Description
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.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 pounds chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 3 teaspoons paprika (preferably Hungarian Hot or Sweet Paprika)
- 1½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, thin sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup paprika (preferably Hungarian Sweet Paprika)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth (homemade or store-bought low sodium)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- ¾ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Sear the chicken (on one side) in three batches: Sprinkle the chicken thighs evenly with the 3 teaspoons of paprika and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode - high (medium high heat in other pressure cookers) and heat the tablespoon of butter until it melts. Add ⅓ of the chicken (about a pound) in a single layer and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don't crowd the pot, or the chicken will steam, not brown). Move the browned chicken to a bowl, add half of the remaining chicken to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Move the browned chicken to the bowl. Add the rest of the chicken to the pot and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned chicken to the bowl.
- Sauté the aromatics and spices: Add the olive oil, onions, and sliced garlic to the pot and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften around the edges, about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of chicken. Once the onions soften, stir in 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. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode set for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot), or for 12 minutes in a stove top PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, for about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Thicken and serve: Move the chicken to a serving platter. (Be gentle, the chicken is fall-apart tender. Or, if you want a chicken paprikash stew, shred the chicken once it's on the platter.) Put the sour cream in a medium bowl, add an equal amount of pot liquid, and whisk together until smooth. Pour the smoothed sour cream into the pot and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the pot sauce over the chicken and serve. (I put a piece or two of chicken on egg noodles and then smother them with sauce.) Enjoy!
Notes
If you want to use bone-in chicken pieces, you can. Cut any breast pieces in half, sear the chicken skin side down, and increase the Pressure Cook time to 20 minutes.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut each breast in half, and everything else in the recipe stays the same.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Hungarian