Vegan Chicken Paprikash is a warm and cozy stew unlike anything else. Heavily featuring sweet Hungarian paprika as the main flavor, this is a truly simple dish that comes together into something wonderful.
Make a big batch for meal prep or for a cozy Sunday family dinner and serve with some homemade bread or over pasta. You’ll marvel at just how comforting this super easy stew is!
Table of Contents
What is Paprikash?
Chicken paprikash is a traditional Hungarian stew that has chunks of chicken in a creamy, paprika-infused sauce. The first written recipe for paprikash appeared in 1830, as it was a popular meal in Hungarian farming households. It also became a staple for Hungarian Jews as a Shabbat meal, since it’s easy to make a big batch and eat it all weekend.
I love this dish because the flavor profile is very simple: lots of paprika, onion, garlic, and bell pepper (which is basically more paprika). But the end result is so special and comforting. The simplicity of this stew is what makes it so perfect.
Traditional Hungarian paprikash is served with nokedli, a rustic homemade dumpling made of basically just flour, water, and salt (similar to the German spƤtzle). I’ve included a quick plant-based recipe for that in this article as well.
Ingredients for Chick’n Paprikash
- Vegan chicken. There are a lot of different options out there nowadays, so refer to the section below for more info.
- Olive oil. For sautƩing.
- Hungarian sweet paprika. The basis of this dish. Hungarian paprika is typically sweeter and less bitter than regular paprika, but you can use either in this dish. Just make sure it’s not smoked paprika!
- Bell pepper, onion, and garlic. The rest of our flavor base.
- Tomato paste. Adds depth and color to this dish, making it a little more robust.
- Chick’n bouillon. Instead of regular vegetable broth, vegan chicken bouillon really enhances this dish.
- Coconut milk. This is what is going to make our paprikash nice and creamy!
- Fresh parsley. An optional garnish, but a nice touch.
- Cornstarch and water. Optional, to thicken the sauce.
For the Nokedli (Dumplings)
- All-purpose flour.
- Potato starch. The starch takes the place of the eggs that traditionally hold these little dumplings together.
- Turmeric. Optional, for color.
- Salt.
How to Make Vegan Chicken Paprikash
- SautƩ the aromatics. In a large skillet, sautƩ onion, garlic, and bell pepper until onions are translucent. I also like to add a big pinch of salt here.
- Cook the tomato paste. Add in your tomato paste, mix it in, and cook for a few minutes, or until it turns a rust red color.
- Stew everything together. Add in your paprika and stir to coat everything. Then add in water, bouillon, vegan chicken pieces, and another big pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Make it creamy. When done simmering, add in your coconut milk (or dairy-free cream of choice) and stir to heat through.
- Thicken the stew (optional). If you want your vegan paprikash on the thicker side, make a cornstarch slurry and stir it in to the stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. Just make sure that if you buy regular paprika from the store that it’s sweet paprika, not smoked. There’s a very important distinction for this recipe!
Nope! If you’d prefer not to use a store-bought chicken substitute, you can swap in a different protein such as tofu, tempeh, soy curls, or even chickpeas.
Vegan tofu paprikash might be favorite variation out of them all! If using tofu or tempeh, I’d recommend searing the pieces a bit first before adding to the stew.
If you’re using soy curls, weigh out 5 ounces (about 2 cups) of dry soy curls and rehydrate them in a bowl of boiling water. When they’re rehydrated, drain them in a colander, rinse with cool water, and squeeze out the excess moisture. Then you’re free to add them into your paprikash.
Yes! To make this recipe gluten-free, simply swap out the AP flour for your favorite gluten-free flour when making the roux. Then just ensure that the chicken substitute you’re using is also gluten-free. (Abbot’s is a good choice for this! More on that below.)
No, you can make this recipe creamy with whatever dairy-free cream substitute you like. You can use homemade cashew cream, a store-bought non-dairy heavy cream (like Silk), or even some vegan sour cream.
What’s the Best Brand of Vegan Chicken?
- Daring Foods – This soy-based chick’n is probably the easiest to find in stores. I’ve seen it at Sprouts, Kroger, and Walmart. It comes in a few different flavors but the Original is the best when you need a plain chicken substitute.
- Abbot’s – This is a pea protein-based chick’n that is also super tasty. It comes in chopped up little chunks, so some of the work is done for you. Abbot’s is a little harder to find. I buy it at either Sprouts or Whole Foods.
- Beyond Chicken Pieces – A blend of soy and wheat gluten, Beyond Chicken is another good choice! I mean, everything Beyond makes it great, so you can’t go wrong. Unlike other Beyond products, I’ve only seen these chick’n pieces at Kroger.
- Gardein Chickān StripsĀ are usually easy to find at regular chain grocers in the frozen section. The texture of these is not my favorite for dishes with a lot of moisture because they tend to get a little soggy. To help with that, you could consider searing them in a separate pan before adding to the dish.
- Morningstar Farms Veggie Chikān StripsĀ are another widely available option. The flavor is not my favorite on its own, but I think there are enough other flavors when used in a dish to make this a good option. It has a nice firm texture.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve my vegan chicken paprikash with a side of nokedli, a traditional Hungarian dumpling. They are traditionally made with a very simple batter of flour, eggs, and salt. For our vegan version, we’re replacing the egg with potato starch. Nokedli is kind of like a rustic homemade pasta, which makes it the perfect thing to soak up our sauce.
Since I like to make this dish for Shabbat dinner, I also usually serve it with fresh vegan challah, which is incredible for dipping in the paprikash sauce.
If you don’t want to make nokedli from scratch, vegan chicken paprikash can also be served over pasta, rice, or even mashed potatoes.
