CSIRKE PAPRIKÁS WITH NOKEDLI (CHICKEN PAPRIKASH WITH NOODLES) – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Ben and I weren’t able to walk past a single Hungarian restaurant in Budapest that didn’t offer ‘csirke paprikás’ or chicken paprikash, so we thought – right, we HAVE to try it!
What better way is there to try a dish than learning to make it from scratch? Okay, perhaps just sitting back and letting someone else do all the work whilst explaining it to you. But hey – you were the one who clicked on this recipe, so I KNOW you love to cook!
Chicken paprikash: minimal ingredients, MAXIMUM flavour! All you need is cream, chicken, garlic, butter, onions…and of course: PAPRIKA! The noodles that accompany this dish, are technically mini dumplings, so don’t expect the same noodles you get from the local Chinese!
Our Cooking Class Experience
We were able to choose the specific Hungarian dishes we wanted to cook, and as we saw this meal everywhere around Budapest, we wanted to see what all the fuss was about!
Ben and I learned this delicious recipe for chicken paprikash in a private cooking class in the heart of the Budapest suburbs. We had no idea what to expect from this dish as we had never tried it before, but it is safe to say that it exceeded expectations!
A very simple dish to make, it is a meal that can be left to cook and doesn’t need to be watched over constantly. At Dorí’s we began preparing and cooking the chicken paprikash, and then whilst it was cooking, we then began to prepare the ‘noodles’ or dumplings.
We used something called a spaetzle grater, a specific, traditional tool used to create perfect dumplings, however, a regular cheese grater will do just fine. The grater should be held over the pot so when grated, the dumplings fall straight into the water to cook. The dumplings are a delicious accompaniment to the dish and are unlike anything I have tried before!
If there is something the Hungarians like just as much as paprika, its their pickled vegetables! Chicken paprikash with mini dumplings can be served alongside a medley of sliced picked gherkins, pickled cabbage and sliced pickled carrots. The sharp taste of vinegar perfectly cuts through the creamy paprika sauce and is a great addition to the dish!
I hope you love this recipe as much as Ben and I do! For an intro to this main meal, why not try a sized-down version of my traditional Hungarian goulash?
Jó étvágyat!
–ARIA
AuthorariaesmeraldaDifficultyIntermediate
Heat the lard or butter in a large pot and brown the chicken thighs or legs. Set the chicken aside and add the chopped onion to the same pan with the lard and fry until golden.
Add the garlic and fry for an additional couple of minutes. Remove the pot from heat and add the paprika and seasonings (but not too long to avoid the paprika developing a bitter taste).
Place the browned chicken back into the pot and return it to the heat. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes. During this time, begin preparing the nokedli (noodles) below. Once the time is up, set the chicken aside.
Add the sour cream and whipping cream to the sauce in the pot, stirring frequently to reduce lumps. Simmer to thicken the sauce and then add the chicken back to the pot with salt and pepper and simmer further until chicken is cooked through.
Serve the csirke paprikás with the nokedli below, with a side of thinly grated pickled gherkins and carrots.
Mix the eggs, water, flour, and a pinch of salt in a bowl to create a wet, malleable dough.
Allow the dough to rest whilst heating a saucepan of water to boil. Add one teaspoon of salt and half a tablespoon of oil to the pot.
Place the noodle grater over the saucepan of boiling water, take a section of dough and move the dough back and forth across the grater. Continue until all the dough has been grated, stirring in between to avoid the dough sticking to the pan.
Cook the noodles until just after rising to the top of the saucepan. Taste to ensure they are cooked well and then using a sieve or slotted spoon, transfer the noodle dumplings from the pot to a bowl. Stir frequently to avoid stickiness and clumps.
Serve alongside csirke paprikás.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the lard or butter in a large pot and brown the chicken thighs or legs. Set the chicken aside and add the chopped onion to the same pan with the lard and fry until golden.
Add the garlic and fry for an additional couple of minutes. Remove the pot from heat and add the paprika and seasonings (but not too long to avoid the paprika developing a bitter taste).
Place the browned chicken back into the pot and return it to the heat. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes. During this time, begin preparing the nokedli (noodles) below. Once the time is up, set the chicken aside.
Add the sour cream and whipping cream to the sauce in the pot, stirring frequently to reduce lumps. Simmer to thicken the sauce and then add the chicken back to the pot with salt and pepper and simmer further until chicken is cooked through.
Serve the csirke paprikás with the nokedli below, with a side of thinly grated pickled gherkins and carrots.
Mix the eggs, water, flour, and a pinch of salt in a bowl to create a wet, malleable dough.
Allow the dough to rest whilst heating a saucepan of water to boil. Add one teaspoon of salt and half a tablespoon of oil to the pot.
Place the noodle grater over the saucepan of boiling water, take a section of dough and move the dough back and forth across the grater. Continue until all the dough has been grated, stirring in between to avoid the dough sticking to the pan.
Cook the noodles until just after rising to the top of the saucepan. Taste to ensure they are cooked well and then using a sieve or slotted spoon, transfer the noodle dumplings from the pot to a bowl. Stir frequently to avoid stickiness and clumps.
Serve alongside csirke paprikás.
One Comment
melahughes61yahoocouk
Will make this tomorrow 🙂