Hungarian Bakonyi Chicken – Creamy Paprika Mushroom Chicken
Servings: 4
Bakonyi chicken (Bakonyi csirkemell) is one of those Hungarian dishes that turns simple ingredients into the ultimate comfort food. 🇭🇺❤️ Tender chicken breast, mushrooms, paprika and sour cream come together in a rich, creamy sauce that you’ll want to scoop up to the very last drop.
Bakonyi-style dishes can be made with different meats depending on your taste, but for this version I used chicken breast and oil instead of lard. It’s simple, comforting and perfect for a family dinner.
And yes… I served mine with pasta instead of nokedli. 😂 It had been a long day, I was tired, and homemade nokedli simply wasn’t happening! Luckily, this sauce is delicious with almost anything — pasta, nokedli, tarhonya, rice or even mashed potatoes.
Because Hungarian home cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to taste like home. ❤️🇭🇺
Servings: 4
Ingredients
600–700 g (1½ lb) chicken breast
400–500 g mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 Hungarian wax pepper or sweet bell pepper, diced
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
½ tsp dried marjoram
400–500 ml water or chicken broth, as needed
150–200 g sour cream
1 tsp cornstarch
Fresh parsley, chopped
Pasta, nokedli, tarhonya, rice or mashed potatoes, for serving
Preparation
Prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken breast into smaller fillets or pieces. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour.
Brown the chicken: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Cook the mushrooms: Add the sliced mushrooms to the same skillet and sauté until golden. Remove and set aside.
Make the paprika base: Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened. Add the tomato, pepper and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Reduce the heat, stir in the Hungarian paprika, then immediately add a little water or broth so the paprika doesn't burn.
Simmer: Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. Return the chicken to the skillet and add enough water or broth to create a generous sauce. Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Add the mushrooms: Return the sautéed mushrooms to the skillet and stir them into the sauce.
Make it creamy: Mix the sour cream with the cornstarch until smooth. Stir in a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce to temper it, then slowly add the mixture to the skillet.
Finish: Simmer gently for another 2–3 minutes, until the sauce is creamy and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot with pasta, nokedli, tarhonya, rice or mashed potatoes. 🇭🇺❤️