Go Back

Creamy Paprika Chicken with Rice

Creamy paprika chicken with rice—chicken thighs simmered until tender in a vibrant red paprika and sour cream sauce. Served over fluffy white rice with a thick, deeply colored sauce and visible cream swirls.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Eastern European-American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika to taste
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Aromatics & sauce
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 clove 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
  • 1 cooked white rice
  • fresh dill for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to taste. 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.
  2. Flip the thighs and sear for 4 minutes more until golden. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Build the paprika sauce
  1. Add the onion to the same pan and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and both paprikas, then cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  2. Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, then bring the mixture to a simmer. Return the chicken skin-side up to the pan.
  3. Cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer so it thickens without drying out.
Finish and serve
  1. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream until the sauce is smooth and creamy with visible cream swirls. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  2. Serve the paprika chicken over cooked white rice and garnish with fresh dill. Spoon extra thick sauce from the pan over the rice.

Notes

For the creamiest sauce, add sour cream after the pan is off the heat and stir until fully blended. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat gently (low heat, splash of broth if needed). Freezing is not recommended because the sour cream can separate after thawing. For a dairy-light option, swap sour cream with plain Greek yogurt stirred in off heat, keeping the same low-and-gentle reheating.