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Creamy Paprika Chicken with Rice

Creamy paprika chicken with rice featuring golden chicken thighs simmered in a vibrant red paprika and sour cream sauce, deeply colored with both sweet and smoked paprika. Serve it over fluffy white rice with visible cream swirls and a dill garnish for an easy chicken paprikash-style dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Eastern European-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs and seasoning
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder to taste
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika to taste
Sear and build the sauce
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
Serving
  • cooked white rice
  • fresh dill

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken skin-side down for 6-7 minutes until deeply golden, then flip and sear for 4 minutes until browned; remove to a plate.
Build the paprika sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the diced onion over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic, sweet Hungarian paprika, and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, then bring to a simmer. Return the chicken skin-side up to the sauce.
Simmer until tender
  1. Cover the pan and simmer at a steady simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Serve
  1. Serve the creamy paprika chicken over cooked white rice and garnish with fresh dill.

Notes

Pro tip: stir in the sour cream off the heat and keep the sauce at a gentle temperature so it stays silky without splitting. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop. Freezing is not recommended for best cream texture. If you want a lighter option, use low-fat sour cream and follow the same off-heat addition to keep the sauce smooth.