Chicken Paprikash Instant Pot
Creamy, meaty, and with a hit of smoky sweetness, making this Chicken Paprikash Instant Pot recipe an easy dish for a busy weeknight. Loaded with flavor and with a thick gravy that’s perfect over spaetzle or noodles, everyone will be going back for seconds!
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This is an easy Instant Pot recipe. There are a few steps to making this Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash, but once you’ve got the meat and onions dealt with, you set it and forget it. The only question is, what will you serve with this meaty, creamy, and sweet-smoky flavorful dish that’s loaded with fresh paprika?
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What You Need To Make Chicken Paprikash Instant Pot Recipe
- An Instant Pot – Any model will do but I love the big 6 qt model with all the functions.
- Olive oil – or your favorite cooking oil for sauteeing.
- Chicken thighs – You can use legs or breasts but I love meaty thighs in this recipe.
- Onions – yes, it’s a lot of onion but they melt into the sauce making it oh-so-crazy-lick-your-plate-clean good.
- Garlic – Always use fresh garlic. Jarlic doesn’t give the same flavor.
- Chicken broth – Use low or no sodium chicken broth or stock.
- Paprika – You need THREE kinds of paprika in this recipe – sweet paprika, smoky paprika, and spicy paprika. See my notes below.
- All purpose flour – or your favorite thickener
- Sour cream
- Salt and black pepper – Season to taste.
What Is Paprika and How To Use it
Paprika is made by grinding dried sweet peppers into a powder. This is where the vibrant red color comes from. But there are three kinds of paprika, and this recipe calls for all three, and how you add paprika to this recipe (or any recipe for that matter) is important. More about that below.
- Paprika – the regular version of paprika has a sweet, pepper flavor and vibrant red color.
- Smoked paprika – the dried pepper pods are smoked before grinding, and smoked paprika has a smoky and sweet flavor. It will be a less vibrant shade of red. You may find this labeled as Spanish paprika.
- Hot paprika – the authentic Hungarian paprika has a spicy kick to it. It is made from spicy peppers and may be labeled hot Hungarian paprika.
Paprika is water-soluble and burns VERY quickly. Unlike spices that require toasting in hot fat or oil to bring out the flavors, paprika should never be added to hot oil or it can burn and will have a bitter, acrid flavor. Instead, always add paprika to liquid. Don’t worry, all that flavor will come out making this the best Chicken Paprikash dish you’ve ever had!
Paprika doesn’t have a very long shelf life. It will lose some of its potent flavor after about 6 months. Some people keep it in the fridge to extend its flavor up to about a year. Make this paprika chicken with the freshest possible paprika.
How To Make Chicken Paprikash In the Instant Pot
This Instant Pot chicken recipe is a traditional Hungarian dish and it couldn’t be any easier, and I’ll walk you through it!
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté on High and give it a minute or two to heat up.
Add a bit of oil to the bottom of the insert. When the oil is hot and shimmering, place the seasoned chicken thighs in the pot skin side down. Let them sear for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them over. Work in batches if needed so the pot is not overcrowded.
Remove the chicken and set it aside. Add the sliced onion to the hot pot and continue cooking on Sauté. Stir the onions for 4 to 5 minutes until they are soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth to deglaze the pot. Use a flat-edged wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Turn off the heat and add the remaining chicken broth.
Stir in the paprika until well combined.
Return the chicken to the pot. Seal the lid and set the Instant Pot to the Soup or Stew setting for 15 minutes. When the cooking time is done, allow a natural release for 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Slowly pour this mixture into the simmering liquid while whisking. If the sauce is not hot enough, switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté for a few minutes so the gravy can thicken.
Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and remove the insert from the Instant Pot. To prevent the sour cream from curdling, stir a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the sour cream to warm it up, then mix the sour cream mixture back into the pot.
Season the creamy paprika sauce with salt and pepper, then spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Serve and enjoy this comforting bowl of Instant Pot chicken paprikash.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Remove excess skin from the chicken thighs before searing them.
- If the thighs are sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot while searing them, let them go another minute or two. They should release fairly easily when they’re browned.
- Don’t overcrowd the IP when searing the chicken, or it’ll just steam and not brown.
- Add the paprika to the chicken stock or broth in the Instant Pot, so it doesn’t burn.
- If your gravy is too thin, mix more flour and water and add 1 tablespoon of it at a time to the sauce and boil it to thicken.
What To Serve With Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash
This Chicken Paprikash Instant Pot recipe pairs sooo nicely with so many different dishes. Most purists will say to enjoy this chicken stew recipe with Spaetzle, a kind of eggy noodle. But you can also serve it with regular pasta, dried egg noodles, or even rice or mashed potatoes.
Pair this easy Chicken Paprikash recipe with a bright green veggie, and you’ll be all set!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Simply chill it thoroughly in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Then, package the chicken and sauce in an air-tight container or zipper-top bag for up to three months. To reheat, thaw it overnight in the fridge and warm it slowly on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave.
It can be. Instead of thickening the sauce with a slurry of all-purpose flour and water, use cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce.
