The Art of Making Creamy Chicken Paprikash: A Step-by-Step Guide

As I begin to make my creamy chicken paprikash, the aroma of sautéed onions and butter fills the air, tantalizing my taste buds. The dish is a classic Hungarian recipe that consists of chicken cooked in a rich, creamy paprika sauce. To start, I slice two onions and add them to the pan with some butter, which I affectionately refer to as the best smell on Earth. A pinch of salt is added to help soften the onions, which are then cooked for seven to ten minutes until they reach a translucent state.

As the onions cook, I chop up four cloves of garlic and add it to the pan, stirring to combine with the onions. The mixture sautés for another minute or two, allowing the flavors to meld together. Now, I get to my spices – the star of the show in this dish is sweet paprika, which adds a great balance of sweetness and peppery flavor, along with a beautiful burnt orange color. I use two tablespoons of it, which I know will add a rich, depth of flavor to the sauce. To enhance the heat, I add just a little bit of cayenne pepper, but not too much, so that I can still taste the dish.

I stir around the onions to ensure they are evenly coated in the paprika, and let them toast for a while, which brings out their flavors. The next step is to make a roux, which will thicken my sauce. This simple mixture of butter and flour is cooked for about a minute, helping to remove some of that floral flavor from the paprika. Now, I add low-sodium chicken stock gradually, stirring constantly, as it starts to thicken the sauce. The color begins to take on that beautiful burnt orange hue, which is a hallmark of this dish.

To round out the sweetness of the paprika and onions, I add a pinch of sugar. Next, I stir in my boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces, which will cook quickly and make this paprikash one that can be devoured with a spoon. I like to use chicken thighs because they are hard to overcook and retain their moisture, resulting in a rich and creamy dish.

I let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. The sauce has thickened significantly, and the flavors have melded together beautifully. To finish the dish, I add just a touch of white wine vinegar to balance out the richness of the paprika sauce. Finally, I sprinkle on some additional salt and pepper, and my creamy chicken paprikash is ready to be enjoyed.

As I sit down to enjoy this delicious dish, the aromas of sautéed onions, garlic, and paprika fill the air once again. The flavors are rich and complex, with a perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory notes. It's clear that this creamy chicken paprikash is a true delight, and I'm grateful to have followed the steps outlined in this recipe to create it.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI am making my creamy chicken paprikash it's just chicken in a great paprika sauce so I have two onions sliced here that I'm going to soften in some butter onions and butter aka the best smell on Earth I'll add a good pinch of salt this will help them get soft and translucent and I'll cook these for about seven to ten minutes while the onions are cooking I'll chop up four cloves of garlic then I'll add it to the pan with my onions I'll stir this and let it saute for another minute or two and then I'm gonna get my spices the star of the show here is sweet paprika it's going to add great sweet peppery flavor and a beautiful burnt orange color I'm using a lot of it two tablespoons and now I'm gonna add a little bit of cayenne just for some heat not too much still want to be able to taste the dish it's looking and smelling delicious I'm stirring around the onions to get them evenly coated in the paprika and I'm going to let them toast here and that's going to bring out their flavors foreign next I'm going to make a roux which will thicken my sauce and all that is is butter and flour I'll stir this around and cook it for about a minute that'll help cook out some of that flowery flavor now I'm going to add some low sodium chicken stock and I'm going to add it gradually all while stirring and then that's going to start to thicken from my Roux create that sauce it's starting to thicken up and it's already taking on that beautiful burnt orange paprika color and I'm adding my sock little at a time to allow it to thicken evenly I'm going to add a pinch of sugar that kind of rounds out the sweetness of the paprika and the onions and next I'll stir in my chicken these are boneless skinless chicken thighs that are chopped into bite-sized pieces they'll cook up quickly and it'll make this paprikash one that you can eat with a spoon I like chicken thighs because they're hard to overcook and they're very moist and Rich I now let it cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally to cook it evenly until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink just a little bit is all I need to make it rich and creamy and perfect I have some white wine vinegar here I'm drizzling in just a touch of it I'm just going to add another pinch of salt and more pepper and now this is ready to goI am making my creamy chicken paprikash it's just chicken in a great paprika sauce so I have two onions sliced here that I'm going to soften in some butter onions and butter aka the best smell on Earth I'll add a good pinch of salt this will help them get soft and translucent and I'll cook these for about seven to ten minutes while the onions are cooking I'll chop up four cloves of garlic then I'll add it to the pan with my onions I'll stir this and let it saute for another minute or two and then I'm gonna get my spices the star of the show here is sweet paprika it's going to add great sweet peppery flavor and a beautiful burnt orange color I'm using a lot of it two tablespoons and now I'm gonna add a little bit of cayenne just for some heat not too much still want to be able to taste the dish it's looking and smelling delicious I'm stirring around the onions to get them evenly coated in the paprika and I'm going to let them toast here and that's going to bring out their flavors foreign next I'm going to make a roux which will thicken my sauce and all that is is butter and flour I'll stir this around and cook it for about a minute that'll help cook out some of that flowery flavor now I'm going to add some low sodium chicken stock and I'm going to add it gradually all while stirring and then that's going to start to thicken from my Roux create that sauce it's starting to thicken up and it's already taking on that beautiful burnt orange paprika color and I'm adding my sock little at a time to allow it to thicken evenly I'm going to add a pinch of sugar that kind of rounds out the sweetness of the paprika and the onions and next I'll stir in my chicken these are boneless skinless chicken thighs that are chopped into bite-sized pieces they'll cook up quickly and it'll make this paprikash one that you can eat with a spoon I like chicken thighs because they're hard to overcook and they're very moist and Rich I now let it cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally to cook it evenly until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink just a little bit is all I need to make it rich and creamy and perfect I have some white wine vinegar here I'm drizzling in just a touch of it I'm just going to add another pinch of salt and more pepper and now this is ready to go\n"