Low-Carb Chicken Paprikash Stew

I adore paprika, especially smoked paprika.

My autoimmune condition makes most spices out of the question for me so being able to indulge in this rich, smoky dish is a real delight.

I used skinless and boneless chicken thighs, for ease of cooking, but you can use whatever you prefer. Just remember that you need slightly longer cooking time for bone-in thighs. You can even use skin-on chicken drumsticks for an extra boost of flavour like we used in our Easy Paprika Chicken Recipe.

This dish is easy and quick to put together and leaves you with time to relax and put your feet up while it cooks.

You can serve this comforting Hungarian classic stew with cauliflower rice or shirataki rice that can be prepared using this method. For a quick low-carb one-pot meal, simply add the rice into the stew and cook for a few minutes. Enjoy!

How to Make Chicken Paprikash in the Instant Pot

If you have the Instant Pot, you can easily make this low-carb meal by using the Saute program until step 4 (browning all of the ingredients for a few minutes and adding the stock). Then press cancel and close with a lid. Set to Manual, high-pressure, vent valve in the sealed position, and set to 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, manually release the pressure. Open the Instant pot and follow the recipe from step 5 (adding sour cream, heavy whipping cream and xanthan gum) and use the Saute program to finish it. Easy peasy!

Suggested sides:

• 1 to 1 ¹/₂ cups of cauliflower rice
• 1 cup shirataki rice (can be prepared using this method)

Note: Xanthan gum or glucomannan powder are used for thickening but can be skipped if you can't tolerate either. Glucomannan powder is the same ingredient that is found in shirataki noodles and is generally well tolerated.

Step-by-step

1. Peel and slice the onion. Finely slice the bell pepper.

   

2. Heat half of the oil in a heavy pan or a Dutch oven. Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook quickly over a high heat, until softened. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
   Note: For Instant pot instructions, check the tips in the recipe description above.

   

3. Place the rest of the oil in the pan and sear the chicken fillets, in batches, until they are browned on the outside. Sprinkle with sweet and smoked paprika and stir to coat well.

   

4. Return the onions and peppers to the pot and add the chicken stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Mix the cream, sour cream and xanthan gum in a small bowl and add to the chicken, cooking for approx. 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.

   

6. Add half of the parsley and stir through. Serve over cauliflower rice with remaining parsley as a garnish.

   

7. Store, in a covered container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve with cauliflower rice or shirataki rice.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Chicken Paprikash Stew

★★★★★4.5 (102 ratings)

This creamy paprika chicken is cozy and bursting with flavor. A classic Hungarian stew made low-carb!

Hands on

15m

Overall

45m

Servings

6

2.8 g

Net carbs

31.7 g

Protein

45 g

Fat

543

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings18 servings24 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 6 servings

• Stew:
• 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (you can use bone in or boneless) (2.2 lb)
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced (g/ oz)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced (g/ oz)
• 1 ¹/₂ cups chicken stock (360 ml/ 12 fl oz)
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ cup sour cream (115 g/ 4 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup heavy whipping cream (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Peel and slice the onion. Finely slice the bell pepper.

2. Heat half of the oil in a heavy pan or a Dutch oven. Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook quickly over a high heat, until softened. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
   Note: For Instant pot instructions, check the tips in the recipe description above.

3. Place the rest of the oil in the pan and sear the chicken fillets, in batches, until they are browned on the outside. Sprinkle with sweet and smoked paprika and stir to coat well.

4. Return the onions and peppers to the pot and add the chicken stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Mix the cream, sour cream and xanthan gum in a small bowl and add to the chicken, cooking for approx. 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.

6. Add half of the parsley and stir through. Serve over cauliflower rice with remaining parsley as a garnish.

7. Store, in a covered container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve with cauliflower rice or shirataki rice.

Nutrition per serving, excludes sides

Carbs 2%Protein 23%Fat 75% of calories

Net carbs

2.8 g

Total carbs

4 g

Fiber

1.2 g

Sugars

2.3 g

Protein

31.7 g

Fat

45 g

Saturated fat

13.5 g

Calories

543 kcal

Sodium

121 mg · 5.26% RDA

Magnesium

64 mg · 15.9% RDA

Potassium

457 mg · 22.9% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per excludes sides	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Chicken thighs, boneless, skin-on, raw	0 g	29.7 g	27.5 g	365
Onion, brown (yellow), raw	0.7 g	0.1 g	0 g	4
Peppers, red bell, fresh	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	4
Chicken stock	0.1 g	0.9 g	0.8 g	10
Paprika, spices	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	3
Paprika, smoked (spices)	0.1 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	9 g	80
Cream, sour	0.9 g	0.5 g	3.7 g	38
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)	0.3 g	0.2 g	3.8 g	37
Xanthan gum, thickening agent	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Parsley, fresh (spices)	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	2.8 g	31.7 g	45 g	543

Serving size excludes sides

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free