Hungarian Paprikash Chicken with Meatballs is a rich, comforting dish based on paprika, onions, and a creamy sauce. It’s a twist on traditional Chicken Paprikash, adding meatballs for extra texture and flavor.
Here’s a simple home-style version:
🇭🇺 Hungarian Paprikash Chicken with Meatballs
🧄 Ingredients
For the chicken base:
- 500–700g chicken pieces (bone-in or boneless)
- 2 large onions (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp sweet paprika (Hungarian-style if possible)
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- 2 tomatoes (chopped) or 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bell pepper (optional)
- 1–1.5 cups chicken broth
- Salt & black pepper
For the meatballs:
- 300g minced meat (beef, chicken, or mixed)
- 1 small onion (grated or finely minced)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- Salt, pepper, paprika
To finish:
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt as substitute)
- 1 tbsp flour (optional, for thickening)
- Fresh parsley
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Make the meatballs
- Mix minced meat, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Shape into small balls and set aside.
2. Cook the base
- Heat oil/butter in a pot.
- Sauté onions until soft and golden.
- Add paprika (important: don’t burn it or it turns bitter).
- Add chicken pieces and lightly brown.
3. Build the sauce
- Add tomatoes, bell pepper, salt, pepper.
- Pour in broth and simmer 20–25 minutes.
4. Add meatballs
- Gently drop meatballs into the simmering sauce.
- Cook another 15–20 minutes until fully cooked.
5. Finish creamy
- Mix sour cream with a little warm sauce (to prevent curdling).
- Stir it back into the pot.
- Optional: add flour slurry for thicker sauce.
- Simmer 2–3 minutes (do not boil hard).
🍽️ Serve with:
- Egg noodles
- Rice
- Mashed potatoes
- Or traditional Hungarian dumplings
⭐ Result
Creamy, smoky paprika sauce with tender chicken and juicy meatballs—classic Eastern European comfort food with a hearty upgrade.
If you want, I can also show:
- A quick 30-minute version
- Or a traditional authentic Hungarian-only recipe (no meatballs)
