A first-half goal from Robert Snodgrass and a fantastic strike by Alexander Tettey sealed a vital 2-0 win for Hughton's side as they outplayed Gus Poyet's side, with the Black Cats struggling to have an impact on the game.
Marcos Alonso was sent off late on for the visitors, who remain inside the bottom three while Norwich move seven points clear of the relegation zone.
With Hughton's position at Carrow Road seemingly questioned on a weekly basis, defeats for fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, Fulham, Cardiff and West Brom made for good reading for the 55-year-old.
Chris Hughton: "It has been a good day for us.
"More important than those results it has been a good day for us here. Ultimately, the results from now until the end of the season will determined where we are and we have to make sure our results our good enough.
"It is important to have a big a gap from where we are to the bottom three as possible. Last weekend we lost and other results didn't go our way, today they did."