How to Store Leftover Paprikash
Feel free to make this dish a day in advance, as it tastes even better after the flavors have had some more time to develop.
When youāre ready to eat, reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if needed.
Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freezes well for up to 3 months.
More Saucy Vegan Dishes
Vegan Chicken Paprikash
Video
Ingredients
Chick'n Paprikash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 large red bell peppers seeded and diced
- 2-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon chicken-style bouillon paste or 1 1/2 bouillon cubes (see notes for brand recommendations)
- 14-16 ounces vegan chicken pieces (see notes for brand recommendations)
- 1 (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk see notes for substitutions
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley optional, to garnish
Cornstarch Slurry (optional ā to thicken sauce)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Vegan Nokedli (Dumplings)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch turmeric optional, for color
- 1 cup warm water not too hot
- water for boiling
- salt
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter to finish
Instructions
- SautƩ aromatics: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add in diced onion, diced red bell peppers, and minced garlic. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt. SautƩ for 4-6 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
- Cook tomato paste: Add in the tomato paste. Use your spoon to break it up and coat the aromatics. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, till the tomato paste begins to darken in color.
- Simmer the stew: Add in the Hungarian sweet paprika and stir to distribute. Then add in 1 cup water, chicken-style bouillon, canned coconut milk (or other plant-based cream of choice), vegan chicken pieces, and another big pinch of kosher salt. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce heat to low to establish a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes to reduce the sauce and soften the onions and peppers. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Thicken (optional): If you prefer a thicker consistency for the sauce, whisk together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water to form a slurry. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the paprikash and allow it to simmer and thicken. I usually skip this step and keep the sauce loose, because the dumplings will absorb the sauce.
Nokedli (Dumplings)
- You can make these while the paprikash is simmering, or prepare them ahead of time and reheat when you're ready to eat.
- In a bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons potato starch, salt, and (optionally) a pinch of turmeric for color. Then add in the warm water (not too hot) and stir together until smooth. I like to use a wire whisk for this to break up any lumps. Allow the batter to sit for about 10 minutes to hydrate.
- In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. When you're ready to cook the dumplings, reduce the temperature slightly. We want a gentle boil rather than a full rolling boil.
- Give the batter another stir. There are a few methods to form the dumplings. The easiest way in my opinion is to simply use a spoon to scrape a small amount of batter from the edge of the bowl into the boiling water. You can dip the spoon into the water to get the batter to release. There's usually about 1 scant teaspoon of batter in each dumpling but you don't have to be too precise.
- I like to cook them in 2-3 batches so that none of the dumplings get overcooked or mushy. They only take a few minutes to cook; they are ready when they float to the top. Use a slotted spoon or spider to scoop them out and into a bowl. Toss them with a little vegan butter so they don't stick together.
To Serve
- To serve, add a scoop of the buttered dumplings to a bowl and spoon the chick'n paprikash on top. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired, and enjoy!
Do not do what I did and use HOT hungarian paprika! I am an idiot š š§Æš
Looking forward to making it again with the proper spices. I can tell itās a winner.
Amazing! Made tonight, used v.cream instead od coconut milk.
I am excited to try making this as Iāve never had anything quite like it before!
Thanks so much for including all of the gluten free information in your article as itās super helpful.
Iām wondering, however, if you or any of your readers have tried the dumplings with an AP GF flour? It sounds as though theyāre just drop into the pan kind of dumplings? Theyāre shouldnāt need a whole lot of gluten to hold together Iām hoping!
Thank you Sarah!! I made it and yum. I used tofu and sauteed it first. Came out great.
After 60+ carnivorous years, I’ve never enjoyed cooking as much as I do since going plant based – and it’s recipes like yours that make it so satisfying and fulfilling on every level. I’ve made your paprikash recipe with Abbot’s chicken and with homemade seitan, and it’s delicious every time! Thanks for your recipes, your detailed yet concise instructions, your wicked video skills and for opening your heart to us. And for Eric, of course. š Keep taking care of each other, you two!
Yumm!! I am not a bell pepper fan, but gave this paprikash a shot – so delicious and comforting! I used sauteed tofu and a grocery store paprika, and though I’m sure it would be even better with a better quality paprika, the house smelled amazing as this cooked. A slice of fresh sourdough was a great companion to the sauce. Thank you for all the hard work and care you put in your recipes !!
DO NOT USE COCONUT MILK! This turned out so badly that I actually threw it out and made something else for dinner. I even bought imported Hungarian sweet paprika and was so excited to make this but once I added the coconut milk I knew it was a huge mistake. All I could taste was coconut. This is not a Hungarian anything…it’s a coconut flavoured vegetable sauce and an expensive one at that. Maybe it would be OK with an unflavoured vegan yogurt or sour cream (as long as it’s not coconut based), but with coconut milk it was terrible.
Oh man, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like this. With that being said, I can firmly say that we’ve made this with coconut milk probably 20 times and it’s never even tasted remotely like coconut to me. I’d be curious if you like it with cashew cream or something else neutral!
One of the best vegan recipes Iāve ever tried. Thank you!!
Finally made this with tofu and orzo. So delicious! Next time I am going to make the dumplings. This is totally out of my normal range of tofu recipes and Iām so happy I tried it. Thank you so much!
Such an unusual flavorā I fortunately had Hungarian sweet paprika, and used one bag of Daring faux chicken (the Cajun flavor did well here). Considered adding soy curls or pressed tofu (I think the Daring bags are only 8 oz) to make up the difference, but decided to leave it with half the protein (two bags for the Daring product) to allow the meal to be saucier. Enjoyed it served over cous cousā a keeper!