Mels Kitchen Cafe Paprika Chicken Stroganoff
Stroganoff is a homey, comforting way to enjoy dinner and since I already have a few other beef versions that I make often and we really enjoy, Im happy to add a chicken stroganoff recipe to the rotation. I think the reason I love me some stroganoff is because an everyday list of ingredients, if cooked and tended properly, can turn into the perfect marriage of flavors and become ultimately satisfying. Yum. Stroganoff.
Stroganoff is a homey, comforting way to enjoy dinner and since I already have a few other beef versions that I make often and we really enjoy, Im happy to add a chicken stroganoff recipe to the rotation. I think the reason I love me some stroganoff is because an everyday list of ingredients, if cooked and tended properly, can turn into the perfect marriage of flavors and become ultimately satisfying. Yum. Stroganoff.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika or regular paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms or baby bella mush
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt, creme fraiche, or sour cream
- hot, cooked egg noodles, for serving (about 12 oun
- fresh, chopped parsley for garnish
- Carbohydrate 0.112455 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.01254 g
- Fiber 0.0394499988555908 g
- Protein 0.011415 g
- Saturated Fat 0.00342 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (2g)
- Sodium 581.4045 mg
- Sugar 0.0730050011444092 g
- Trans Fat 0.003225 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium bowl or shallow pie plate, toss the cubed chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour on top of the chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat the olive oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown on each side, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. The chicken will finish cooking fully a bit later so it doesn't need to be cooked all the way through. Scrape the chicken onto a plate and set aside.
- Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan, if needed, and stir in the onions and mushrooms. Saute the mixture, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the chicken, until the onion is translucent and the onions and mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Pour in about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up any bits from the bottom. Stir in the tomato paste, whisking to combine. Add the rest of the chicken broth and the bay leaf, stirring well.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet and simmer the mixture over medium-low to medium heat, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the yogurt (or creme fraiche or sour cream) and cook for about 2-3 minutes longer. If you would like the sauce to be a bit thicker, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons cold water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the simmering mixture in the skillet, whisking quickly to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Serve over hot noodles and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Adding the sour cream or yogurt requires careful temperature control, as boiling dairy after incorporation causes it to curdle and break into an oily sauce. Remove the skillet from direct high heat or lower the burner to a gentle simmer before stirring in the dairy component. This ensures the sauce remains smooth and coats the back of a spoon evenly without separating.
Accompaniments and Texture Control
Because chicken stroganoff relies on a rich, pan-derived sauce thickened with flour and reduced broth, starchy sides work best to absorb the extra liquid. While buttered egg noodles remain the traditional standard, wide pappardelle or steamed jasmine rice offer similarly porous surfaces that hold the mushroom and paprika flavors effectively. Avoid overly sweet vegetable sides, as the natural sweetness from the sautéed yellow onions and concentrated tomato paste already forms a distinct flavor baseline.
- If the sauce appears too thin after simmering, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water before whisking it into the liquid.
- Maintain medium heat when browning the chicken breasts or thighs to ensure the exterior develops a golden crust without overcooking the interior before it returns to the sauce.
- Deglaze the 12-inch skillet using a quarter cup of chicken broth while scraping the bottom vigorously to dissolve browned fond into the base.
