Chicken Paprikash with Spaetzle

Chicken paprikash or paprika chicken is one of those old-fashioned meals in which every person who makes it seems to have their own version. This simple, delicious recipe requires very few ingredients but makes a truly delicious meal.

You don’t need to be in the kitchen all day to make something amazing. Just let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Everyone in my family loves this, even my pickiest eater ate every last bit of this simple flavourful meal!

What is chicken paprikash

If you have never had this dish before, you may be wondering; what’s paprikash? Chicken paprikash is a traditional Hungarian recipe similar to chicken stew.

It is rich, creamy, and full of flavour. Thanks to the low and slow cooking of the chicken, the generous helping of paprika, and the rich sour cream swirled in at the end.

This Hungarian comfort food is most often served with a type of noodle, or dumpling, called nokedli or spaetzle.

Storing Chicken paprikash

In the refrigerator

Store room temperature chicken paprikash, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

To reheat chicken paprikash, remove from the container to a pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally, until the chicken is heated through.

In the freezer

The finished recipe calls for adding sour cream. Often creams, like sour cream, will split and become grainy when frozen. So, if you are making this in advance, and freezing for a later meal, make sure to omit the sour cream.

When you are ready to reheat the meal, add the sour cream fresh.

To freeze the paprikash, let it come to room temperature and then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen chicken paprikash, remove from the freezer and let it defrost in the refrigerator the day before. Place in a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is warmed through. Add the sour cream fresh at the end.

What to serve with Chicken paprikash

Traditionally, chicken paprikash is served with a homemade noodle or dumpling called nokedli or spaetzle.

However, there are some other great options! Chicken paprikash is delicious served on rice, store-bought noodles, or on top of mashed potatoes.

How to Make Classic Creamy Chicken Paprikash

1. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add in the chicken pieces and fry until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add in the diced onions and fry until translucent and starting to colour.
4. Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan. This will help mix in all of the cooked bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. After you add in the wine, this should easily stir into the liquid adding a caramelized flavour.

5. Remove from heat and add in the paprika. Don’t fry the paprika as it will turn bitter.

6. Stir in the water, add back in then chicken, and return to the heat.

7. Cover and simmer, over low heat, for 1 hour or until the chicken is very tender.

8. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream.

9. Serve with your favourite side.

How to make spaetzle

This is a type of homemade noodle dumpling. First, we are going to mix a thick batter and let it sit for a few minutes.

To cook and make the spaetzle, there are specific spaetzle or nokedli makers. However, you can also use something like a wide hole cheese grater or a slotted spoon.

Spoon the batter, in batches, on top of the cheese grater (or whatever you are using) and push it through with a spatula, overtop of a pot of boiling water. The batter will stay separated into these small rustic looking noodles.

Let the noodles cook until they start to rise to the surface of the boiling water. This means they are cooked through and can be removed with a strainer or slotted spoon.

Toss them with a little bit of butter, to make sure they don’t stick together. Then continue cooking the rest of the batter in batches.

This is a great quick, rustic, pasta that pairs perfectly with this flavourful chicken stew but could also be used in a variety of dishes!

Method for Spaetzle

1. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to a smooth batter.
2. Let the batter sit 5-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

4. Using a large holed cheese grater, spaetzle or nokedli maker, spoon the batter on top.

5. Stir and push through the batter with a spatula. It will drip through the other side, into the boiling water.

6. Once the little dumplings start to float to the surface of the water, they are cooked through and can be removed with a slotted spoon or strainer.

7. Add a teaspoon of butter to the cooked noodles and stir to combine. This will ensure they do not glue together.

8. Continue to cook the noodles, until all of the batter is used up.

9. Serve immediately on the side of your favourite dish!

Hungry for some more classic comfort food? Hop over here!

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