Recipe

Hungarian Paprika Chicken with Ají Cachucha

Name: Hungarian Paprika Chicken with Ají Cachucha
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 1 kg bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (raw weight); 2 medium onions (about 250 g), chopped; 4 ají cachucha peppers (about 60 g), seeded and chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 ripe tomato, 150 g, grated; 16 g Hungarian sweet paprika (about 2 level tablespoons); 30 ml oil; 350 ml low-sodium chicken broth; 200 g full-fat sour cream, at room temperature; 10 g all-purpose flour; 5 g salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; Cooked white rice, to serve (optional)

Braised chicken thighs in a creamy sweet paprika and sour cream sauce, scented with ají cachucha. A contemporary Hungarian-Cuban fusion.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Cooking1 h 5 min
Total time1 h 25 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

This recipe is a contemporary fusion of Hungary and Cuba. It is neither a traditional Cuban dish nor an orthodox Hungarian paprikash: it is an adaptation that starts from the Hungarian stew and adds a touch of Cuban cooking.

From Hungary it keeps the essentials: sweet paprika, well-softened onion and full-fat sour cream that, carefully tempered, gives a creamy orange-red sauce. The Cuban contribution is the ají cachucha, that aromatic, not-at-all-hot pepper that so often turns up in our sofritos.

The result is a mild, fragrant stew with juicy chicken thighs. If you like, serve it with white rice on the side.

Method

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it with some of the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the thighs for about 8 minutes, on both sides. Remove them to a plate: they will finish cooking in the sauce.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion for 8 minutes, gently scraping the bottom. Add the cachucha and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the grated tomato and cook for another 3 minutes.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Take the pot off the heat. Add the paprika, stir for a few seconds and immediately pour in the broth. This order keeps the paprika from burning and turning bitter. Return the chicken to the pot with its juices.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Cover and cook over gentle heat for 30–35 minutes. Check with a thermometer that the thickest part of the chicken reaches 74 °C/165 °F, without touching the bone; cook longer if needed. Remove the chicken. If the sauce is very thin, reduce it uncovered for about 5 minutes.
Whisk the sour cream with the flour in a bowl until smooth. Gradually add about 100 ml of hot sauce, whisking, to temper it. Lower the heat to the minimum and add this mixture to the pot, stirring.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Cook for 3–4 minutes over gentle heat, without a hard boil, to thicken the sauce and cook the flour. Return the chicken, adjust the salt and serve with its sauce. White rice is an optional side and is not included in the timings of this recipe.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Tips and variations

Use sweet paprika, not smoked. Smoked paprika completely changes the character of the sauce. Don't replace it with tomato sauce or a sour mojo either: the appeal is in the paprika and the cream.

Full-fat sour cream at room temperature. Light or plant-based versions tend to curdle. Tempering it with hot sauce before adding it to the pot keeps it from separating.

Never over high heat after adding the cream. Gentle heat, without a hard boil, is enough to thicken the sauce and cook the flour.

Safe temperature. The chicken is done when the thickest part reads 74 °C/165 °F on a thermometer, without touching the bone.

Cachucha without seeds. This keeps its aroma clean and the sauce mild.

Storage. Keep it in the fridge in a tightly closed container for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat, without letting it boil, so the cream doesn't curdle. Freezing is not recommended, because a sauce made with sour cream can separate when thawed.