Yes! If you can sautee then you can make this recipe. It has a few steps, but the results are oh-so worth it!
Chicken Paprikash Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- 4 cups sliced onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups low or no sodium chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika or to taste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sour cream full fat works best in this recipe
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Sautee, High. Give it a minute or two to heat up.
- Add some oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. When the oil is shimmering and hot (but not smoking) add the seasoned chicken thighs, skin side down. Let them sear for 2-3 minutes then flip them over. You may need to do this in two batches so you don't overcrowd the insert.
- Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the sliced onion to the hot Instant Pot – keep it on sautee.
- Stir the onions around, sauteeing them for 4-5 minutes or until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sautee an additional minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot with 1/4 cup chicken broth. Add it to the hot onions and scrape up all the crunchy bits stuck to the bottom of the IP. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the chicken broth.
- Add the paprika and mix well.
- Return the chicken to the Instant Pot, seal it and set it to Soup/Stew and set it for 15 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the IP and set aside on a clean plate.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour with 1/4 cup of water to make a thick liquid. Add this in a slow stream while whisking, to the still boiling liquid. If it has stopped boiling, put it back on Sautee for a few minutes.
- When the gravy has boiled and thickened, turn off the heat and remove the insert from the Instant Pot. Add a few spoonfuls of hot sauce to the sour cream (to temper it) and mix thoroughly. Add the sour cream mixture back into the rest of the gravy, stirring well to blend it in.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper and spoon it over your chicken. Enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Remove excess skin from the chicken thighs before searing them.
- If the thighs are sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot while searing them, let them go another minute or two. They should release fairly easily when they’re browned.
- Don’t overcrowd the IP when searing the chicken, or it’ll just steam and not brown.
- Add the paprika to the chicken stock or broth in the Instant Pot, so it doesn’t burn.
- If your gravy is too thin, mix more flour and water and add 1 tablespoon of it at a time to the sauce and boil it to thicken.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
This looks really good, would it work with pork? I’m so tired of chicken. Lol
Yes, I don’t see why not! Just watch the cook time on the pork if you’re using thin chops – they won’t take as long. Now I’m curious and want to try it with pork! Thanks for stopping by to comment! ~Jenn
Thank you, finally a correct description of the best-known Hungarian recipe. (I’m Hungarian.)
I have only one comment: if you want to freeze it, do it without sour cream. When heating, add whipped cream + flour. (Sour cream does not like the freezer.) Without sour cream = stew, with sour cream = paprikash
Thanks! I always try to keep recipes as authentic as possible. And, thanks for the tips! ~Jenn
Hi, I just wanted to double check–did you mean teaspoons for the paprika, or tablespoons? It seems like an awful lot of color for only about 1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika overall. And, no tomato whatsoever?
Thanks for asking! Yes, the measurements are teaspoons in part because this is an Instant Pot recipe and in part because it doesn’t make oodles of sauce. If your paprika isn’t super fresh, feel free to add more but go easy on the smoked and hot paprika as you don’t want to overpower the dish. And yes, no tomato! As you may be aware, there are all sorts of variations of this recipe, and this is the one my Oma taught to me (adapted for the Instant Pot.) ~Jenn
I had this dish and it was amazing. A rich flavor, but not overwhelming. It was great with rice to help soak up the extra sauce.
I bet this dish is delicious, but I was curious as to why only 3 stars? Well, I tried to touch the star reviews at the top of the recipe, to go to read the reviews, and I ended up giving your recipe 3 stars. Lol. Consider changing this web design flaw. Change the stars at the top of the recipe to hyperlink to the lower part of the page to read the reviews. Have the area below the recipe allow for rating the recipe and writing a review. I look foreword to trying the recipe tonight. I think it will be great, as the instapot makes super tender chicken.
Thanks for the heads up about this! I hope you had a chance to try it and that you loved it! ~Jenn
I love this recipe and would like to adapt it for a Dutch oven on top of the stove. Would I want to adjust any of the measurements for these ingredients? It would be very helpful if a response could be sent to my email.
Hi Sharon, the only tweaks you may need to make are in the amount of liquid because there’s more evaporation when cooking on the stovetop. Good luck! ~Jenn
Can Greek yogurt be used instead of sour cream?
For sure! Just stir it in at the very end. ~Jenn
I am also Hungarian! Both of my parents and grandparents were. This is the first time I have seen paprikas in the recipe my mother used. I use it as well. I have shared the recipe with all kinds of people and they love it. They had no trouble learning how to make it either. I also have made it with pork. I prefer chicken with the skins on the meat. It seems to set the flavor! I use fresh or frozen parsley when I have it. It is definitely a 5 star recipe!
You made my day! Thank you for your lovely message, and I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe. Thank you, too, for sharing it! And yes, the chicken skin adds tons of flavor! ~Jenn
Can this recipe be adapted to a crockpot? How would I do that?
You could, yes. Brown the chicken then pop it all into the slow cooker. I’d say 3-4 hours would do it. Just don’t cook the chicken into smitherines – I’d stop it when the chicken gets to 165-F. I should develop a Crock Pot Chicken Paprikash recipe! ~Jenn