Chicken Paprika Soup is our creative take on the popular Hungarian comfort food dish called Chicken Paprikash.
Our easy homemade Chicken Paprikash Soup recipe is the perfect entree to serve at a Hungarian-themed lunch or dinner. It’s beautifully presented, sure to wow your guests. It also helps that kids love it too!
The soup is made with a Hungarian paprika tomato base as well as sweet red bell peppers, chicken stock and shredded leftover roast chicken.
Garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, egg noodles and finely chopped parsley!
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What Is Chicken Paprika Soup?
Chicken Paprikash, also known as Paprikás Csirke, is a classic Hungarian dish.
Paprikash is one of the few dishes in the world that takes its name from a spice – in this case, the spice that became the backbone of Hungarian cuisine. Originally imported from Turkey, the red peppers that are dried and ground into paprika have been grown in southern Hungary for nearly 500 years.
According to George Lang’s book The Cuisine of Hungary, it is one of the four pillars of Hungarian cooking (the others are gulyás, pörkölt, and tokány).
“The main difference between pörkölt and paprikás is that paprikash is usually finished with sweet or sour cream, sometimes mixed with a little flour, but always stirred in just before serving,” says Lang. “You never use cream of any kind in recipes for gulyás or pörkölt. Also, beef, mutton, game, goose, duck, and pork are most popular for pörkölt; veal and chicken for paprikás.”
Chicken Paprikash is a rustic staple for Hungarian home cooks and at étkezdes (Hungarian lunch-rooms). In Hungary, this dish is usually eaten with Csipetke Hungarian Pinched Noodles and a cucumber salad.
Our Chicken Paprika Soup recipe is inspired by the popular Hungarian dish, transforming a comfort food main course into a slurpable soup!
Travel to Hungary by Cooking Paprika Chicken Soup at Home
I love traveling to Europe!
During my first visit to the continent I traveled for 5 months by train and plane. I had the opportunity to eat my way through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland,Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia,Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey and Italy.
I visited Hungary on my first trip to Europe. I backpacked to 18 European countries in the summer of my third year of university. I was living on a shoestring, sleeping in friendly hostels and eating my way from the stunning sunsets of the Portuguese Algarve to scenic fjords on the west coast of Norway.
I spent 4 days exploring Budapest, the Hungarian capital. The two scenic cities (Buda and Pest) straddle the Danube River and offer visiting foodies gorgeous architecture, scenic views, bustling markets and friendly and affordable restaurants.
No trip to the capital is complete without a visit to the Budapest Central Market. Paprikash Soup lovers will find endless market stalls selling strings of dried red peppers that dangle over your head like Christmas garlands. You can also purchase sweet Hungarian paprika to take home and use to cook this delicious Paprika Chicken Soup recipe!
Where To Eat Traditional Hungarian Paprikash Soup
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Eastern European restaurant that serves Chicken Paprikash Soup.
Haven’t traveled to Europe before? It may be helpful to first sample Chicken Paprika Soup at a local Hungarian restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can determine how much soup to serve in each bowl, amount of egg noodles to add and the ideal creamy texture using thick full fat sour cream.
In Toronto, popular Eastern European restaurants in Yorkville, King West and Ossington that may serve Hungarian Paprikash Soup include Cafe Polonez, Wvrst, Country Style Hungarian, Tennessee Tavern, Amber European and Chopin.
My Family Loves Creamy Chicken Paprika Soup
I love cooking recipes inspired by my travels for family and friends.
I introduced my family to this creamy Chicken Paprika Soup recipe on a chilly Fall day at our cottage in Muskoka and it became an instant hit. There’s nothing more comforting on a cold day then spooning through a steaming bowl of creamy chicken soup!
I knew my family would love this Hungarian-inspired soup because they enjoy Chicken Paprikash, pasta dishes and roast chicken.
While you can cook this recipe year round, we love making the colourful Hungarian soup in the summer months when fresh tomatoes and bell peppers are in season. If you have leftovers they keep really well in the freezer so feel free to double or triple the recipe to enjoy throughout the year.
Health Benefits
Our Chicken Paprika Soup recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Rich in a group of phytochemicals called carotenoids, tomatoes may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and provide protection against cancer. Tomatoes are also a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C.
