Need some quick inspiration for a weeknight dinner? If you have chicken breasts in the fridge, cook them in a sweet, paprika-flavored cream sauce. This chicken breast paprikash recipe is sure to be a hit with the whole family!
➜ About the recipe
Chicken breast paprikash is a delightful European dish that showcases pan-fried chicken breast in a rich and creamy sweet paprika sauce. Unlike traditional paprikash, which typically calls for bone-in chicken thighs or other chicken pieces, using chicken breasts offers a quick and easy cooking experience while providing the convenience of boneless, easy-to-eat meat.
If you are short on time, I have good news for you - you can cook this dish in half an hour, including the side dish of fluffy steamed rice, which I am happy to recommend!
MY TIP: You might also like this chicken breast steak with peach!
➜ Pronunciation
Although the dish has roots in Hungary, chicken paprikash is also very popular here in the Czech Republic. If you are wondering what its Czech name is, here it is: "Kuře na paprice."
I've also added a short audio clip of Czech pronunciation so you'll know what to order if you find yourself in the Czech Republic and want to satisfy your hunger with great food!
➜ Ingredients
To make chicken breast paprikas from scratch, you will need the following:
- Chicken breast; boneless, skinless
- Yellow onion
- Pork lard; lard has been used in Czech cuisine for generations to add a distinct flavor and richness to dishes. It also has a higher smoking point than many other cooking oils, which makes it ideal for deep frying and achieving crispy textures. However, if you can't find lard at your local grocery store, I recommend replacing it with sunflower or canola oil - both have a neutral flavor and are great for frying.
- Chicken broth; gives the best sauce aroma. I occasionally make the meal with vegetable broth, which is slightly less flavorful. If you don't have any broth, you can substitute water, but the paprika sauce taste will be less pronounced.
- All-purpose flour; to thicken the sauce. I explain how to properly thicken the sauce in the instructions below. Before simmering with the broth, the flour is briefly fried in fat and other ingredients, forming a roux. The roux will give the sauce a wonderful creamy texture.
- Sweet paprika powder; if you can, get some paprika powder from Hungarian production
- Heavy cream; or half and half if you want to save calories
- Lemon juice and sugar; you don't need much, but trust me when I say that adding these two ingredients at the end of the cooking process will make a huge difference in the taste!
- Salt and ground black pepper
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
Equipment: I used a deep nonstick skillet about 11 inches (or 28 cm) in diameter to make the chicken paprikash. Also, prepare the lid for the pan, as you will need it later.
➜ How to make chicken breast paprikash
Slicing & seasoning chicken breast
STEP 1: Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the meat with your hand to season all sides thoroughly.
Frying chicken breast cubes in a pan
STEP 2: Heat the lard or oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cubes and fry until the meat gets a light brown crust on the surface. Stir carefully.
TIP: The meat may release liquid during the frying process. Continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated and only fat remains in the bottom of the pan.
STEP 3: Remove the fried chicken from the pan and transfer to a bowl.
Making creamy paprika sauce
STEP 4: Peel the onion and chop it finely.
STEP 5: When the meat is cooked, browned bits will probably remain on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and add two tablespoons of stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom until the pieces loosen.
STEP 6: Add a tablespoon of lard, heat the pan over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Fry, stirring constantly, until lightly golden.
STEP 7: Reduce temperature to one-third. Stir in flour and paprika powder. Stir and fry for about half a minute.
STEP 8: Remove the pan from the heat and pour in about a cup and a half of the lukewarm broth. Stir immediately to prevent lumps from forming.
STEP 9: Add the rest of the broth and stir. Cover with a lid and return to the stove. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally as the flour tends to stick to the bottom.
Finishing the paprikash
STEP 10: Carefully pour the finished pepper sauce into a mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add cream, sugar and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste if necessary. Do not cook anymore!
MY TIP: One of my favorite Czech chefs, Roman Vanek, recommends adding a slice of cold unsalted butter to the hot sauce at the end of cooking. The sauce will become velvety smooth and gain more flavor. Try it too!
STEP 11: Pour the creamy paprika sauce back into the saucepan and add the fried chicken breasts. Heat on low for about ten minutes and you're ready to serve!
➜ Best side dish options
Our family's favorite is paprikash with chicken breast served with fluffy steamed rice. Accompanied by rice, paprikash makes a light meal that is great for a tasty lunch or dinner.
