Easy Chicken Paprikash – a healthier alternative using chicken breast. Tender pieces of chicken breasts in a rich sweet paprika sauce with bell peppers and served over noodles. Perfect easy and quick weeknight dinner.
So have you heard of chicken paprikash before? It’s of Hungarian origin and it’s a very very popular dish. The dish is loaded with paprika, a spice that is very commonly used in Hungarian cuisine.
I love this type of dish because of it’s simplicity and who am I kidding, but paprika really is one of my favorite spices to use whether it’s smoked or sweet paprika. I usually buy the big jars from Costco because I use a lot of it. This recipe itself has 2 whole tablespoons of paprika and if you think that’s too much, don’t.
How To Cook With Paprika
Cultures that love to cook with Paprika already know what I’m about to tell you, that being generous with this spice will add so much depth and a mild burn to whatever dish you sprinkle it in. Smoked paprika adds a little more heat than its regular counter part, so keep this in mind while cooking.
Be gentle with your paprika as it tends to burn easily if heated directly in a skillet.
If you can’t find sweet paprika, regular old paprika and smoked paprika will work just as well instead – just keep in mind that regardless of what kind it is paprika is still delicate and prone to burning.
Ingredients
- Chicken – I used breasts today but feel free to use any kind of chicken you’d like! This sauce is spectacular no matter the cut.
- Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil that will ensure our spice blend sticks to our chicken and crisps up the exterior nicely.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Spices – Sweet paprika and red pepper flakes for some added heat. Feel free to omit the red pepper if you’re spice averse.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley is needed in this chicken dish. If dried is all you have keep in mind that dried herbs are more potent than fresh, 1 teaspoon equals 1 tablespoon of fresh.
- Onion – We want something mild that cooks down nicely like white or yellow.
- Veggies – Just some bell pepper is all we need for sweetness and acidity.
- Broth – Low sodium chicken broth so as to control the salt content of our dish.
- Tomatoes – An entire can of diced tomatoes, including the juice.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Flour – We want just a sprinkle to thicken up our sauce. Be sure to cook off the raw flour taste a bit.
- Sour cream – No paprika dish is complete without a good dollop of sour cream – believe me!
Do I Have To Use Chicken Breast?
You can use any type of chicken cut that you like! Chicken breast, thighs, even drumsticks. Just keep in mind that switching up your cut of chicken may affect your cook time, so keep any eye on that chicken.
How To Make Easy Chicken Paprikash
- Cook the chicken: In a Dutch oven or medium size pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and onion to the pot and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
- Saute the sauteables: Stir in the peppers and garlic. Add paprika, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and stir lightly. Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Create the sauce: In a small bowl whisk together the flour and sour cream with a ladle of broth from the pot. Pour this mixture back into the pot and stir. Turn the heat down to a medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken from the flour.
- Garnish with parsley and serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.
How To Serve
This Chicken pairs well with almost anything – seriously.
Whether you want something starchy to spoon this chicken and sauce over or a crisp light salad to snack on alongside, you’ll be hard pressed to find something that doesn’t make for a drool worthy combination. Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve this with:
- Mashed Potatoes – my all time favorite accompaniment, seriously try it ASAP.
- Just some plain old noodles
- Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Harvest Rice
- Creamy Polenta
Leftovers
Fridge
Stored in an air tight container properly cooled, this chicken paprikash will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave or the oven if you’d prefer when ready to eat.
Freezer
Just place your dish in an airtight container or a freezer bag and this method will allow them to keep for 4 – 6 months. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge over night when ready to eat. Just reheat in on the stovetop or microwave.
More Delicious Chicken Dishes To Try:
- Roast Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- One Pan Roasted Honey Orange Chicken And Potatoes
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Rice Pilaf
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Chicken Parmesan
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
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Easy Chicken Paprikash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts or chicken thighs, skinless and boneless cut into small cubes
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes 1 can, including juice
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or medium size pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and onion to the pot and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
- Stir in the peppers and garlic. Add paprika, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and stir lightly. Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour and sour cream with a ladle of broth from the pot. Pour this mixture back into the pot and stir. Turn the heat down to a medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken from the flour.
- Garnish with parsley and serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.
Recipe Notes
- Stored in an air tight container properly cooled, this chicken dish will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave or the oven if you’d prefer when ready to eat.
- To freeze: Just place your dish in an airtight container or a freezer bag and this method will allow them to keep for 4 – 6 months. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge over night when ready to eat. Just reheat in on the stovetop or microwave.
- Nutritional information does not include pasta.
I don’t have canned tomato or fresh tomatoes, can i use tomato paste instead?
Tomato paste won’t really work, it’s completely different than canned tomatoes. The only thing I could suggest is mix it with some water or chicken broth but you won’t have the tomatoes in there, so the consistency will be all different.
WE, L-O-V-E-D it!!! Jack & I are making it again!!! Everyone should try it. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
We have made this many times it is sooooo good and comes together really fast. thank you so much for a new favorite!
Thank you!
What is the serving size?
If referring to the Nutritional information, it is based off the entire dish itself, excluding the pasta. It will vary depending on ingredients used etc. The nutritional information assumes 6 servings, so it’s per serving.
SO good!! Used thighs and since I’m averse to handling raw meat, lightly seared the chicken pieces whole and then removed them from the pan to sauté the veggies. I added the chicken back to the pot while the sauce was simmering, and once the it was cooked through, removed it to cut into bite-sized pieces. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. This is super easy and super delicious. Jo, I’ll be checking out all your recipes now!
BTW, absolutely loved reading Agi’s review where her picky children can’t even “look at the bones!” If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Chicken Paprikash, it’s that there are almost as many ways to make it as there are cooks in Hungary! This version of Jo’s is incredibly good and I can’t recommend it enough.
Thank you, Lana! I’m so glad you liked it!