# Chicken paprikash **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 14, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452 "2026-03-14T23:43:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/21 "2026-03-15T01:26:48Z")
WTF? You’re making chicken paprikash _without galuskas_? That’s insane. I can’t make that scene. Count me out. > **[Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=chicken+paprikash+with+galuska&sca_esv=a598d55f83047397&ei=OQm2ac_YNdagkPIPqpOKsAc&biw=1600&bih=806&oq=chicken+paprikash+with+ga&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGWNoaWNrZW4gcGFwcmlrYXNoIHdpdGggZ2EqAggAMgsQABiABBiRAhiKBTIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHkieQFDSBFi2JXABeAGQAQCYAWKgAfsGqgECMTG4AQHIAQD4AQGYAgygAqcIwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICDRAAGIAEGLADGEMYigXCAg4QABiwAxjkAhjWBNgBAcICExAuGIAEGLADGEMYyAMYigXYAQHCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgIFEAAYgASYAwCIBgGQBhG6BgYIARABGAmSBwM3LjWgB59QsgcDNi41uAeWCMIHBTItMy45yAeCAYAIAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp)** NOTE: link goes to various galuska recipes on Google. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/22 "2026-03-15T01:36:31Z")
Senility must be setting in. _Knedliky_ are what I’ve been calling Czech dumplings. The boiled noodles I was talking about I know as _Spätzle._ I don’t think I’ve ever heard of _galushkas_, but they sound to me like _Spätzle._ ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/23 "2026-03-15T02:11:07Z")
Galuska sounds kind of familiar. My parents said nokedli. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/24 "2026-03-15T02:32:00Z")
Well, here’s some of the thrown together paprikas potato. Just a little late in the evening here… Nobody has to get up too early tomorrow. [![](https://i.imgur.com/ELGJG5n.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ELGJG5n.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/25 "2026-03-15T02:39:13Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > The only guy I know who’s had paprika chicken ended up at Castle Dracula, where the Count doesn’t drink… wine. On that note, Max Miller of Tasting History fame, did Chicken Paprikash, so if you want to use his directions for a more “historical” (1892) version, follow the links. By my understanding though, each region and subregion in which the dish is valued has it’s own “perfect” version, with slight variations on the theme. > **[Chicken Paprikash — Tasting History](https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/chickenpaprikash)** > > Homey, delicious chicken cooked with paprika in a sour cream sauce with tiny homemade dumplings > **[Dining in Dracula’s Transylvania: Chicken Paprikash — Tasting History](https://www.tastinghistory.com/episodes/chickenpaprikash)** > > The historical food from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and a recipe for paprika hendl, or chicken paprikash, from five years before Dracula was published ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/26 "2026-03-15T11:39:46Z")
I bow to your Google-Fu. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/27 "2026-03-15T15:48:56Z")
😱 NO, you don’t skip the sour cream! Why would you DO such a thing??? (That’s like eliminating the topper or silver dragees from an old-fashioned wedding cake. Yes, it’s cake, yes, it’s tasty, but it sorely lacks something essential.). You can serve it over something starchy because of the delicious sauce, which needs sour cream at the very end. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/28 "2026-03-15T15:58:04Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > dragees I learned a new word today, thnx. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/29 "2026-03-15T16:01:22Z")
Every pricey wedding cake in the past was decorated with elaborate frosting and flowers, and tiny edible silver balls - dragees (drah-zhays) - made of sugar. There are a lot of colors, but the silver then looked so elegant. Interesting fact, silver are not sold in California since the FDA considers them ‘inedible’ and ‘for decorative purposes only’. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/30 "2026-03-15T16:44:07Z")
In this case it’s fandom not Google-fu. My wife and I are big fans of his show! We also have the cookbook and have made a number of the dishes. My wife made a variant of the linked dish two weeks ago but with golden potatoes as she doesn’t eat meat. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/31 "2026-03-15T16:57:25Z")
My dad, who was a very good cook, always bought a kosher brand of sour cream that tasted like it contained horseradish. I have yet to encounter this anywhere else in either North America or Europe. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/32 "2026-03-15T17:51:47Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Cook the onions in the grease with lots of sweet paprika (3 tbs or more). Keep stirring to avoid burning the paprika. Yes, paprika is fat soluble and has to go in the lard or duck fat. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/33 "2026-03-15T22:21:27Z")
Sorry, I missed the link until now. Quite coincidentally, I’m making chicken paprikash for dinner today. I glanced through the thread but didn’t read it all, so I’ll just give you my impressions of chicken paprikash. It’s a deceptively simple Hungarian stew that really only requires onions, Hungarian paprika, salt, pepper, maybe some finely diced Hungarian sweet peppers\*, sour cream, and flour. That’s it. You don’t need anything else. It’s basically a poverty dish. If you want, you can add a **small** tomato or two, but this is not a tomato-based dish. Paprika is the star flavor, and I cannot stress enough that you should use the best paprika you can find. It is typically not smoked. It should smell intensely of red peppers. I use only sweet paprika, but you can mix sweet and hot if you like. Lard is the traditional fat used. The second most common option is sunflower oil, but any neutral oil will work. Start with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat. You want a decent amount. Heat it to medium-high and brown your chicken so a little fat renders from the skin and it picks up some color. Some traditional recipes skip the browning step entirely. My preference is a whole broken-down bone-in, skin-on chicken, followed by bone-in thighs, followed by skinless thighs (which is what I’m using today because my kids are finicky about bones). Now you have fat in the pan and a browned (or not) chicken. Add your onions. For 2 lb of chicken, use about 1/2 to 3/4 lb of onion, roughly one large onion, diced. Add a little salt to draw out moisture and sweat it in the fat until translucent. You normally don’t brown the onions. If you’re using a pepper, add one finely diced pepper while the onions are cooking. You can also add a small tomato here if you want, but like I said, it’s not something I personally like in paprikash. When the onions are cooked through, turn the heat down to low. Add about 2-3 tablespoons paprika for this amount of chicken. Stir and let it bloom briefly in the fat. Then add the chicken into the pot and just enough water to keep things from scorching. About a cup is usually enough. