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    Home » Recipes » Main Courses

    Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings

    Published: Apr 11, 2021 · Modified: Jan 20, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This easy chicken paprikash recipe comes from the Czech Republic (known as Czech "kure na paprice"), where it is traditionally served with bread dumplings. Call it a comfort food that will delight you especially in the cold months!

    chicken paprikash czech kuře na paprice
    Table of Contents hide
    What Is Czech Chicken Paprikash?
    Dumplings
    How to thicken paprikash
    Ingredients
    Equipment
    Instructions with Photos
    Serving
    Cook's Tips
    Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings

    What Is Czech Chicken Paprikash?

    Czech Paprikash is based on the original recipe for Hungarian paprikash. It is basically an identical dish, and we call it "kuře na paprice" or "kuřecí paprikáš" (chicken paprikash) here in the Czech Republic. 

    The reason why the Czechs adopted Hungarian paprikash is obvious: the Czech lands were a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, which is why Czech and Hungarian cuisine have many recipes in common, like Hungarian Lángos or Szegediner goulash.

    Hungarians call this popular dish "csirkepaprikás", and in Austria, it’s "Paprikahendl".

    ➤ Czech chicken paprikash variation is comprised of chicken thighs or drumsticks cooked in a sauce with a perfect balance of sweet and sour taste. The main ingredients are ground sweet paprika and sour cream.

    Dumplings

    The ideal side dish which pairs excellently with paprikash is raised dumplings. This combo is heavenly good, and I can hardly imagine a better Czech paprikash side.

    Here you’ll find the recipe for bread dumplings.

    bread dumplings

    However, if you don't have bread dumplings done (I always have a nice stock of dumplings frozen in my freezer), then cooked pasta, like pasta elbows, is just fine. 

    Our neighbors in Germany prefer paprikash served with spaetzle (špecle in Czech), their typical side dish. Hungarians enjoy paprikash with nokedli, small egg noodle dumplings.

    How to thicken paprikash

    A short note on the paprikash sauce texture: I have not seen many paprikash recipes calling for the roux as a thickening agent. I was pretty surprised because, without the roux, the sauce is too liquid and runny. In my opinion, roux is a must when making chicken paprikash.

    Preparing the roux is very simple; you only need butter and flour. As a rule, butter and flour should be in equal proportions.

    Simply heat the butter in a pan, add the flour and fry for a minute or two. Then add it to the sauce while whisking and let it simmer for at least 15-20 minutes. The roux makes the sauce nicely smooth and slightly thickened that way.

    Ingredients

    Chicken paprikash ingredients.

    To make Czech-style chicken paprikash, you’ll need:

    • Chicken thighs or drumsticks; with the bone and skin. Chicken breasts can also be used, but they are less juicy when cooked.
    • Sweet Hungarian paprika; ground
    • Pork lard; or vegetable oil
    • Chicken broth
    • Sour cream; with a fat content of around 20 %
    • Yellow onions
    • Allspice berries
    • Salt
    • For roux: all-purpose flour and unsalted butter

    Optional: ½ tsp granulated sugar for more contrast in taste or a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to make paprikash spicier.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    Here is a separate recipe for bread dumplings, Czech houskové knedlíky.

    Equipment

    I used my beloved dutch oven/cast iron skillet with a lid (it is about 11-inches / 28 cm in diameter).

    Instructions with Photos

    STEP 1: Before you start cooking, peel the onion and chop it roughly. Salt chicken pieces from all sides.

    STEP 2: In a large skillet, melt lard over higher heat. Place the chicken to the lard and fry each side for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside. 

    chicken pieces frying

    STEP 3: Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onions to the same pan and fry until translucent. Use a flat-edged spatula and scrape any browned bits of the chicken skin from the pan's bottom. These are very tasty and deserve to be a part of chicken paprikash. 

    frying onion

    STEP 4: Add sweet Hungarian paprika (photo 1) and fry for 30 sec until stirring (photo 2). 

    frying onion with sweet red paprika

    STEP 5: Pour with chicken broth, return the fried chicken pieces to the pan. Salt a bit, throw allspice berries into the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and allow paprikash to simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken meat is soft and completely tender.

    making chichen paprikash

    STEP 6: Remove the cooked chicken, set it aside, keep the meat warm. 

    STEP 7: Make a roux: In a non-sticking pan, melt butter over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour, fry for 1-2 minutes while stirring.

