Eastern European-inspired
Paprika Chicken and Cabbage Skillet
Chicken thighs, cabbage, baby potatoes, sweet paprika, sour cream, and dill make a deeply savory Eastern European-inspired skillet.
I like paprika dishes when the spice has enough fat and heat to open up before the liquid goes in.
Browning skin-on chicken first leaves just enough rendered fat to season the potatoes, cabbage, onions, and peppers in the same skillet.
This is Eastern European-inspired home cooking rather than a traditional chicken paprikash claim.
Cabbage and potatoes make it a complete one-pan dinner, while sweet paprika, a little tomato paste, sour cream, and dill give the sauce a warm, rounded finish.
Keep the chicken skin above the liquid as the skillet simmers.
The meat stays tender, the potatoes absorb the paprika broth, and the skin holds onto more of the browning you built at the beginning.
For something else to cook in the same spirit, try High-Protein Dinners or Chicken Kyiv Meatball Rice Bowls or Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad or Cabbage Roll Soup.
Directions
- Pat the chicken dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Add chicken skin-side down and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until deeply browned. Turn and cook for 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add potatoes cut-side down and cook for 4 minutes. Add onion and red pepper and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Add cabbage and the remaining salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to soften and brown at the edges.
- Stir in garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, keeping the spices moving so they do not scorch.
- Pour in broth and vinegar and scrape up the browned bits. Return chicken skin-side up, keeping the skin above the liquid.
- Cover and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken reaches at least 165 F. Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes to concentrate the sauce.
- Whisk sour cream with 1/2 cup hot pan liquid, then swirl it into the skillet off heat. Finish with dill and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Estimated per serving: 560 calories, 37 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 30 g fat. Values vary with chicken-thigh size and rendered fat.
Variations
Recipe Variations
- Use boneless thighs and begin checking the chicken after 15 minutes of covered cooking.
- Replace 2 cups fresh cabbage with drained sauerkraut for a tangier skillet.
- Use full-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and stir it in off heat.
Notes
- Use sweet paprika as the main spice; hot paprika will make a much sharper skillet.
- Keeping the chicken skin above the broth helps preserve its browned texture.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days and reheat gently so the sour cream sauce stays smooth.
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