On any given day my diet is consistently composed of scrambled eggs (seriously the perfect food), some variety of baked goods fresh from the oven, cheese (lots of cheese) and tea (I drink so much I run out of mugs).
Have I mentioned that I love scrambled eggs? I’m convinced that the perfect way to eat them is in tortillas, standing in the sunny spot in my kitchen flipping through cookbooks.
But this post obviously is not about my love for the egg.
There are days that I decide to slow down, take a deep breath and make myself something other than scrambled eggs for dinner. On those days I go for my no frills, yet somehow impressive Hungarian Paprika Chicken dish. It’s flavored with sweet Hungarian Paprika, onions, tomatoes, and the added creaminess of a touch of sour cream. Served it over a bed of buttery egg noodles, and the world is instantly coming up roses.
Everyone should have a no fail chicken recipe in their back pocket. This is mine. From my stove top to yours.
As a note, I think the big red tin of Hungarian Paprika is the only way to go with this chicken. You should be able to find it in your local grocery stores, it’s not a fancy pants thing.
Go say hello to the boys at Foodproof for my recipe. It’s a winner, I cross my heart.
November 11th, 2008 at 3:30 am
The photo looks awesome and delicious!
November 11th, 2008 at 6:21 am
That looks like the best comfort dish I could imagine! Yum!
November 11th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Hey! What a coinky-dink, I just bought that same big red tin of Hungarian Paprika at a local imports store with the plan to make me some Chicken Paprikash…
Lemme ask you: did your tin come without a safety seal in it? I haven’t tried my paprika yet, but maybe seal-less is the way they do it in Szeged. What do you think?
November 11th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me something else to do with my EXACT same tin of Hungarian paprika! I knew there was a reason I liked you: your love of tea and cheese (seriously, I’m a fan of both on Facebook…I have no shame).
November 11th, 2008 at 7:17 am
I too live off scrambled eggs for dinner — breakfast is the best meal of the day, so why not extend it!
This does look awesome though, and I’m a huge fan of egg noodles. Thanks for sharing!
November 11th, 2008 at 7:25 am
This looks great, beautiful picture!
November 11th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Looks delicious… If I were to make a “healthier” version of this, using skinless, boneless breasts, what could I use instead of the chicken skin for the fat?
Thanks!
November 11th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Andrea- I’m pretty sure my paprika didn’t come with a safety seal. I didn’t give it a second thought. It seemed fine to me!
Shaw Girl- I can’t wait to see this chicken on your blog. Get on it! And how do you have so many days off!? Ahhhh… government job! So jealous!
Michael- Healthier version? The fat from the chicken skin not only adds a base to cook the onions and spices in, but also adds a great deal of flavor to the chicken dish. The rendered fat adds a depth of flavor to the dish that you can’t really get from another fat source. If you feel like you need a healthier version, you might substitute olive oil for the rendered chicken fat. You’ll have some yummy chicken, but the chicken fat…. oh! so! perfect!
Also… chicken breasts have much less fat and flavor than chicken thighs, so you may encounter some sticking. Don’t be shy with the olive oil in this case.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Oh believe me, I hate to be a party-pooper…short explanation - I just found out my cholesterol is 239, and am IN SHOCK. My lifestyle does not dictate such a high number, so I’m on a quest to eat healthier, yet still enjoy food!!
Thanks for the reply.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:33 am
My mom just made Hungarian stew served with egg noodles for our Sunday dinner! Sadly, we ran out of paprika. Perhaps I’ll give this recipe a try when we purchase more…
November 11th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I love paprika - and that brand in particular is my favorite. I have such fond memories of seeing that little tin on the counter and knowing I’d have a great dinner.
On to view your recipe…
November 11th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
This looks so delicious! I’m always on the lookout for new dinner ideas, and I’m definitely trying this!
November 11th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Love Hungarian paprika - I bought a big box of it during my last trip to Budapest. Have you tried the egg barley with it? Very delish!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_barley
November 11th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
This one does look like a winner–perfectly comforting too, for the cold seattle days ahead!
November 11th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
This sounds awesome! My mother-in-law makes something similar, I will have to share this recipe with her. Thanks!
November 11th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Funnily enough, I JUST bought some fancy paprika on a trip to the UK because I was entranced by the box. It looked like it was designed in 1898.
So I tried this tonight! But instead of adding the flour mixture, I put in some mushrooms. It added fun texture and I didn’t need to thicken the stew at all! Yum.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:25 am
OMG - I could so seriously live off scrambled eggs. Along with toast they’re one of my favourite things in the world, and they go so perfectly together. With a big blob of HP on the top!
November 12th, 2008 at 7:28 am
this looks like a hearty fall meal…i will be making this up in the next few days. thanks for sharing.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:39 am
What tasty looking meal…warm and hearty..perfect for this time of year!
November 12th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Love paprikash but, my go to is Syrian Chicken… from ol’ whatshername. One of the girls who writes from France… I posted it… mmmmn, I think… Be well! The Hostess…
November 12th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I really like the slight sweetness from this kind of paprika.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Joy, this dish looks delightful! Does the paprika you use come as a paste or powder?
November 13th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Has anyone heard of Pauper’s Chicken..or something like that? It is chicken baked inside a loaf of bread. I saw the recipe once..years ago..and have always wanted to try it.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Funny, Georgia in the US is not an easy place to find Hungarian Paprika. Funny that you posted this on a day I was looking at a can sitting in the exotic foods area of TJ Max. They have it, but not a regular supermarket here? does not compute, lol.
I have made the dish before without the paprika, will have to go back and grab a can and try this.
November 16th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Hmmm… can I make this picture my screen saver to get me through all these dark fall days when hunger strikes? Yum! Love the new design too!
November 16th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
that looks so much better than the paprikash i made previously…
November 19th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I am from Hungary and that looks delicious, though I would suggest you try it with a very Hungarian “dumpling” called “nokedli”. Take two eggs, scramble them with a pinch of salt, add 6-7 tablespoons of flour so you get a dough that is neither too firm, nor too soft. Meanwhile boil a large pot of water, add a pinch of salt to the water as well. Take a tablespoon and start cutting little pieces of the dough into the water. If you dip your spoon into the boiling water from time to time the dough wont stick to it. I normally use a small cutting board for this, I just dump the dough onto it and start cutting the pieces into the boiling water. Boil the dumplings till they all come to the surface, keep boiling for a couple more minutes and drain them. They are delicious with “Paprikás csirke” as this dish is called in Hungarian.
December 6th, 2008 at 10:12 am
[...] pad kitchen. I was inspired to try a new version by a link posted on not martha which led to Joy the Baker’s original post. I cannot however leave well enough alone. My pantry, general cheapness, and my husband’s [...]
December 10th, 2008 at 5:10 am
Ordered a chicken from my CSA this morning…making this dish this weekend!
December 26th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for ages, but then end up going with something else.
I have to say, though, that scrambled eggs have become my favorite food, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I really like huevos rancheros with cream cheese on toast.
But that said, it looks great, and I’m definitely going to make it before the year ends.
Oh, and I just discovered your blog, and I’m really liking it.