These delicious and comfort one-pan recipe has the Hungarian flavours and the vegetables are surrounded with this creamy rich sauce that makes this dish a perfect fall and winter indulgence.
Where do I begin?? As you may already know, I like to create recipes with flavours I love and a lot of time with ingredients I have on hand. Often times, when I am shopping I have a thought or two, with what I want to make. This recipe was created with a few things in mind, one being my love of Hungarian flavours and the love of adding local fresh vegetables once they are harvested and ready to use for dishes like this. a
This recipe has Hungarian-inspired paprika flavours, although not your traditional Chicken Paprikash dish, it has several fall vegetables and the creamy texture and flavour is from the heavy cream, not the traditional sour cream that is often added to Hungarian dishes.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Chicken thighs: used bone-in and skin-on for flavours and crispiness and will often use hormone/antibiotic free or organic
- Seasoning: salt and pepper
- Spice: Hungarian sweet paprika is recommended for this recipe
- Onion and garlic: to start your base
- Vegetables include: mini-red potatoes, carrots, colour peppers, and zucchini
- Liquid: chicken broth is what I used and vegetable broth can be substituted
- Paprika paste: not too many people have this in their pantry or refrigerator, so I suggested to substitute with 1 teaspoon paprika
- Thyme: if you don’t have fresh, simply add 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- Heavy cream: or half and half cream can be substituted and I recommend if you like a thicker sauce then add another 1/2 tablespoon of flour
- Flour: to help thicken the sauce
- Parsley: for garnishing
HOW EASY IS THIS RECIPE?
Very easy, if you have or haven’t made a meal in one-pan, you will love it! First, season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika. Then you sear the chicken thighs with a little bit of olive oil and both sides for 4 minutes, long enough to create this lovely crispy skin, then transfer to a plate.
Start the base, onions and then add garlic, potatoes, carrots and peppers and cook for one minute. Stir in the broth paprika paste and thyme. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Last 10 minutes add the zucchini.
I thicken the sauce by combining heavy cream or half and half cream with flour, increase the temperature to a boiling point and stir in the cream and flour mixture. Once thickened, remove and garnish with parsley.
HOW TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE
Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika. In a large skillet, on medium heat, add oil. Pan fry chicken thighs leaving the pieces for about 4 minutes on each side before turning. They should be nice and crispy before turning over. Once cooked, transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat and sauté onions for about 3 minutes, add another tablespoon of oil if needed, then add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Then add and stir in potatoes, carrots, and peppers and cook for about one minute. Stir in the chicken broth, paprika paste, and thyme. Return the chicken pieces and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the zucchini the last 5-10 minutes.
To thicken the sauce, combine the cream and flour in a small bowl. Increase heat and move the vegetables and chicken to stir in the cream mixture, once the sauce has thicken, remove the skillet from the heat. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
FAQ
Do I have to use chicken thighs? No, you don’t but if you use chicken breasts, then use with skins on to create a crispy texture and the paprika would adhere to the chicken a little better.
Can I substitute a couple of the vegetables? Yes, absolutely! Keep in mind the length of time they will need to cook and add them accordingly.
I rather not use heavy cream, what would you suggest? I would suggest to use half and half cream.
One-Pan Light Creamy Chicken Paprika with Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil/vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 8-10 mini organic red potatoes, cut in half, skins on
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 orange pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped (can replace with 1 coloured pepper)
- 1 1/4 cup chicken broth/vegetable broth
- 1 tsp paprika paste (can substitute 1 tsp sweet paprika)
- 2 sprigs of thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 1 zucchini, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup organic heavy cream
- 1 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnishing
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika.
- In a large skillet, on medium heat, add oil. Pan fry chicken thighs leaving the pieces for about 4 minutes on each side before turning. They should be nice and crispy before turning over. Once cooked, transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat and sauté onions for about 3 minutes, add another tablespoon of oil if needed, then add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Then add potatoes, carrots, and peppers and cook for about one minute. Stir in the chicken broth, paprika paste, and thyme.
- Return the chicken thighs back into the skillet and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, long enough for the chicken to cook through and vegetables to become tender. The last 5-10 minutes add the zucchini to cook and become tender.
- To thicken the sauce, combine the cream and flour in a small bowl. Increase heat and move the vegetables and chicken to stir in the cream mixture, once the sauce has thicken, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Adjust the seasoning if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Once the seasoning is adjusted, then serve this delicious one-pan meal on it’s own or with crusty bread or homemade biscuit recipe: Flaky Buttery Biscuits.
