This oven baked 3-ingredient chicken paprikash is as simple and comforting as Sunday supper gets. The recipe came down from my Hungarian grandmother, who served some version of this at nearly every Sunday dinner for 40 years. She believed in letting a few good ingredients do the talking: good chicken, sweet Hungarian paprika, and thick sour cream. Everything bakes together in one casserole dish into tender pieces of chicken nestled in a rich, orange-red, creamy sauce that browns just a bit around the edges. It’s the kind of dish you slide onto the table in that same baked-on, well-loved dish, and everyone remembers it long after the plates are cleared.
This chicken paprikash is lovely with simple buttered egg noodles, dumplings, or mashed potatoes to catch every bit of the creamy paprika sauce. In my house, I like to add a side of green beans or peas, sometimes just canned and warmed with a little butter and salt, the way my mother did. A crisp green salad with a tangy vinaigrette balances the richness nicely. If you have good bread on hand, set it out for mopping up the sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Leftovers reheat well, so don’t be shy about making a full pan even for a smaller crowd.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Chicken PaprikashServings: 4–6
Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks preferred)
3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream
Directions
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a medium oval or 9x13-inch ceramic casserole dish so the chicken doesn’t stick too much.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. This helps the skin brown a little and keeps excess water out of the sauce.
In a small bowl, stir together the sweet Hungarian paprika and the sour cream until the mixture is completely smooth and a deep orange-red color. Taste a tiny bit and add a pinch of salt if you like, but my grandmother often left it as-is and let folks salt at the table.
Spoon a thin layer of the paprika sour cream mixture over the bottom of the casserole dish, just enough to lightly coat the surface.
Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer in the dish, skin side up, leaving a little space between each piece so the sauce can bubble around them.
Spread the remaining paprika sour cream mixture evenly over and around the chicken pieces, coating them well but leaving the very tops of the skin just peeking through in places. This gives you that slight browning on the edges while keeping the meat tender underneath.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. This lets the chicken gently cook through and keeps the sauce from drying out.
After 35 minutes, carefully remove the foil. Spoon some of the sauce from the sides over the tops of the chicken pieces to keep them moist, then return the dish to the oven uncovered.
Bake uncovered for another 25–35 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the edges have taken on a deeper orange-red color with a little browning. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, not touching the bone.
Let the casserole rest for 5–10 minutes after removing it from the oven. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. Serve the chicken straight from the dish, spooning plenty of the creamy paprika sauce over each piece.
Variations & Tips
If you grew up with a grandmother like mine, you know recipes like this were more about feel than measurements. You can adjust the amount of paprika to suit your taste; if you like it bolder and deeper in color, add another tablespoon. Just be sure to use good-quality sweet Hungarian paprika for the classic flavor and bright orange-red sauce. You can also swap in chicken leg quarters or all thighs if that’s what you have; just keep the total weight about the same and bake until the meat is very tender and the juices run clear. For a slightly lighter version, you can use full-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of up to half of the sour cream, but don’t go too lean or the sauce may curdle and lose its silky texture. A small pinch of salt and black pepper can be added to the sauce if your family prefers a more seasoned dish, though the original three-ingredient version relies on the paprika and tangy sour cream to carry the flavor. For food safety, always keep raw chicken refrigerated until you’re ready to cook, wash your hands and any surfaces or utensils that touch raw chicken with hot soapy water, and never rinse raw chicken in the sink (it can spread bacteria). Use a meat thermometer to be sure the chicken reaches at least 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part away from the bone. Leftovers should be cooled, refrigerated within two hours, and eaten within 3–4 days; reheat gently in a covered dish at 300–325°F or in the microwave until hot all the way through, adding a spoonful of water or extra sour cream if the sauce seems too thick.