    Add the roux into the paprikash in small batches, whisk properly to avoid lumps. 

    making roux

    STEP 8: Cover with a lid and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes.

    making chicken paprikash sauce

    STEP 9: Remove from the stove, immediately add sour cream, do not cook anymore. Stir well (photo 3+4).

    making chicken paprikash

    STEP 10: Strain the chicken paprikash over a sieve. Discard the remains that got stuck in the sieve (onions, allspice berries).

    strain the chicken paprikash through a sieve

    STEP 11: Season the paprikash with salt to your liking. Optionally, add ½ teaspoon sugar and/or a little of freshly ground black pepper.

    STEP 12: Put chicken pieces back in a pan, let them warm up, and serve. 

    Serving

    Arrange warmed slices of dumplings around the edge of a plate, place chicken pieces next to dumplings, and pour over chicken paprikash. 

    Czech love their chicken paprikash served with bread dumplings. This is the most common way you get this dish in Czech restaurants. 

    Here is my detailed recipe for bread dumplings.

    chicken paprikash with dumplings

    Cook's Tips

    • Count on 2 pieces of chicken per 1 hungry person. I used 4 chicken thighs and 2 Leg & thigh quarters; the amount was just enough for my three boys.
    • Use sour cream and not heavy cream. Sour cream gives the right touch of flavor typical to this delicious dish. 
    • Do not use light sour cream; the minimum is with a fat content of around 20%. The light version of sour cream could cause curdling the cream in the sauce.

    More Czech sauces:

    • Svickova – iconic Czech sauce made with root vegetables
    • Rajska sauce – famous Czech sweet tomato sauce
    • Koprova omacka – dill sauce with cream

    Or check out the category with Hungarian recipes, where I post original Hungarian dishes.

    Recipe card

    chicken paprikash czech kuře na paprice

    Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings

    Incredibly delicious, this is chicken paprikash served with bread dumplings, aka Czech kuře na paprice. Let's take our time and enjoy this goodness together, I invite you to the table!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech, Hungarian
    Keyword: chicken recipes

    Ingredients

    • 6 chicken thighs or 3 chicken leg & thigh quarter
    • 2 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika ground
    • 1 Tbsp pork lard or vegetable oil
    • 2 cups (480 ml) chicken broth
    • ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream with a fat content of around 20 %
    • 2 onions small, or 1 large
    • 5 allspice berries
    • salt

    Roux

    • 1 Tbsp (heaped) all-purpose flour
    • 1 Tbsp (heaped) butter unsalted

    Optional

    • ½ tsp granulated sugar

    Instructions

    • Before you start cooking, peel the onion and chop it roughly. Salt chicken pieces from all sides.
    • In a wide pan with a thicker bottom, melt lard over higher heat. Place the chicken to the lard and fry each side for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
    • Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onions to the same pan and fry until translucent. Use a flat-edged spatula and scrape the burned-on rests of the chicken from the pan's bottom. These are very tasty and deserve to be a part of chicken paprikash.
    • Add sweet Hungarian paprika and fry for 30 sec until stirring.
    • Pour with chicken broth, return the fried chicken pieces to the pan. Salt a bit, throw allspice berries into the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum. Cover with a lid and allow paprikash to simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken meat is soft and tender.
    • Remove the cooked chicken, set it aside, keep the meat warm.
    • Make a roux: In a non-sticking pan, melt butter over medium heat until it starts to bubbling. Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour, fry for 1-2 minutes while stirring.
      Add the roux into the paprikash in small batches, whisk properly to avoid lumps.
    • Cover with a lid and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes.
    • Remove from the stove, add sour cream, do not cook anymore. Stir well.
    • Strain the paprikash over a sieve. Discard rests got stuck in the sieve (onions, allspice berries).
    • Season the paprikash with salt to your liking. Optionally, add ½ teaspoon sugar.
    • Put chicken pieces back in a pan, let them warm up, and serve.

    Notes

    1. Makes 3 yields.
    2. Arrange warmed slices of dumplings around the edge of a plate, place chicken pieces next to dumplings, and pour over chicken paprikash.
    3. Count on 2 pieces of chicken per 1 person. I used chicken 4 thighs and 2 Leg & thigh quarters; the amount was just enough for my three boys.
    4. Use sour cream and not heavy cream. Sour cream gives the right touch of flavor typical to this delicious dish.
    5. Do not use light sour cream; the minimum is with a fat content of around 20 %. The light version of sour cream could cause curdling the cream in the sauce.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anna

      October 24, 2021 at 5:18 am

      5 stars
      Petra, thanks for sharing this!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        October 24, 2021 at 1:29 pm

        You are welcome, Anna! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Rachela Bucek

      February 04, 2023 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this dish for my Czech husband and he couldn’t stop eating! I also love it! It’s a lot of work, especially because I made the dumplings today too! But all worth it.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 07, 2023 at 9:13 am

        Thank you, Rachela, for you nice words, made me happy!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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