This Creamy Paprika Chicken is my kind of comfort food! Paprika infuses the creamy sauce with earthy flavor and a lovely red color. Serve it over a bowl of egg noodles for a delicious and hearty family-friendly meal. This dish is easy to make and easy on your wallet too!
I’m very familiar with budget-friendly meals. The year after I graduated from college and was living on my own for the first time, I learned how to make fried rice and ended up cooking it almost every night. It was fast, easy, and most importantly- cheap!
Then, after I finished culinary school, I ended up doing recipe development for Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. I created and tested a lot of recipes for their $10 Dinners section. Here's one of my recipes:
The goal was to create budget-friendly meals that could feed a family of four for $10 or less. It was like solving a puzzle! I used to sit there with a notebook and calculator and figure out the cost of each ingredient (we only counted the amount of the ingredient used.
For example 1 tablespoon of olive oil rather than the cost of an entire bottle). I would mix and match ingredients until I eventually came up with the perfect combination!
So I decided to create a new delicious, budget-friendly meal that my whole family would love. The challenge? To create a healthy entrée recipe for less than $3 per serving. I dusted off the old calculator (which is now an iPhone, of course) and got to work!
Budget meals
There are certain items that I turn to often as budget meal staples. These are things like dried pasta, beans, lentils, rice, fresh or frozen vegetables, eggs, canned tomatoes, spices, and herbs. For anyone watching their budget, these are great items to keep stocked in your kitchen.
When creating budget-friendly meals, I use smaller amounts of meat. Rather, I focus on filling the plate up with less costly vegetables and whole grains. Turns out that it’s also a very healthy way to eat!
Creamy Paprika Chicken
My Creamy Paprika Chicken is a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that’s packed with flavor and won’t be hard on your wallet. This easy chicken and mushroom stew has Hungarian origins.
Sweet paprika infuses the creamy sauce with earthy flavor and gives it a lovely red hue. The dish has simple ingredients like chicken, mushrooms, egg noodles, tomato paste and paprika. You may already have many of these in your pantry.
The sauce gets its creaminess from sour cream. If you like, you can substitute Greek yogurt.
Paprika chicken is classically served over egg noodles but you can serve it with any type of pasta or even rice.
Budget-friendly tips for this recipe
I use chicken from a family pack
I look for sales at the supermarket and buy family sized portions for items I’ll use a lot. When chicken breasts go on sale, I buy family packs and then I split them up into individual portions, label them and freeze them for later. I also avoid cuts like “thin cut” chicken breasts because they’re more expensive. Slice them yourself.
I use lots of mushrooms
Vegetables are relatively inexpensive. I buy fresh vegetables when they’re in season (and therefore cheaper) and frozen vegetables at other times of the year. I avoid veggies that are already prepped like pre-sliced mushrooms and chopped onions because they cost more. If you’re pressed for time, these items can be very valuable but if you’re on a budget, do your own prep work.
I buy tomato paste in a can instead of a tube
The tube is convenient because you can use as much as you like and then close it and store it in the fridge, but the can is a lot cheaper. I use what I need and then freeze the rest of the tomato paste in tablespoon-sized portions.
I buy a bunch of fresh parsley and then plan the rest of my week’s meals around it
Fresh parsley is pretty inexpensive already but when I buy a whole bunch of it for a recipe, I incorporate the rest of it into my dishes for the rest of the week. This practice of menu planning also helps reduce food waste. See my post on Tips for reducing food waste.
So go ahead and dive into a bowl of this hearty chicken dish. It's my kind of comfort food. Your family (and your wallet) will thank you!
More tasty chicken dishes
- Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken
- Ultimate Chicken Quesadillas
- Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Quick & Easy Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Chimichurri
- Easy Healthy Chicken and Dumplings
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Creamy Paprika Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- ¼ cup sherry or white wine (optional)
- ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 8 ounces enriched egg noodles, cooked and drained
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken pieces with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and sprinkle them with flour. Toss to coat all of the pieces. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer and cook without moving until golden, 3-4 minutes. Flip the pieces over and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side (the chicken will finish cooking later in the sauce). Remove chicken from the pan.
