Making Ahead And Storage
If you are planning to make it ahead, then marinate the chicken and keep it in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Or you can prepare in bulk, half of them you can freeze for 3 months. Thaw the quantity you need overnight in the refrigerator and bake as per instruction. This recipe is different from the Hungarian Chicken Paprikash. Though both have a dominant paprika flavor, the later is more like a stew and needs a few more ingredients.
Reasons you should give this paprika chicken a try
If you have some bone-in chicken lying in the freezer, you can’t stop yourself from baking this effortless recipe with the seasoning you already have on hand. If you have time let it rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator or if you would wish to marinade it longer then add chicken and rest of the ingredients to a zip lock bag, toss well, and refrigerate it overnight. (Note- always keep a plate/container underneath the zip lock bag to collect any dipping) At the end of baking, you will see a good amount of pan juice in the tray. It’s perfect for drizzling over the side of veggies or mashed potato. You can also empty the juices to a saucepan, add another 1/4th cup of chicken stock, and stir some cornstarch slurry for a thick gravy. If the chicken breast is too thick, cut horizontally into fillets. Pound the thick part of the chicken with a rolling pin to even thickness. Bone-in chicken pieces don’t need marination but chicken breast needs at least one hour of marination for it to tenderize. Bake @200F for 12-15 minutes then once done loosely cover with aluminium foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Can I add veggies to it?
Nothing like a one-pan meal with protein and veggies in it. I have so many recipes where veggies and chicken bake together and your dinner is ready in no time. Hard veggies like potatoes, and carrots you can add along with chicken and bake. Softer veggies like pepper, green beans, Brussels sprout, butternut squash you need to add halfway through after first 20-minutes.
How about making it in an airfryer?
If you have browsed through my Airfryer recipes, you know how much I love cooking chicken in airfryer. It cooks in half the time than traditional oven, the skin crisps up beautifully. You can make this paprika chicken in airfryer also. Airfry it for 20-25 minutes @380 F. The only thing you will miss when cooking in the airfryer is the pan juice. Baked paprika chicken can be stored for upto 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave until warm or you can pop it in a preheated oven and cook until just warm.
Serving Paprika Chicken
My favorite way to serve is with creamy garlic mashed potato and some veggies like roasted broccoli, green peas, green beans, roasted carrots, butter garlic mushrooms Drizzle the pan juice all over. White rice or any flavored rice like this mushroom rice, herb garlic butter rice also goes well with this. Have leftover chicken? Take the meat out of the bone and use in pastas, wraps or even salads
