🍗 Dinner Winner: Your New Favourite Paprika Chicken with Rice Recipe

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The Spice Secret You're (Probably) Missing Out On

Paprika. It’s sitting there in your spice rack, looking all vibrant red and mildly mysterious. But let's be honest, how often do you really use it? If you’re like most people, this fantastic spice is sadly underutilized.

Here’s the thing about paprika: it's sensitive! Its signature vibrant colour and lovely mild, sweet flavour fade quicker than most other ground spices. This means that old jar at the back of the cabinet is likely a flavour phantom at this point. To get the most out of your cooking, you need to use paprika often and replace it regularly to keep it from going stale.

Ready to breathe new life into your kitchen (and finally justify buying a fresh, fragrant jar)?

A close-up shot of Paprika Chicken with Rice served in a white bowl, showing sliced chicken breast, bright green frozen peas, diced tomatoes, and long-grain rice, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

🍚 Embrace the Comfort: Why This Recipe Is a Must-Try

Forget complicated cooking. This chicken and paprika with rice is incredibly forgiving and rewarding. It’s a meal that feels both special and incredibly easy, proving that the most delicious things are often the simplest.

Imagine this: tender chicken steeped in a rich, paprika-infused sauce, served alongside perfectly cooked, flavour-packed rice. It’s the perfect way to embrace big flavour, reduce food waste (by using up that spice!), and enjoy a truly comforting, hug-in-a-bowl meal. You've totally got this!

⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes

🔥 Cook Time: 25 minutes 

🍽 Serves: 4 

🛒 Get Your Ingredients & Prep Time Sorted

Ingredients for Paprika Chicken with Rice, laid out: chicken breast, rice, red onion, frozen peas, parsley, olive oil, smoked paprika, chopped tomatoes, chicken stock.

The Shopping List:

Protein & Produce:
🍗500g chicken breast fillets, sliced
🧅1 red onion, sliced
🟢140g frozen peas
🌿 handful fresh parsley (for garnish)

Pantry Staples:
🍚450g long-grain rice
🫒2 tbsp olive oil
🌶️3 tsp smoked paprika (Go for the good stuff!)
🥫410g tinned chopped tomatoes
🥣250ml chicken stock
🧂 Salt and pepper (to taste)

👨‍🍳 Let's Get Cooking: Step-by-Step Instructions

Rice and Chicken Prep

First things first: boil the rice according to the packet instructions. While that’s bubbling away, take your sliced chicken breast and season it generously with salt and pepper.

Browning the Chicken

Heat half the olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the chicken in two separate batches (don't crowd the pan, or it will steam instead of brown!). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes per batch, or until it’s lightly browned and just cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it aside.

"Chicken pieces browning in a black non-stick frying pan, with a metal slotted spoon.

Building the Flavour Base

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil to the same pan. Toss in the sliced red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until it's nice and soft. Now, for the star: add the paprika and continue to cook for just 1 minute. This blooms the spice, maximizing its flavour!

The Rice & Sauce Fusion

Add the cooked rice to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes and stock. Season this mixture, bring it to a boil, and then reduce it to a simmer. Stir occasionally for about 4 minutes until the stock has been fully absorbed by the rice.

The Grand Finale

Return the sliced chicken to the pan, along with the frozen peas. Stir everything gently until it’s well combined. Cook for a further 2 minutes until the chicken is piping hot and cooked all the way through, and the peas are bright green.

Serve immediately and garnish with a sprinkling of the freshly chopped parsley.

A delicious Paprika Chicken and Rice dish, featuring tender chicken pieces, bright green peas, and a rich tomato-paprika sauce, served on a white plate with cutlery and a fresh side salad of arugula and shaved Parmesan.

Your taste buds (and your spice cabinet) will thank you. Happy cooking, and happy paprika-ing!

🌶️ Pro Tip: Paprika Alternatives (If You're In a Pinch!)

This recipe shines with smoked paprika, but if you don't have that specific jar or want to experiment with different flavour profiles, here are a few excellent substitutions:

For Colour and Mild Sweetness: Use Sweet Paprika (sometimes labeled Hungarian Paprika). It gives you the signature red hue and gentle flavour but without the smokiness. Add a small pinch of cayenne pepper to introduce a very subtle background heat if you like things lively.

For Smokiness and Heat: Combine Regular Paprika (the non-smoked variety) with a tiny amount of Chipotle Powder. Chipotle powder is made from smoked jalapeños, so it delivers an intense smoky kick. Use it very sparingly, as it is much spicier than smoked paprika.

For a Richer, Deeper Colour: Use A good quality Curry Powder. While this completely changes the flavour profile from Spanish/Hungarian to Indian, it offers the deep, complex colour and flavour boost that complements chicken and rice beautifully.

You can simply substitute the specified 3 tsp of smoked paprika with 3 tsp of your chosen alternative (adjusting heat, like with the chipotle, to your preference).