Hungarian

Hortobágyi palacsinta

Thin Hungarian crêpes are filled with chopped chicken pörkölt, then covered with a paprika-sour cream sauce and baked until bubbling. It is a comforting, old-style dish where the silky sauce is just as important as the filling.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour80g
• Egg1 large
• Milk150ml
• Sparkling water50ml
• Salt3/4 tsp, divided
• Neutral oil2 tsp, plus more for the pan
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs300g
• Lard1 tbsp
• Yellow onion, finely chopped1 small
• Hungarian sweet paprika1 tbsp
• Tomato, finely chopped1 small
• Hungarian wax pepper, finely chopped1/2 pepper
• Garlic, finely grated1 small clove
• Chicken stock or water180ml
• Black pepper1/4 tsp
• Sour cream180g, plus extra to serve
• All-purpose flour, for thickening1 tsp
• Butter, for the baking dish1 tsp

Method

1. Whisk 80g flour, egg, milk, sparkling water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2 tsp oil into a smooth, thin batter.
2. Let the pancake batter rest for 20 minutes while you start the filling.
3. Cut the chicken thighs into 2cm pieces.
4. Melt the lard in a small heavy pan and cook the onion over medium-low heat until soft and pale golden.
5. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the Hungarian sweet paprika, then immediately add the chicken and stir to coat.
6. Return the pan to the heat and add the tomato, wax pepper, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, and chicken stock.
7. Cover and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the pörkölt has plenty of paprika-rich juices.
8. Lift the chicken from the sauce with a slotted spoon and chop it very finely with a knife.
9. Moisten the chopped chicken with 2 to 3 tbsp of the cooking sauce so the filling holds together.
10. Whisk the sour cream with 1 tsp flour until smooth.
11. Blend or strain the remaining cooking sauce, then return it to the pan and whisk in the sour cream mixture.
12. Simmer the sauce gently for 2 to 3 minutes without letting it boil hard, then adjust the salt.
13. Heat a lightly oiled crêpe pan and cook 4 thin palacsinta, about 20cm wide, stacking them as they are done.
14. Divide the chicken filling among the pancakes and fold each one like an envelope or roll it neatly.
15. Butter a small baking dish and arrange the filled pancakes seam-side down.
16. Spoon the paprika-sour cream sauce over the pancakes.
17. Bake at 180°C for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot and lightly bubbling.
18. Serve warm with a small spoonful of sour cream on top.

Common questions