Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash
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Slow cooker chicken paprikash is the Hungarian classic of chicken in a creamy paprika sauce, spooned over egg noodles, made without ever pulling out a skillet. Most slow cooker versions still have you brown the chicken first and thicken the sauce with flour or cornstarch at the end. I skip both, so the chicken, onion, and paprika go into the pot raw and the sour cream gets stirred in once the chicken is tender.
I used to make paprikash on the stovetop with chicken legs, and this slow cooker version is the one I make now. I first made it for a friend who had just had a baby, served over cilantro lime rice, and she praised the pairing as much as the paprikash. That first batch also showed me I like the chicken in bigger pieces than I’d cut it, and that’s how the recipe card has it now.
Egg noodles are the classic plate, or swap in ruffled noodles like the ones in the photos if that’s what you have. If you want a rice with even more going on, try a rice pilaf. For more dinners that go into the pot in the morning, browse my slow cooker recipes.
How It Comes Together
Everything except the sour cream and parsley goes into the slow cooker at once: the chicken, onion, diced tomatoes with their juice, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss it until the chicken is coated, cover it, and leave it alone. You can run it 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high. I’ve made it on high, and the breast stayed soft through the whole cook instead of drying out, because it spends those hours under so much sauce.
Cut it big. Most slow cooker paprikash recipes call for 1-inch pieces of chicken. My first batch was cut small too, and the pieces broke down into the sauce more than I wanted, which is why this recipe calls for three or four large pieces per breast.
All of the paprika goes in at the start. Some versions hold most of it back until the end to keep it from turning bitter over the long cook. Mine went in up front for four hours on high, and it never tasted bitter.
You’ll know it’s done when the onion is soft and translucent and the chicken gives under the spoon the way pot roast gives under a fork.
Then turn the cooker off and stir in the sour cream slowly, until the sauce is one even color with no white streaks. It’s tempting to let the pot cool first so the sour cream doesn’t split, but I stirred mine in straight from the cooker and it didn’t separate.
There’s no thickener in this recipe, so the sauce stays loose and spoonable, and it wants something underneath it. Egg noodles soak it up, and so do make-ahead mashed potatoes, which hold a loose sauce on the plate. The printable recipe card below has the full ingredient list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: Boneless and skinless, about four to make 2 pounds, each cut into three or four large pieces. Thighs work in their place, and I swap the two freely in most recipes.
Paprika: Start with sweet paprika if you’re new to this dish. I’ve also made it with smoked paprika, and it’s just as good with a deeper, smokier edge, so sweet, smoked, or a mix of the two comes down to what you like. Whichever you use, smell the jar before it goes in, because paprika that smells like nothing will taste like nothing in the pot.
Diced tomatoes or chicken broth: Pour the tomatoes in with their juice, since the juice becomes part of the sauce. I’ve also made it with 2 cups of chicken broth in place of the tomatoes, so that’s an easy tomato-free variation.
Garlic powder: I like fresh garlic in most things, but powder goes straight into the pot with no chopping, which suits a recipe this hands-off.
Sour cream: Full-fat, which is what I buy anyway. Lower-fat sour cream works, but it’s more likely to split when it meets the hot sauce.
What I’ve Learned Making This
- Doubled, this fits in an 8-quart slow cooker. I made a double batch in my Hamilton Beach so we got a second dinner out of one pot, and I didn’t change the cook time.
- Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat them gently on the stovetop or in the microwave at lower power, and stir often so the sauce stays smooth.
- To freeze it, stop before the sour cream goes in. Cool the chicken and sauce and freeze it for up to 4 months, the USDA’s window for cooked chicken. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, reheat it, and then stir in the sour cream.
Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash
Equipment
- 4- to 6-quart slow cooker
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4, each cut into 3 or 4 large pieces
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can, with juice
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika plus more for dusting (optional)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken, onion, diced tomatoes with their juice, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker.
- Toss gently until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours, until the onion is soft and translucent and the chicken breaks apart when pressed with the mixing spoon.
- Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the sour cream slowly until the sauce is smooth and one even color with no white streaks.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and dust with a little more paprika, if you like.
Notes
- Keep the chicken in large pieces, three or four per breast. Small pieces break down into the sauce over the long cook.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs work in place of the breasts.
- For a tomato-free version, use 2 cups of chicken broth in place of the diced tomatoes.
- For a deeper, smokier sauce, swap half or all of the sweet paprika for smoked paprika.
- A pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes adds heat.
