Chicken paprikash is a classic Hungarian dish that relies on a serious scoop of paprika for both mild peppery flavor and a vibrant red color. Here that recipe’s building blocks are reimagined as a ragù, with ground chicken, aromatics, and a dollop of sour cream swirled in for richness.
Two notes for shopping. If you can find dark meat ground chicken, definitely grab it; dark meat has more fat than white meat, which is welcome in a ragù (traditionally made with pork or beef, both with higher fat content than chicken). And in the spice aisle, seek out Hungarian paprika, which is very bright red and more flavorful than “sweet paprika” or just “paprika” (though either will do in a pinch). The only variety to avoid here is smoked, or Spanish, paprika, which will provide a different flavor profile and a much darker color to your finished pasta.
What you’ll need
Noble Sweet Paprika
$10 At Burlap and Barrel
Dutch Oven
$90 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$9 At Amazon
Large Pot
$65 At Amazon
Colander
$15 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook 1 large onion, finely chopped, stirring often, until softened, 5–7 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 2
Add 1 lb. ground chicken, ¼ cup Hungarian sweet paprika, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt to pot. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot. Add one 14.5-oz. can crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until ragù is thickened and saucy, 12–14 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. pappardelle or other long, flat pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
Step 4
Add pasta and remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter to ragù. Increase heat to medium and cook, tossing and gradually adding pasta cooking liquid, until ragù is glossy and clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup sour cream. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 5
Divide pasta among shallow bowls; top with finely chopped parsley.
Recipe notes
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