Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash. Tender chicken thighs in a sweet-paprika slow-cooker sauce finished with sour cream and served over egg noodles. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A gentle paprika sauce
Slow cooker chicken paprikash in this draft uses tender boneless thighs, a substantial amount of sweet paprika, onion and a sour-cream finish. The sauce should look brick-red and creamy, not like a tomato-heavy chili or a mushroom gravy.
This is a working recipe. Paprika quality, cooker temperature and thigh thickness can change flavor and timing. The five-hour low interval is only an estimate; the chicken endpoint is 165°F. Egg noodles are boiled separately and included in the measured six plated servings.
Sweet paprika, not a hot spice blend
Three tablespoons sweet paprika are central to the dish. Use a fresh jar and bloom it only briefly with softened onion and garlic so it does not scorch and turn bitter. A spoonful of tomato paste adds depth without replacing paprika as the main flavor.
A half cup broth is a conservative starting liquid because the covered cooker retains chicken juices. Full-fat sour cream goes in at the end and is tempered with hot sauce first. Boiling sour cream hard may split it.
Standard egg noodles contain wheat and egg, sour cream contains milk, and broth may have additional label considerations. This card does not claim a gluten-free or dairy-free version.
Ingredients for 6 portions
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Boneless skinless chicken thighs | 2 1/2 pounds | Thawed and roughly even size. |
| Olive oil | 1 tablespoon | Skillet aromatics. |
| Yellow onion, thinly sliced | 1 large onion | Sauce. |
| Garlic cloves, minced | 3 cloves | Sauce. |
| Sweet paprika | 3 tablespoons | Use fresh non-smoked sweet paprika. |
| Tomato paste | 1 tablespoon | Sauce depth. |
| Low-sodium chicken broth | 1/2 cup | Slow-cooker liquid. |
| Fine salt | 1 teaspoon | For chicken and sauce. |
| Ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon | For sauce. |
| Full-fat sour cream | 3/4 cup | Temper into hot sauce off heat. |
| Dry egg noodles | 12 ounces | Cook separately near service. |
Step-by-step method
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and soften one sliced onion approximately 7 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp sweet paprika and 1 tbsp tomato paste and stir about a minute without scorching paprika. Scrape into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add 2 1/2 lb thawed boneless chicken thighs, 1/2 cup broth, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and cook on LOW approximately 5 hours until the thickest chicken pieces reach 165°F and are tender; check appliance guidance rather than starting frozen meat.
- Near the end, cook 12 oz dry egg noodles according to package directions. Remove chicken briefly. Whisk a little hot cooking liquid into 3/4 cup sour cream in a small bowl, then stir it into the cooker with heat off or on warm, not at a hard boil. Return chicken and coat.
- Divide chicken, paprika sauce and cooked noodles among six plates. Measure sauce yield and note whether sour cream stays smooth after tempering and whether the slow-cooker timing reaches the chicken endpoint.
Cook chicken, then finish the sauce
Soften onion before loading the slow cooker; raw onion may stay harsh in a short slow-cooker cycle. Stir in garlic, paprika and tomato paste briefly, then transfer along with thawed chicken, broth and seasonings.
Cover and cook on low until the thickest thigh pieces register 165°F. Check in several spots rather than assuming time alone establishes doneness. Cook noodles near service, not in the cooker, so they do not absorb and muddy the sauce.
Tempering sour cream with some warm liquid before adding it to the cooker reduces abrupt temperature change. Return the chicken, coat and serve over noodles. The final sauce volume is a kitchen-trial measurement, not a guaranteed number of ladles.
If paprika tastes bitter or cream separates
Paprika can burn quickly in a dry skillet. If the aromatics darken, discard and restart rather than trying to mask bitterness with extra dairy. For a separated sauce, record the heat setting and whether the sour cream was tempered, then revise the method.
A thin sauce may reflect chicken juices or a larger cooker; reducing a portion separately before sour cream is an option for a trial. Adding flour would alter allergens and is not in the current ingredient table.
Land O'Lakes provides a related paprikash approach, not proof of this thigh cut, timing or sour-cream ratio.
Dinner service
Divide twelve ounces dry noodles into six cooked portions, then add chicken and sauce. For make-ahead, consider keeping noodles separate; an exact holding or freezer window needs a real test and current guidance review.
The image must show reddish paprika sauce and egg noodles, not tomato-red pasta or a soup. No exact US Pinterest Search growth number is verified for this long-tail title.
Paprikash questions
Can I use smoked paprika?
This base calls for sweet non-smoked paprika. Smoked or hot versions change the named flavor and need separate testing.
Do noodles cook in the slow cooker?
No. The measured twelve ounces are cooked separately near service.
When does sour cream go in?
After chicken reaches 165°F, tempered into the hot sauce off a hard boil.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Land O'Lakes' slow cooker chicken paprikash; FDA safe food handling temperature chart. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash. Category: Dinners. 6 portions. Prep approximately 20 minutes; cooking approximately 320 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 0 minutes; total approximately 340 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken thighs; 1 tablespoon Olive oil; 1 large onion Yellow onion, thinly sliced; 3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced; 3 tablespoons Sweet paprika; 1 tablespoon Tomato paste; 1/2 cup Low-sodium chicken broth; 1 teaspoon Fine salt; 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper; 3/4 cup Full-fat sour cream; 12 ounces Dry egg noodles.
Instructions: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and soften one sliced onion approximately 7 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp sweet paprika and 1 tbsp tomato paste and stir about a minute without scorching paprika. Scrape into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add 2 1/2 lb thawed boneless chicken thighs, 1/2 cup broth, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and cook on LOW approximately 5 hours until the thickest chicken pieces reach 165°F and are tender; check appliance guidance rather than starting frozen meat. Near the end, cook 12 oz dry egg noodles according to package directions. Remove chicken briefly. Whisk a little hot cooking liquid into 3/4 cup sour cream in a small bowl, then stir it into the cooker with heat off or on warm, not at a hard boil. Return chicken and coat. Divide chicken, paprika sauce and cooked noodles among six plates. Measure sauce yield and note whether sour cream stays smooth after tempering and whether the slow-cooker timing reaches the chicken endpoint.
Allergens: Milk in sour cream; Wheat and egg in standard noodles; Check broth and paprika labels. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
Print
Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash
- Total Time: 340 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Six portions of chicken paprikash over separately cooked egg noodles.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 large onion Yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1/2 cup Low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup Full-fat sour cream
- 12 ounces Dry egg noodles
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and soften one sliced onion approximately 7 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp sweet paprika and 1 tbsp tomato paste and stir about a minute without scorching paprika. Scrape into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add 2 1/2 lb thawed boneless chicken thighs, 1/2 cup broth, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and cook on LOW approximately 5 hours until the thickest chicken pieces reach 165°F and are tender; check appliance guidance rather than starting frozen meat.
- Near the end, cook 12 oz dry egg noodles according to package directions. Remove chicken briefly. Whisk a little hot cooking liquid into 3/4 cup sour cream in a small bowl, then stir it into the cooker with heat off or on warm, not at a hard boil. Return chicken and coat.
- Divide chicken, paprika sauce and cooked noodles among six plates. Measure sauce yield and note whether sour cream stays smooth after tempering and whether the slow-cooker timing reaches the chicken endpoint.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Untested estimate: 10-minute aromatics, 5 hours low, 10-minute noodle/finish interval; cooker variability and preheating pasta water excluded.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 320 minutes
- Category: Dinners
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One sixth of chicken and sauce with approximately 2 oz dry-weight noodles cooked