Freezer-Friendly Chicken Paprikash
A practical make-ahead take on Hungarian chicken paprikash, with tender chicken, a paprika-rich onion sauce and sour cream added after reheating.
By HomeChefs Kitchen Team · · No ratings yet
- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 50 min
Hungarian comfort food, planned for the freezer
Chicken paprikash, or paprikás csirke, is a cornerstone of Hungarian home cooking. Recipes vary between regions and families, but the defining flavour comes from generous sweet paprika softened by onions, then rounded out with sour cream. It is commonly served with nokedli, noodles or potatoes to catch the sauce.
For a freezer-friendly chicken paprikash, the best approach is to freeze the cooked chicken and paprika sauce before adding sour cream. Dairy can separate after thawing, while paprika sauce freezes reliably on its own. Once reheated, a tempered mixture of sour cream and flour gives the sauce its familiar creamy finish.
Use fresh, fragrant Hungarian-style sweet paprika if possible. Move the pan off the heat before stirring it in: paprika scorches quickly and can become bitter. A small amount of hot paprika adds warmth without overwhelming the sweet, earthy flavour.
Portion the cooled base according to how many people you expect to feed, leaving a little room in each container for expansion. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat gently, then add the sour cream mixture without letting the finished sauce boil. Independent HomeChefs may also offer their own regional interpretations, depending on kitchens near you; each kitchen chooses whether meals are available for collection, delivery or both.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kgboneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 5 cm pieces
- 6 gfine salt, divided
- 1 gground black pepper
- 30 mlneutral cooking oil
- 300 gonions, finely diced
- 12 ggarlic, finely grated
- 20 gHungarian-style sweet paprika
- 2 ghot paprika
- 500 mllow-salt chicken stock
- 200 mlfull-fat sour cream
- 20 gplain flour
- 10 gflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
Season the chicken with 3 g of the salt and all the black pepper. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-based casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two or three batches for 8–10 minutes in total, transferring each batch to a plate. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and remaining 3 g salt to the casserole. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Take the casserole off the heat. Stir in the sweet and hot paprika for about 30 seconds, then gradually pour in the chicken stock while scraping the base of the pan. Return the chicken and any collected juices to the casserole.
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, cover partially and cook over low heat for 25–30 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the chicken is tender and its thickest pieces reach a core temperature of 75°C.
For freezing, leave out the sour cream, flour and parsley. Divide the chicken and sauce between shallow freezer-safe containers and cool promptly. Cover, label and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before continuing.
Transfer the thawed chicken and sauce to a saucepan and reheat gently until steaming throughout. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream and flour until smooth. Whisk in about 150 ml of the hot sauce, a little at a time, to temper the mixture.
Lower the heat and stir the tempered sour cream mixture into the casserole. Cook gently for 3–5 minutes until the sauce thickens, but do not let it boil. Stir in half the parsley, then serve with the remaining parsley scattered over the top.
Food safety
- Cook the thickest chicken pieces to a core temperature of 75°C.
- For freezing, divide the chicken and sauce into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Freeze once chilled and use within 3 months for best quality.
- Thaw frozen paprikash overnight in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. Reheat until steaming throughout before adding the tempered sour cream mixture.
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