Another great side dish is egg noodles or raised dumplings (knedlíky), a Czech classic for all kinds of sauces.
➜ How to store and reheat
If you have leftover chicken paprikash, let it cool completely, then transfer to a sealable container and store in the refrigerator. Stored that way, it will keep for 4-5 days.
Reheat in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. You'll probably need to add a tablespoon of water, as roux-thickened dishes tend to thicken overnight.
This chicken breast paprikash freezes well! Place any leftover paprikash in an airtight container and store it in the freezer, where it will last about three months. Be sure to mark the container with the date you put it in the freezer.
➜ Useful tips
- For a better presentation, sprinkle the chopped green parsley over the paprikash when you serve it.
- When finishing the dish, use sour cream instead of heavy cream, sugar, and lemon juice. The taste of the sauce will be less pronounced, but you can save calories in your daily intake.
More tasty dishes:
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!
Creamy Chicken Breast Paprikash
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 1 large onion
- 2 Tablespoons lard (or canola/sunflower oil)
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder Hungarian style
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut 1 ½ pounds chicken breast breasts into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Rub the meat with your hand to season all sides thoroughly.
- Heat half of 2 Tablespoons lard in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cubes and fry until the meat gets a light brown crust on the surface. Stir carefully.
- Remove the fried chicken from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- Peel 1 large onion and chop it finely.
- When the meat is cooked, browned bits will likely remain on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and add two tablespoons of stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom until the bits loosen.
- Add the rest of lard, heat the pan over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Fry, stirring constantly, until lightly golden.
- Reduce temperature to one-third. Stir in 2 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder. Stir and fry for about half a minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour in about a cup and a half of the chicken broth. Whisk immediately to prevent lumps from forming.
- Add the rest of the broth (in total 2 ½ cups chicken broth) and stir. Cover with a lid and return to the stove. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally as the flour tends to stick to the bottom.
- Carefully pour the finished sauce into a mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon sugar and ½ Tablespoon lemon juice. Season with salt to taste if necessary. Do not cook anymore!
- Pour the creamy paprika sauce back into the saucepan and add the fried chicken breasts. Heat on low for about ten minutes and you are ready to serve!
Notes
- The basic recipe makes three bigger or four smaller portions.
- SERVING: Our family's favorite is paprikash with chicken breast served with fluffy steamed rice. Accompanied by rice, paprikash makes a light meal that is great for a tasty lunch or dinner.
- STORAGE: If you have leftover chicken paprikash, let it cool completely, then transfer to a sealable container and store in the refrigerator. Stored that way, it will keep for 4-5 days.
- FREEZE: This chicken breast paprikash freezes well! Place any leftover paprikash in an airtight container and store it in the freezer, where it will last about three months.
- For a better presentation, sprinkle the chopped green parsley over the paprikash when you serve it.
Noo says
Thank you for the clear instructions and tips illustrated with apt pictures. Made it today with a couple of tweaks: 1. I used cubed meat from chicken leg and thigh instead of breast
2. I added a couple tablespoons of tomato paste.
It was delightful served with 'knedliky' made by my Czech mother-in-law.
Will definitely make again!
Lucia says
adding tomato paste is a key mistake made by foreigners for many central European paprika dishes and soups. Traditionally tomato in any form is never used in goulash, kuce na paprice, or any of the similar paprika dishes. All of the red/orange color comes from paprika.
SONG says
Thank you for good recipe.
I made with chicken thigh!
Petra Kupská says
Thanks for your feedback! Chicken thighs are a great idea.
Michal says
Ďakujem krásne za recepty z domova. Kde však nájdem kompletný recept? Pisete vždy iba suroviny ale nie množstvo. Niečo mi ušlo? Kde to nájdem? Bez množstvo sa ťažko vari. Ďakujem za pomoc
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Dobrý den, Michale, děkuji za komentář - jsem moc ráda, že se Vám recepty líbí. Množství je vždy uvedeno v dolní části receptu (žlutě ohraničené, kousíček nad komentáři) spolu s postupem, poznámkami ke skladování nebo podávání a předpokládanou kalorickou hodnotou.
Snad Vám to pomohlo. 🙂
Florida Barb says
I loved this and husband did too. My grandmother was 100% Czech and our family enjoyed many wonderful dishes thanks to her skills. I wish she was still with us so I could whip this up for her.
Petra | Cook Like Czechs says
I am so glad you both loved it! I am sure she would have absolutely enjoed your cooking.