Paprika Chicken

Written by Published on in Meat, One Pot Meals

Paprika Chicken is my version of a fuss-free supper. As the name suggests the star of the show is Paprika which gives this dish and earthy, smoky flavour and such pretty colour. With just a handful of ingredients this easy to prepare dish comes together in no time at all. Before we get started on this delicious Paprika Chicken, let’s talk a bit about its main ingredient – Paprika.

Some Ingredients for Paprika Chicken
Paprika Chicken – One Pot Meal
Paprika Chicken

What is Paprika?

Paprika is a ground spice made from dried peppers related to the capsicum family, this includes both Bell and Chili peppers. There are different varieties of Paprika and different types of peppers are used to produce the desired variety of this spice. The taste can range from mild, sweet, spicy and smoky and its appearance can range from a burgundy-brown to bright red-orange. It’s used as both a flavour and colour enhancer when preparing meals and can be found on kitchen spice racks worldwide. Hungary and Spain are two well known producers of Paprika.

What’s the Difference Between Regular, Sweet, Hot and Smoked Paprika?

The peppers used to create the spice makes the difference. Regular Paprika labeled as simply “Paprika” is quite mild in flavour, slightly fruity, slightly earthy and slightly bitter. Most recipes that list Paprika as an ingredient usually refer to Regular Paprika. For convenience, Regular and Sweet Paprika can be used interchangeably but it’s important to note that depending on where it was manufactured (country/region) Sweet Paprika is more distinctive in taste than Regular Paprika and is notably different. Hungarian Sweet Paprika is a very good product to illustrate this difference. Sweet paprika is sweeter and fruitier than regular paprika but depending on where you live it may not be as easily assessible.

Paprika Chicken utilizing 2 types of Paprika

As the name suggests, Hot Paprika is…hot. It has more of a kick, with distinctive spicy earthy notes. Smoked paprika is easily differentiated with its smoky aromatic notes. The peppers used are dried then smoked over oak rendering its unique flavour. Sweet and hot peppers can be used and you can find both smoked paprika and hot smoked paprika as options. Pimentón de la Vera (Spanish Paprika) is smoked paprika produced in Spain.

So now that we’ve cleared that up you can easily differentiate your Paprika in a line-up and you’re all set to make this easy and delicious Paprika Chicken.

Paprika Chicken
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Paprika Chicken

Recipe by Amelia Does DinnerCourse: MainCuisine: International CuisineDifficulty: Easy
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Pan seared and simmered Paprika chicken in a rich gravy with Potatoes and Bell peppers.

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Thighs

  • 1 tbsp Paprika

  • 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper

  • 1 shallot chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced

  • 3 Bay leaves

  • 5 small-med tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped

  • 1 Bell Pepper seeds removed chopped into large pieces

  • 1/2 red chili chopped into rounds

  • 2 1/2- 3 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup chopped parsley

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 medium potatoes cut into quarters

  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

  • Wash and pat dry Chicken thighs
  • To a bowl add both types of Paprika, Salt and Pepper, mix
  • Cover the thighs in the spice mixture.
  • On med-high heat, drizzle the oil into the pan. Add the thighs to the pan searing them on both sides (about 4-5 mins each side). Remove from pan and reserve.
  • Add the chopped shallots, cook for a couple mins. then add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves. Cook for 2 mins.
  • Add the potatoes, chopped chilis, green peppers. Arrange the chicken thighs in the the pot (skin side up) then add the stock.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med-low and cook for 30 mins.
  • Garnish with parsley (optional) and serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Substitute a small onion for shallot.
  • The chicken should not be fully submerged in the stock. The skins should be exposed with the rest of the chicken being submerged.
  • Depending on the size of pan used, you may require less or more stock. Try to use a pan that fits all the ingredients in a single snug layer.
  • You can choose to use boneless, skinless thighs, just adjust the cooking time accordingly (they will cook faster than skin on bone in)

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