Keto Chicken Paprikash
This keto chicken paprikash features tender chicken legs cooked in one pot with onion, green bell pepper, and a rich paprika sauce finished with sour cream. Most of the cooking is hands-off in the oven, making it an easy dinner with plenty of flavor and little fuss.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Chicken Legs: Skin-on drumsticks and thighs stay juicy during the longer cooking time and add flavor to the sauce. You can use separated thighs and drumsticks if preferred.
- Goose Fat: Goose fat gives the chicken a richer flavor and works well for browning over medium-high heat. Lard or another cooking fat can be used instead.
- Onion: Dice the onion fairly small so it softens into the sauce rather than leaving large pieces.
- Green Bell Pepper: Green bell pepper adds flavor without making the sauce too sweet. Red or yellow bell pepper can be used, but they will give the dish a sweeter taste.
- Hungarian Paprika: Use sweet Hungarian paprika for the main flavor of the dish. If you want some heat, replace a small amount with hot Hungarian paprika rather than using smoked paprika, which changes the flavor considerably.
- Black Pepper: Use freshly ground black pepper if possible and season the chicken before browning.
- Chicken Stock: Chicken stock provides the cooking liquid and carries the flavor of the paprika, vegetables, and chicken through the sauce. Use a good-quality stock since it makes up a large part of the finished dish.
- Sour Cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the smoothest sauce and is less likely to split. Let it come slightly closer to room temperature before tempering it with the hot sauce.
- Salt: Season the chicken before cooking, then taste the sauce again after it has reduced before adding any more salt.
Expert Tips
Get a Good Sear on the Chicken
Pat the chicken skin dry before seasoning, then place it skin-side down in the hot fat. Leave it undisturbed for a few minutes so the skin has time to brown properly before turning.
Brown the Chicken in Batches
Avoid crowding the pan. Too many pieces at once will lower the temperature and trap steam between the chicken, preventing moisture from escaping efficiently. This causes the chicken to steam rather than develop a good brown crust.
Keep a Close Eye on the Paprika
Paprika can burn quickly and turn bitter. Once it is added, stir constantly and cook it only briefly before pouring in the chicken stock.
Reduce the Sauce Before Adding the Sour Cream
Let the sauce simmer uncovered until it is slightly thicker than you want the finished sauce to be. The sour cream will loosen it a little once stirred in.
Temper the Sour Cream
Mix a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the sour cream before adding it to the pot. This brings it up to temperature gradually and helps prevent it from curdling. Once added, keep the heat low and avoid boiling the sauce.
Storage and Leftovers
Allow the chicken paprikash to cool before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. The sour cream sauce may separate slightly after thawing, but gentle reheating and stirring will usually bring it back together.
Reheat slowly in a covered saucepan over low to medium-low heat until the chicken is hot throughout. Add a small splash of chicken stock or water if the sauce has thickened too much during storage.
More Recipes You May Like
Chicken paprikash goes particularly well with cauliflower rice, which is great for soaking up the creamy paprika sauce. You can also serve it with Keto bread, Keto naan, or zucchini noodles. For another Hungarian-inspired meal, try this Keto Goulash.
Keto Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb whole chicken legs skin-on (drumsticks and thighs)
- 1 tbsp goose fat
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 small green bell pepper diced
- 3 tsp Hungarian paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 17 fl oz chicken stock about 2 cups + 2 tbsp
- 2.6 oz sour cream about ⅓ cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Season the chicken with the salt and black pepper.
- Heat the goose fat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken skin-side down and cook for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened and golden brown. Add a little of the chicken resting juices if needed to deglaze the pan.
- Add the green bell pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the Hungarian paprika and cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Return the chicken and any resting juices to the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Remove from the oven and place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.
- Add a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce to the sour cream in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir the sour cream mixture into the sauce until fully combined.
- Serve immediately.
I did not love it. But now I definitely know what Hungarian paprika tastes like.
Add button quartered mushrooms and chopped up 1 or 2 tomatoes. Use peppercorns rather than pepper and i squished clove garlic. Tea spoon salt. Take out 1/2 a cup of the stock and put sour cream into cup. Stir and mixes better then put back into main pot. Now you have still keto hungarian chicken paprika my 97 yo granny (still alive) 2020 taught me. My favorite meal but i miss non keto nokadli that normally goes with it.
I made this keto chicken paprikash. I must say it is easy to make.It reminds me of my mother in law. My husband and I like it. We ate it with the keto naan I made. It’s different from other keto dishes I make. I did not cook it in the oven coz it is summer. Turning the oven on will turn the house like a sauna. I think I need to put more salt but otherwise will make it again. I have to make rice for my husband next time.