- Whisk the tomato paste and chicken stock together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon oil in the pan and add the onion. Cook 2-3 minutes until it starts to soften and then add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the paprika and stir to combine well. Turn the heat up to high and add the sherry or wine (if using). Cook until reduced. Pour in the tomato paste and chicken stock mixture and season the sauce with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Simmer a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and the chicken is cooked through. Turn the heat off and stir in the sour cream or yogurt.
- Serve the chicken over egg noodles. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Ben Maclain says
This looks so good, Sonali! Paprika (I mostly use the smoked one) is my favorite spice which I incorporate into almost everything. Like that you opted for cremini mushrooms here since they've got a deep earthy flavor. Served with some pasta, this is a trully comfort yet not overlyheavy dish!
Kris ~ Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies says
What a fun job you had!
This chicken looks fantastic, and an easy week night meal. Trying this soon!
GiGi Eats says
I need to master a creamy chicken sauce like this! Mmm then I would be more confident to actually MAKE CHICKEN in my house!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit says
This look so good! I love the paprika sauce! I have fallen in love with Paprika! I love how budget friendly this meal is too!
Beverley Press says
your recipes are always a delicious treat to make and eat, you never fail to satisfy the eyes and tummy! Lots of love to your beautiful family xoxo
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
This looks like a delicious family meal! I love the tips that you included for keeping it budget-friendly!
NATALIE @ OBSESSIVE COOKING DISORDER says
I love seeing how you've grown so much as a chef - you're such an inspiration. Food on a budget is always a win in my book, and I love this budget friendly creamy paprika recipe - thanks 🙂
Rebecca | NOURISHED. says
This sounds delish. Paprika was one of the only spices my mom used when I was younger (hello, Hungarian roots) so this dish totally takes me back!! I will definitely have to make it for her one night.
Emily Kyle says
Wow this looks delicious, my whole family would love this! And I love that it is budget friendly 🙂 And I love even more that you were working for Rachel Ray's magazine - super cool!!
amanda -runtothefinish says
one of my goals this year wsa to cook more in bulk with some to freeze, then i know when I get back from traveling there will still be good food in the house!! This is perfect timing!
Sarah says
This looks delicious! Is it strange that I saw this on Facebook and just looking at that color in the sauce knew it had to be packed with lots of flavor? I bet I could make it with dairy free yogurt or cashew cream and it would also be amazing on veggies!
Mona says
This dish looks amazing! Love the color too. What a bonus that it's so inexpensive to make.
Laura says
How awesome that you got to work with Rachel Ray!! I always buy bulk chicken from Sprouts when it goes on sale and freeze it for later! This dish looks SO cozy, healthy delicious!
Farrah says
That stew looks super good and that's awesome that you did recipe development for that magazine! 😀 (Yay for budget-friendly meals indeed!) This chicken looks amazing!
Anne|Craving Something Healthy says
You are one talented lady! Love this recipe and your photos are just gorgeous!
Kelli says
Looks delicious! And will for sure be adding in the white wine 😉 I absolutely love paprika! A friend of mine gifted me a bottle of smoky paprika a few years ago and ever since I've been hooked.
Kristy from Southern In Law says
What an experience it must have been developing recipes for Rachel Ray - and with your name on it too! I've done some recipe development for different publications but it has often been under someone else's name or just from the publication.
This dish looks amazing - and definitely my perfect kind of winter meal!
elizabeth shaw says
You seriously are the coolest kid on the block! I love how every time I read a post I find out something new and unique about the wonderful Sonali! Rachel Ray R&D, you are big time my friend! This delicious budget friendly meal looks so gourmet I had to read it twice to soak it all in! Nice work here!
Marisa says
I never knew you did recipe development for RR mag! That's pretty cool! And this creamy paprika sauce sounds amazing. Perfect way to elevate chicken!