038 / 75 · Chicken, Turkey and Fish Suppers
Chicken Paprika Noodle Supper
One 9×13 in (23×33 cm) dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L;6 main-dish portions · Active 35 min · Total 1 hr 35 min
Print recipe · PDFSweet paprika colors a creamy chicken-and-noodle sauce, while well-softened onion and red pepper give it body. The paprika is stirred in briefly before liquid, so its flavor opens without burning. Chicken pieces are cooked through before assembly and broad egg noodles finish their final few minutes in the oven.
Paprika needs warmth, not scorching heat
Use sweet paprika from a jar that still smells aromatic. Smoked paprika or hot paprika would produce a different flavor, and an old flavorless powder cannot be corrected simply by adding more. Lower the skillet heat before stirring it into the softened vegetables. Thirty seconds is enough before flour and liquid arrive. The sauce should turn a warm orange-red rather than dark brown. This is an original paprika-flavored home bake, with its own quantities and method; the name does not promise a specific traditional preparation.
Onion carries more than sweetness
Slice the onion thinly and give it time to soften with the pepper after the chicken comes out. The pan may look dry at first, but butter and the vegetables’ moisture help lift the browned bits. Do not rush with a large splash of unmeasured water that later thins the sauce. Whisk stock and milk in gradually after flour, then simmer until the base coats a spoon. Sour cream is stirred in off the heat so it stays smoother, and the cooked chicken returns as distinct pieces.
Keep a little sauce around the noodles
Stop the noodles two minutes short of the packet time and drain before folding. Their broad surfaces need enough sauce to stay supple through the bake. Cover for the first part of the oven stage, then uncover briefly to color some exposed edges. A five-minute rest is enough before serving. The dish has no cheese or separate crumb crust, so the paprika sauce remains the focus. Check the center and the chicken before serving rather than judging doneness from the sauce’s color.
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry broad egg noodles (225 g)
- 12 cups water (2.8 L), for noodles
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (15 ml)
- 1 lb 5 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 3/4-in/2-cm pieces (600 g)
- 2 tablespoons butter (30 g)
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced (250 g)
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced (180 g prepared)
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika (6 g)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (18 g)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock (240 ml)
- 3/4 cup milk (180 ml)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Set out
Oven, 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L, Large noodle saucepan, 12-in/30-cm deep skillet, Clean plate, Colander, Whisk, Rimmed baking sheet, Suitable foil, Food thermometer
Allergens
Wheat, Egg, Milk; check stock for celery or other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Put the dish on a rimmed sheet and bring noodle water to a boil. Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 8–10 minutes, turning, until several thick pieces reach 165°F (74°C). Transfer to a clean plate.
- Lower heat to medium and melt butter in the skillet. Cook onions and pepper 12–15 minutes until soft and some edges begin to color. Lower heat again, stir in paprika 30 seconds, then flour 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in stock and milk. Add salt and pepper and simmer 3–4 minutes until sauce coats a spoon. Take off the heat, stir in sour cream and return chicken.
- Meanwhile boil noodles 2 minutes short of their packet time. Drain and fold into warm sauce. Spread in the dish, cover with suitable foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more until the center and several other points reach 165°F (74°C).
- Rest 5 minutes and divide into six portions.
A colored sauce still needs a thermometer
Paprika makes a sauce look fully cooked very early. The meaningful checks are cooked poultry before assembly and 165°F throughout the final hotdish.
A useful detail
The 95-minute total includes slicing onions/pepper, sequential chicken and vegetable stages, overlapping noodle boiling, the full oven finish and rest. Sweet paprika is the specified seasoning.
Another way
- For a smoky variation, replace only 1 teaspoon of the sweet paprika with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, keeping the total tablespoon quantity. Do not substitute a full tablespoon of hot paprika without planning a much hotter dish.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier ingredient deadline. Reheat to 165°F (74°C), adding a little water if noodles have absorbed sauce. Refrigeration is preferred to freezing because sour cream can separate and noodles soften.