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour. You may be surprised how much liquid the chicken and onions release as they cook. Next, beat about 3/4 cup sour cream with 1 tablespoon flour. Temper it with a little hot cooking liquid if you want, then stir it into the chicken. Let it cook gently for about 5 to 10 minutes to thicken. Now taste and adjust seasoning. You will almost certainly need more salt. As I said, use the absolute best paprika you can find. I use Burlap and Barrel’s sweet Hungarian paprika, but that’s a fancy one that goes for $40/lb. It’s sourced from Hungary and is absolutely amazing. You can also use the stuff Penzey’s and Spice House sells, but I’ve not been happy with their sourcing lately. It used to be grade A stuff, but they must have switched their supplier. It’s still OK. Pride of Szeged paprika that is sold in some grocery stores is pretty good. This is available pretty widely here in Chicago; hopefully it is out there, too. Anyway, those are my thought. OH – and you really should serve them with nokedli/galuska/spaetzle for the full effect, but wide egg noodles will do, too. \*Hungarian sweet peppers are somewhat similar to cubanelles, but lighter in color. If you see something called an Italian frying pepper, that will work well. Sweet banana peppers are also a good substitute. I don’t use bell peppers in this, but if you must, yellow is the closest match. Green are too chlorophyll-heavy in flavor, and red just taste wrong here, but you do you. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/34 "2026-03-16T00:10:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As I said, use the absolute best paprika you can find. This is what I have. [Amazon.com : Hungarian SWEET Paprika from Kalocsa, Hungary (8.8 ounce (250g)) : Grocery & Gourmet Food](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ9RUC6?th=1) > [@pulykamell](#): > > Lard is the traditional fat used. I don’t have any lard. I do have bacon drippings. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/35 "2026-03-16T00:15:40Z")
That paprika should be fine. Kalocsa is my favorite paprika region, although I have some hot paprika from Szeged I like here as well. Bacon drippings are always fine. Might give it a slightly smokier taste, but that’s okay. One note: for the thickening part, you might need a little more than 1 TB of flour, depending on how much liquid you end up with. If it doesn’t seem thick enough after bringing it to a boil for a minute to let the flour do its magic, feel free to adjust with a slurry. I had to do so today. It should not be soupy. It shouldn’t be as thick as an American gravy (though you can make it that way, if you want). Something like heavy cream, maybe a little looser. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/36 "2026-03-16T00:24:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Bacon drippings are always fine. Might give it a slightly smokier taste, but that’s okay. It’s funny/ I once mentioned I needed lard for a recipe. SWMBO said absolutely not! So I used bacon drippings, and she was fine with that. 😆 We have lots of chicken leftover, and lots of corned beef & cabbage. Don’t know when I’ll get to paprikash. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/37 "2026-03-16T00:28:53Z")
Just personally, between the onion (I tend to use some extra) and the sour cream, I don’t bother with additional thickeners like flour. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/38 "2026-03-16T00:47:41Z")
Yes, I was going to respond that chili powder and paprika are not one and the same. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/39 "2026-03-16T00:52:56Z")
Yeah, you absolutely can just omit the flour. I like it slightly thickened to stick to the nokedli better, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been served this dish with just the onions and the rendered collagen from the chicken as the thickening agents. And you can make it without sour cream, too. In that case, you would have _csirke pörlkölt_. One of the most memorable dishes I ate in Hungary was one I had somewhere in Zala county (southwest, bordering Slovenia and Croatia.) It was a friend’s relative’s house, and they were apologetic about not having a lot of food to feed us, and offered us some rustic paprika chicken stew. (I’m guessing made from one of the chickens they raised.) Holy cow was that good, with a glass of Kadarka (a Hungarian red wine) and probably a shot of pálinka/slivovitz. Lived there for over five years, ate at many restaurants, and one of the few meals I remember is that one. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452/40 "2026-03-16T00:57:09Z")
If you want, here’s an illustrated recipe I wrote over ten years ago for chicken paprikash on another board. I see I was a little more aggressive in my thickening there calling for 2 tablespoons of flour for 2 pounds of chicken. My tastes have evidently shifted a little thinner. It’s possible you may find some other slight changes, as this is not so much a recipe for me as a technique. I don’t measure. I go by feel and guess at amounts for recipes. I’ve made this dish over a hundred times. That said, a number of people on that board have tried it and really enjoyed it, and it’s probably the one recipe of mine that gets referenced the most. (My username is Binko on this board.) > **[LTHForum.com - The Hungarian Kitchen: Chicken Paprikash](https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17653)** > > Chicago culinary chat. Home of the Great Neighborhood Restaurant (GNR) award. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-paprikash/1028452.md?page=3)