Paprika Chicken Stew

Paprika Chicken Stew is an easy weeknight dish made with chicken pieces on the bone, bell peppers, and lots of Hungarian paprika.

Paprika Chicken Stew

This dish has comfort food written all over it! If you have chicken in your freezer, this hearty chicken stew is a great way to use it up. Just be sure to thaw your chicken first. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, so it’s an easy one to cook on a busy weeknight. My family loves all types of healthy chicken stew recipes, others we love are Instant Pot Pollo Guisado, which is also great on the stove, Chicken and Andouille Sausage Stew and  Jamaican Stew Chicken when we want it spicy!

The dish is inspired by the Hungarian dish Chicken Paprika, only I skipped the sour cream and you don’t even miss it. So good you’ll want to drink the sauce! There’s many variations of this classic dish, some people add tomatoes and peppers, some a lot more paprika, and of course sour cream.

My dad is from Prague, so I grew up eating the Czech dish Chicken Paprikash. Czech cuisine is similar to Hungarian and Russian with lots of hearty soups, stews, and meat dishes in creamy gravy. My homemade chicken stew is a bit different than my dad’s recipe as it has no cream, but it’s delicious, nonetheless. If you want to make this dish creamy, you can certainly add some sour cream at the end. If you have my cookbook Skinnytaste Fast and Slow, I shared my dad’s Chicken Paprikash, which I modified for the slow cooker.

What to Serve with Paprika Chicken Stew:

My parents always made this stew with dumplings, but it’s also great over noodles, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes. If you want to keep it low-carb, roasted veggies or shredded brussels sprouts would work too.

You can also eat the stew by itself without serving it over anything. Some crusty bread would be perfect for soaking up any extra broth.

How to Thaw Frozen Chicken

There are a few ways to thaw frozen chicken, depending on how much time you have.

1. The safest way to thaw frozen chicken is to put it in the refrigerator. It will take a day or two to thaw.
2. If you’re short on time, you can put the chicken in a sealed plastic bag and place it in a bowl of cold water. Every 30 minutes, pour the water out and replace with new water to ensure it’s always cold. Depending on how much chicken you have, it should thaw within one to three hours.
3. The fastest way to thaw frozen chicken is to microwave it for a few minutes. The microwave method is the least safe way to defrost chicken because it can heat the chicken unevenly. If you use the microwave, make sure to cook your chicken immediately after.

How to Make Chicken Stew at Home

Making homemade chicken stew with vegetables is pretty simple. Start by sautéing the onions and peppers until soft. Then, sauté the garlic for a minute.

Mix the flour and paprika with the broth and then pour into the pot along with the bay leaf and chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 to 50 minutes.

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