Hungarian Chicken Goulash Recipe

Why You’ll Love This this Hungarian Chicken Goulash

This Hungarian chicken goulash brings all the snug, soul-warming flavors you crave without the fuss of traditional beef versions that take forever to get tender.

The paprika and caraway seeds create this amazing aromatic base that makes your kitchen smell like you’ve been cooking all day, even though you really haven’t.

Plus, using chicken thighs means you get that rich, fall-apart texture in just about 30 minutes, which is perfect for those nights when you want comfort food but don’t want to wait until midnight to eat.

Ingredients List

This Hungarian chicken goulash keeps things beautifully simple with just eight ingredients that probably live in your pantry and fridge right now.

• 8 boneless chicken thighs
• 2 medium onions
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed
• 115 g button mushrooms
• 14 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• freshly chopped parsley (to garnish)

A Few Healthy Highlights:

• Chicken thighs give you more protein and iron than breasts, plus they’re way harder to overcook
• Paprika isn’t just for color – it’s packed with vitamin C and antioxidants that make your immune system do a little happy dance
• Those mushrooms sneak in some serious nutrients like selenium and B vitamins, which is pretty sneaky for something that tastes so good
• The tomatoes bring lycopene to the party, which is basically nature’s way of making comfort food a tiny bit virtuous

Step by Step Directions

This Hungarian chicken goulash comes together in one pan with simple browning, sautéing, and simmering techniques that build incredible depth of flavor.

• Prep the chicken: Remove skins from chicken thighs and heat a piece of skin in a nonstick frying pan, then add chicken and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until well browned on all sides.
• Prep vegetables: While chicken cooks, peel and roughly chop the onions.
• Set up for next step: Remove chicken from pan, discard skin, and pour away all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
• Cook aromatics: Add onions, paprika, and caraway seeds to the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add mushrooms: Stir in button mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.
• Build the sauce: Add canned chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, then bring to a boil.
• Simmer everything: Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken back to pan, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes until chicken is tender.
• Thicken sauce: Remove lid and fast boil for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid reduces to sauce consistency.
• Finish and serve: Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Having a quality professional kitchen knife set makes all the preparation steps much more efficient and enjoyable.

Substitutions and Variations

• Fresh tomato version: When summer tomatoes are actually worth eating, you can use about 3-4 large ones, peeled and chopped, instead of the canned stuff.
• Make it dairy-rich: Some recipes call for a dollop of sour cream stirred in at the end, which makes everything creamy and tangy.
• Herb variations: Fresh thyme or marjoram work beautifully if parsley isn’t your thing, or if you’re feeling adventurous.
• Stock substitutions: Beef stock adds deeper flavor, or vegetable stock works if you want to keep things lighter.

Additional Things to Serve With This Dish

This hearty goulash practically begs for something starchy to soak up all that paprika-scented goodness.

• Egg noodles or spätzle: The classic choice that never disappoints, wide egg noodles cradle the sauce like they were born for this job.
• Crusty bread or dinner rolls: Perfect for the messy eaters among us who want to chase every last drop of sauce around the bowl.
• Rice or mashed potatoes: Sometimes you just want something comforting and neutral to balance out all those bold flavors.
• Simple green salad: A crisp lettuce salad with vinaigrette cuts through the richness, though to be truthful, you’re probably too busy savoring the goulash to think about vegetables.
• Steamed green beans or roasted carrots: If you’re feeling virtuous and want to add some color to your plate, these work without competing for attention.
• Pickled vegetables: Hungarian cucumber salad or pickled beets add that sharp, tangy contrast that makes your taste buds wake up and pay attention.

Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)

A few smart moves in the kitchen can turn this good goulash into something that’ll have people asking for the recipe.

• Don’t rush the browning – Those chicken thighs need their time to develop that golden, slightly crispy exterior that adds so much flavor to the final dish, even if you’re tempted to hurry things along.
• Use the chicken skin wisely – It’s basically free cooking fat with bonus flavor, so render it out slowly and let it do the work instead of adding oil from a bottle.
• Let the onions get properly soft – They should look translucent and smell sweet before you add the paprika, because nobody wants to bite into a chunk of raw onion hiding in their goulash.
• Toast those spices for about 30 seconds – The paprika and caraway seeds will smell more fragrant and taste less dusty when they hit the hot oil with the onions.
• Don’t skip the reduction step – That final fast boil concentrates all the flavors and prevents you from serving what basically amounts to chicken soup with paprika.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning – Hungarian dishes can handle more paprika than you think, and a pinch of salt often brings everything together at the end.
• Let it rest for 10 minutes – The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, and the flavors meld together better when they’re not screaming hot.

Nutritional Facts

This hearty Hungarian chicken goulash delivers solid protein while keeping calories reasonable, thanks to the lean chicken thighs and vegetable-rich sauce.

Per serving (serves 4):

• Calories: 285
• Protein: 32g
• Carbohydrates: 12g
• Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 3.5g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 420mg
• Cholesterol: 110mg
• Iron: 15% DV
• Vitamin C: 25% DV
• Vitamin A: 20% DV
• Potassium: 680mg

Key nutritional highlights:

• High in complete protein from chicken thighs
• Rich in lycopene from tomatoes
• Good source of B vitamins, especially niacin and B6
• Contains beneficial antioxidants from paprika
• Low in refined carbohydrates
• Provides essential minerals like phosphorus and selenium

Fun “Did You Know?”

Beyond its impressive nutritional profile, Hungarian chicken goulash carries fascinating stories that’ll make your next dinner conversation as rich as the dish itself.

I’ve uncovered that Hungarian cowboys called “csikós” created the original goulash in the 9th century, cooking it in large cauldrons over open fires. The word “goulash” actually comes from “gulyás,” meaning herdsman.

Here’s what amazes me most: paprika wasn’t introduced to Hungary until the 16th century by Turkish invaders, yet it became the dish’s signature spice.

Today, goulash competitions across Hungary attract thousands of participants who guard their family recipes fiercely.