What's For Dinner Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash

I love using my slow cooker in the winter. When it is frigid outside and the days get dark so early, coming home to a dinner that is pretty much complete-- and also, very hearty-- is a great feeling. It's the little things, right?

This slow cooker chicken paprikash is one of my favorite winter comfort foods. I'm part Hungarian so my mom frequently made this for us as kids and I also got to try the real thing on a trip to Budapest in college, so I have been tweaking my own recipe for it ever since.

If you're not familiar with a paprikash, it is a classic and delicious Hungarian dish that consists of a thick sour cream-based sauce flavored with paprika. It usually includes chicken (which is how I have made it here and prefer it), but some people prepare it with beef or pork too. In many cases, you will see this made strictly with meat in the paprikash sauce. I like to load my slow cooker version up with vegetables like onions, red peppers, carrots, and mushrooms so that-- egg noodles aside-- this is basically a one pot meal.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour 
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and sliced into very thin 1-inch long strips
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into a small dice
• 1 Tbs. paprika
• 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper 
• 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/4 cups reduced fat sour cream
• Hot cooked egg noodles, for serving

In a medium bowl, stir together flour and chicken strips until chicken is adequately coated.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add coated chicken strips and cook until chicken is lightly browned, about 4 minutes on both sides.

Add chicken strips, onion, and next 11 ingredients (through cremini mushrooms) to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Once the chicken mixture is cooked, stir in sour cream until fully blended-- The sauce will be a pale orange-pink color. Cook uncovered on high for an additional 30 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.

Serve hot over cooked egg noodles.


Derived from original recipe by Cooking Light.