Recipe

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Use this recipe to make chicken goulash that's full of flavor, tender chicken, and veggies in a tomato-based broth. Comfort food at its best.

Warm, filling, and packed with flavor, this chicken goulash is the kind of meal that makes everyone ask for seconds.

chicken goulash in a pot and a spoonful of this stew

Hungarian Chicken Goulash

Similar to my easy chicken stew, but with a rich tomato base, sets this chicken goulash apart. I first tried it on a trip to Budapest, where paprika is practically its own food group, and knew I had to recreate it at home.

Now, it’s practically part of our soup-season rotation because it’s as comforting as my grandma’s chicken stew with potatoes, and my family loves it. And leftovers? Even better the next day.

Ingredients

The main ingredients of this recipe are chicken breasts or thighs, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. The veggies and spices that make it so delicious are onions, bell peppers, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. I also include caraway seeds, but if you don’t have them, you can use fennel seeds or ground fennel.

How to Make Chicken Goulash

Here are the easy steps to make this chicken goulash:

Sauté the aromatic veggies in a large Dutch oven until tender. Add the spices and seeds, and toast them for a minute.
Add the chicken pieces to the pot and cook them for a few minutes, and then add the tomatoes and chicken broth.
Simmer the stew for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Adjusting the Thickness

Traditional chicken goulash is thick. If you crave a more soupy consistency, add 1 or 2 cups of chicken broth at the end of the cooking time.

top view of chicken goulash in a pot and a in individual bowls

Easy Chicken Goulash

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1

Use this recipe to make chicken goulash that's full of flavor, tender chicken, and veggies in a tomato-based broth. Comfort food at its best.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon caraway seeds*
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2-4 cups chicken broth*

Instructions

Sauté:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and heat it up for 30 seconds. Add the chopped onions and stir, sautéing them for 2 to 3 minutes until they’re soft. Add the chopped bell peppers and garlic cloves, and sauté for 5 more minutes, until the peppers are soft.
When the veggies are soft, add the paprika, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir to toast the spices for 1 minute.
Add the chicken pieces to the pot and stir. Cook the chicken down for 3 minutes, until the outside of the chicken pieces looks white. You'll cook the chicken fully next.
Add the tomatoes, including their juices, and the chicken broth to the pot, then stir to combine everything.

Cook:

Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, opening the lid a few times to stir. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, check to see how much liquid is left. If you like your stews more soupy, add 1 to 2 cups of additional broth, stir, and bring to a simmer.

Serve:

Serve as is or over a serving of cooked rice.

Notes

Swap caraway seeds for fennel seeds or ground fennel.
Traditional chicken goulash is quite thick, but some people prefer theirs to have a soup-like consistency. I recommend buying a 32-ounce size of chicken broth and adding 1 to 2 cups towards the end of the cooking time.
Short on time? Swap the onions and peppers for 2 16-ounce bags of fajita mix (frozen).