Chicken Goulash

A chicken version of a classic Hungarian dish. This Chicken Goulash is hearty, comforting, filling, and packed with flavors of chicken, tomatoes, cheese, bell peppers, and seasonings.

This goulash is a perfect comfort food for busy weeknights. My chicken goulash recipe is a healthier, leaner, take on the classic recipe with beef.

Soups and stews are generally great for fall and winter cold, rainy, and snowy days, so if you’re tired of staple comfort food, try some European flair. It comes together with simple ingredients and minimal cooking time!

What Exactly Is Goulash?

Goulash is a common dish in Eastern and Central European cuisines and it comes from Hungary. It is actually their national dish!

It was originally a meat stew or soup, thick and hearty, that kept shepherds warm and full. Goulash is usually made with beef, stock, potatoes, sometimes other vegetables, onions, paprika, caraway seeds, and noodles.

However, there are meatless versions and goulash with beans too! For Americans, think of American chop suey, goulash is something similar.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• An easy one-pot dinner for a big family or with good leftovers done in about 40 minutes.
• A no-brainer recipe for meal prep: meat and vegetables. A healthy, complete meal, American-style goulash if you will, absolutely delicious.
• Easy chicken goulash for kids – they love it! Because it is technically a pasta dish, and children can eat it every day.
• Healthy dinner, especially if you’re trying to reduce the amount of red meat you’re eating.

Ingredients Notes

• Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces. Chicken thighs are a great option too, juicy and tender. You can also remove the skin from the chicken once it is cooked.
• Olive oil
• Aromatics: onion and minced garlic. I rarely substitute the two, but if you meal prep and freeze chopped garlic, feel free to use it here.
• Bell pepper. You can use any, yellow and green bell pepper will add to the dish more colors.
• Diced tomatoes. Canned will save time and effort.
• Tomato sauce. Canned sauce is fine or Passata.
• Seasoning: paprika powder (regular or smoked paprika, but the best option is real Hungarian paprika), dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.
• Elbow macaroni
• Chicken broth or water. You can also use bouillon cubes or chicken stock.
• Cheddar cheese – shredded (optional)
• Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Kitchen Equipment

• Large pot, skillet, or large Dutch oven

How To Make Chicken Goulash

1: Pre-cook The Chicken

Cook the olive oil and chicken in a large skillet or stockpot over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through with no pink. Remove chicken and set aside.

2: Pre-cook The Veggies

1. Working in the same pot, sauté the onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

3: Cook Goulash

1. Add chicken back to the pot along with the macaroni and chicken broth. Stir and bring the mixture back to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is cooked and the sauce thickens.
3. Just before serving, add the cheese (if using) and stir until melted.
4. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and some crusty bread (garlic bread is my personal favorite).

Storage

Let the goulash cool before storing. Store leftover goulash in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Not good for freezing if you mix it with macaroni. Without macaroni or noodles, you can freeze chicken goulash for up to 3 months. First, cool it completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.

Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or in a sauce pot for 10-15 minutes.

Substitutions & Variations

• Instead of macaroni, you can use egg noodles, or even rice or other grains like bulgur.
• Meat options. Make traditional Hungarian goulash ( it is usually a beef goulash), use ground meat (like ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef), pulled pork, sausages, or even ham. American style will be to add some bacon bits to the goulash.
• Flavor add-ons: sweet paprika, bay leaf, bacon, caraway seeds (original goulash recipe has them), Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, celery (takes longer to soften), and mushrooms. You can also use butter alongside olive oil to cook chicken.
• To bulk it up and bring it closer to the original recipe, you can add some potatoes too. Adjust the cooking time to make sure the potatoes cook till soft.
• Classic goulash recipe doesn’t use any dairy, but you can add heavy or double cream to thicken the sauce and make it a bit tangy and creamy.

Popular Questions

What Do You Traditionally Eat With Goulash?

Originally, goulash was served with noodles. Today, we eat it with pasta, rice, and other grains, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, or simply a piece of bread.

Is Goulash Always Beef?

Hungarian goulash was originally made with beef, but there are so many versions of goulash that use different meat or vegetarian protein like beans.

What Is The Difference Between American And Traditional Goulash?

Traditional goulash is usually a Hungarian version with beef, potatoes, paprika, and noodles. American goulash is very similar but usually uses ground meat and elbow macaroni.

If you love this pasta dinner, you’re going to love these other pasta ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Quick Chicken Dinner Ideas

Dry Chicken Chili

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Marry Me Chicken

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken

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