Chicken Paprikash Soup takes the flavors of chicken paprikash, the Hungarian-style dish of chicken, onions, paprika and sour cream, and turns them into a quick soup. Onion and bell pepper cook in butter with paprika, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth simmer for 20 minutes, cooked chopped chicken goes in, and sour cream is stirred in off the heat for a creamy, rosy tomato broth. It makes 8 servings.
How to make it: Melt butter in a large pot and cook the paprika, onion and bell pepper until tender. Stir in salt, pepper and cornstarch, then the crushed tomatoes and broth, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and heat until the soup reaches 165°F, then take the pot off the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses cooked chicken: rotisserie or leftover chicken goes straight in.
- One pot: the vegetables, broth and chicken all cook in the same pot.
- About half an hour: 10 minutes of prep and a 20-minute simmer.
- Creamy without cream: a little sour cream at the end turns the tomato broth smooth and rosy.
Ingredient Notes
Paprika: 1 tablespoon. It’s the backbone of the soup. Sweet paprika is the usual choice; Hungarian paprika or a little smoked paprika works too.
Onion and bell pepper: 1 medium onion and 1 bell pepper, both finely chopped. Any color of pepper works: red, yellow, orange or green.
Butter: 3 tablespoons, for cooking the vegetables.
Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon lightly thickens the broth. The soup stays chunky, not puréed.
Crushed tomatoes and broth: one 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of chicken broth make the base.
Cooked chicken: 3 cups, chopped. Rotisserie or leftover chicken is perfect.
Sour cream: 3/4 cup, more or less to taste. It goes in last, off the heat.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange or green), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (rotisserie or leftover)
- 3/4 cup sour cream, more or less to taste
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
How to Make Chicken Paprikash Soup
1. Sauté the vegetables. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the paprika, onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender.
2. Add the seasonings and tomatoes. Add the salt, black pepper and cornstarch, and then lastly the crushed tomatoes.
3. Simmer the broth. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken broth. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Heat the chicken. Add the chopped chicken and heat until the soup reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
5. Finish with sour cream. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream. Top with the sliced green onion, if using, and serve immediately.
How to Add Sour Cream Without It Splitting
Sour cream added straight to a very hot pot can split into little white flecks. These steps keep the soup smooth:
- Take the pot off the heat first. Then stir the sour cream in slowly.
- Temper it. Put the sour cream in a small bowl and whisk in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the hot broth until smooth. This slowly brings up its temperature. Then stir the mixture back into the pot.
- Add it little by little. Stir in a spoonful at a time rather than dumping it all in at once.
- Adjust to taste. 3/4 cup gives a gently creamy broth; add a little more or less as you like.
What Is the Secret to a Good Paprikash?
Two things: the paprika and the sour cream. Paprika is a lot of the flavor, and it burns very easily, turning bitter and chalky. Keep it moving in the pot with the onion and pepper, and have the tomatoes ready so they go in soon after.
Then treat the sour cream gently. Stir it in off the heat, tempered with a little hot broth, and the soup stays smooth and creamy instead of curdled.
Variations
- A little heat: cook 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne with the paprika.
- Garlic: stir in a tablespoon of minced garlic with the onion and cook it about 30 seconds.
- Greek yogurt: use plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, stirred in the same way, with a dollop on top.
- Spaetzle: simmer about 2 cups of spaetzle in the soup with the chicken until tender.
- Chicken from raw: simmer a chicken breast until cooked through to 165°F, shred it and add it in place of the cooked chicken.
- Carrot: add a chopped carrot with the onion.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Divide a big pot into smaller shallow containers so it cools quickly. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: It can be frozen for 3 to 4 months, but sour cream soups don’t freeze well; the cream can separate and look curdled after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, bringing the soup to a rolling boil, or in the microwave, until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with warm butter biscuits or crusty bread for dipping. Paprikash is often served over egg noodles, so a side of slow cooker Amish buttered noodles fits right in. Rice, mashed potatoes or a side of sautéed cabbage are other good partners for paprika and sour cream. Chopped parsley on top adds a little color.
For more chicken soups, try creamy chicken noodle soup, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup or crack chicken soup. For another chicken comfort dinner, make chicken and dumplings with biscuits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chicken paprikash soup?
A soup made from the flavors of chicken paprikash: chicken, onion, bell pepper and paprika in a tomato and chicken broth, finished with sour cream.
What is the secret to a good chicken paprikash?
Don’t burn the paprika, and add the sour cream off the heat, tempered with a little hot broth, so it doesn’t split.
Can I use raw chicken?
Yes. Simmer the chicken until it reaches 165°F, shred it, and add it where the recipe adds cooked chicken.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes. Stir plain Greek yogurt in off the heat the same way.
How do I keep the paprika from burning?
Cook it with the onion and pepper over medium heat, keep it moving in the pot, and have the tomatoes ready to add soon after. Burnt paprika tastes bitter and chalky.
Can I freeze chicken paprikash soup?
You can, for 3 to 4 months, but the sour cream may separate after thawing.
Final Notes
Keep the paprika moving, give the broth its 20 minutes and stir the sour cream in off the heat, and you’ll have a creamy, paprika-red bowl of soup. If you try it with a pinch of cayenne, tell me in the comments how spicy you made it.
Chicken Paprikash Soup
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper red, yellow, orange or green, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 14 ounces
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped; rotisserie or leftover chicken
- 3/4 cup sour cream more or less to taste
- 1 green onion thinly sliced, for garnish; optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the paprika, onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender.
- Add the salt, black pepper and cornstarch, and then lastly the crushed tomatoes.
- Bring to a simmer and add the chicken broth. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped chicken and heat until the soup reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream. Top with the sliced green onion, if using, and serve immediately.