Bell Peppers are an incredible source of vitamins C and A, which support your skin and immune system. They also provide beneficial carotenoid compounds such as beta-carotene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Paprika is rich in vitamin A, capsaicin, and carotenoid antioxidants. These substances may help prevent inflammation and improve your cholesterol, eye health and blood sugar levels.
An excellent source of vitamin K, as well as vitamin C, folate, and iron, parsley helps keep your bones and blood healthy, and protects your skin from damage by free radicals.
Chicken is high in protein and provides B vitamins such as niacin, which helps your body access the energy in foods.
Packed with calcium and friendly probiotic bacteria, sour cream and yogurt help keep your bones strong and your gut healthy. Yogurt may also help reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and some types of cancer.
Paprikash Soup Recipe Cooking Tips
This homemade Hungarian Chicken Paprika Soup recipe is quick and easy to make at home.
- We suggest using a large pot or Dutch Oven to reduce splatter when cooking.
- We like using butter in this recipe but you can substitute for a neutral vegetable oil like canola.
- We’ve used Spanish cooking onions in this recipe but you could substitue for sweet Vidalia onions, white onions or shallots.
- We’ve used canned tomatoes in this recipe but if they’re in season substitute with ripe chopped Roma tomatoes.
- We’ve used red bell peppers in this recipe but you can use an assortment of red, orange and yellow sweet peppers. The variety will make the dish really eye popping.
- Use high quality Hungarian Sweet Paprika in this recipe, not smoked paprika.
- We’ve used dry sherry in this recipe but you can substitute for a dry white wine.
- We love making this soup the day after roasting a chicken as it’s a great way to use up the leftovers. Alternatively you can saute skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts in a skillet then slice them up and add them to the soup.
- We use dried German-style egg noodles in this recipe but you can substitute with fresh Hungarian noodles or gnocchi.
- Use full fat sour cream as it adds the soups creamy texture and desired tanginess.
What To Serve with Chicken Paprika Soup
There’s nothing more comforting than cozying up to a steaming bowl of Hungarian Chicken Paprika Soup!
We like to serve this creamy soup for lunch or dinner when a comfort food craving hits. The well balanced soup features plenty of vegetables, chicken, dairy and noodles so there’s no need to serve a lot of other dishes at the table. You may want to accompany each bowl of soup with slices of sourdough bread and a fresh salad.
You May Also Enjoy These Hungarian Recipes…
- Lecho Hungarian Tomato Red Pepper Stew
- Pogacsa Hungarian Caraway Cheese Biscuits
- Pogacsa Hungarian Caraway Cheese Biscuits
- Korozott Hungarian Cottage Cheese Spread
- Paprikas Csirke Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
You May Also Enjoy These Soup Recipes…
- Aguadito de Pollo Peruvian Chicken Soup
- Burmese Khow Suey Pork Coconut Noodle Soup
- Pkaila Tunisian Butter Bean Stew
- Spicy Gukbap Korean Rice & Beef Soup
- Lebanese Lamb Dumplings Shish Barak
- Chupe de Quinoa Peruvian Soup
- Turkish Mint Yogurt Corbasi Soup
- Thai Pork Rib Soup with Vermicelli Noodles
- Egg Tofu Soup with Pork Meatballs
- Flädlesuppe German Pancake Soup
- Pepper Milagu Rasam Vegan South Indian Soup
- Portuguese Bean Soup Recipe with Kale and Sausage
- Healthy Vegetarian Chipotle Mexican Bean Soup
- Romanian Soup Ciorba de Perisoare
How To Make Hungarian Chicken Paprika Soup (VIDEO RECIPE)
Hungarian Chicken Paprika Soup
Equipment
- French knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Sweet Paprika
- 1 Spanish Onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 14 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
- 3 cups Chicken Stock
- 1/4 cup Dry Sherry
- 3 cups Roast Chicken shredded
- 2 cups Cooked Egg Noodles
- 3/4 cup Sour Cream
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 tbsp Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch Oven, melt the butter with the paprika over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken. Stir in the bell pepper, chicken broth and sherry. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the shredded roast chicken and egg noodles. Cook just to heat through. Stir in the sour cream then season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped parsley before serving.
Nutrition
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