nokedli dumplings or plain mashed potatoes are lovely in place of noodles.
Pour a generous spoonful of sauce over every plate and watch how quiet the table gets. Enjoy!
