Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash recipe (with boneless chicken thighs)

Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash. Chicken paprikash with boneless chicken thighs. A quick paprikash recipe with plenty of Hungarian paprika, ready in under an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

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"(It's)…not a chicken dish flavored with paprika and onions, it's a paprika and onion dish in which there is chicken." - JM Hirsch, Milk Street Magazine, Nov-Dec 2022

Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, Hungarian chicken paprikash (Paprikás csirke, aka paprika chicken) has always been around. The national dish of Hungary, paprikash first spread to its Eastern European neighbors and then to Northeast Ohio during the wave of immigration in the Industrial Age of the late 1800s. This easy Instant pot recipe is my version of paprikash chicken, comfort food for my whole family.

(If you're looking for Spanish comfort chicken, check out my Arroz con Pollo - Instant Pot Chicken Legs and Rice).

Ingredients

• Butter
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Paprika (preferably Sweet Hungarian Paprika )
• Fine sea salt
• Olive oil
• Onions
• Garlic
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Tomato paste
• Chicken broth (homemade or store-bought low sodium)
• Sour cream

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make Chicken Paprikash in an Instant Pot

Sear the chicken, on one side, in three batches: Sprinkle the chicken thighs evenly with 3 teaspoons of paprika and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an Instant Pot set to Sauté Mode - High. Sear the chicken in 3 batches, on one side, transferring each batch to a bowl once seared.

Sauté the aromatics and spices: Add the olive oil, onions, and sliced garlic; sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of chicken. Add the ¼ cup of paprika, ground black pepper, and tomato paste, and sauté for a minute to toast the spices.

Everything in the pot: Pour in the chicken broth (and ½ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth). Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to ensure nothing is sticking. Stir in the chicken and any juices in the bowl.

Pressure cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode set for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally for about 20 more minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.)

Thicken and serve: Move the fall-apart chicken to a serving platter. Whisk the sour cream and an equal amount of pot liquid until smooth. Stir the smoothed sour cream into the pot and keep stirring until smooth. Pour the pot sauce over the serving platter of chicken and serve over egg noodles, smothering the chicken and noodles with the sauce. Enjoy!

Substitutions

• Dark meat vs. white meat: You can replace some or all of the chicken thighs with boneless skinless chicken breasts. The dark meat chicken holds up better to pressure cooking, but white meat chicken breasts are not bad. Cut each chicken breast in half, and the cooking time remains the same.
• Bone-in chicken pieces: If you want to cook bone-in chicken thighs, I recommend all chicken thighs. (Or you can use a whole cut up chicken, with breast, thigh, drumstick, and wing pieces - just cut the breast pieces in half.) Brown the pieces skin side down to render some of the fat from the chicken skin, and then increase the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes at high pressure (with a Natural Release).
• Paprika varieties: Hungarian sweet paprika is traditional for this recipe. A mix of hot paprika (sprinkled on the chicken) with sweet paprika (added to the pot) adds extra complexity to the recipe if you can find hot paprika. Smoked paprika is another good option, even if you have to get Spanish smoked paprika. Or, don't be a paprika snob and use the "regular" paprika from your local grocery store.
• Hot paprikash: If you want to add some heat to your paprikash, use hot paprika instead of sweet paprika. Or, add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the paprika and black pepper.
  

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker

Scaling

You can double this recipe in a 6-quart pressure cooker or move up to an 8-quart pressure cooker if you want. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook each piece of chicken, no matter how many are in the pot.

Storage

Chicken paprikash is excellent, made a day ahead, and reheated. I store leftovers in 2-cup containers, which last for a few days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Top Tip

Don't be shy with the paprika in this recipe! Yes, we're using 5 tablespoons total; this is paprikash after all.

What to Serve with Chicken Paprikash

The best thing to serve Chicken Paprikash with is a starchy side dish to soak up the sauce. My favorite is egg noodles, especially Kluski-style egg noodles, probably because of the Polish influence here in Northeastern Ohio. Another classic is small dumplings, like nokedli or spaetzle. Or, serve the Paprikash with mashed potatoes. If you want to be fancy, also serve it with Kielbasa and Sauerkraut as a side dish.