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Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stove Top)

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Delicious Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole - a hearty and comforting recipe with chicken, vegetables and amazing flavour. Grab a bowl and spoon, dig in and enjoy.

smoked paprika casserole in a le creuset cast iron pan with rice in background

Smoked Paprika Chicken Stew

This Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole is one of those dishes that goes with absolutely anything. It combines tender pieces of chicken, sweet carrots, peppers and zucchini all perfectly coated in an amazing smokey tomatoey sauce - yummy!

It's a perfect family-friendly meal, even my fussy vegetable avoiding kids will devour this one from a bowl and it is a great one for batch cooking to freeze too. 

Instant Pot Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole

As well as cooking this in a slow cooker or on the stove top, you can cook this in literally minutes in an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)

An Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) is a  7in1 cooker, that slow cooks, pressure cooks, sautes and has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge etc. It will literally cook these meatballs in minutes, so perfect for when you need a meal on the table quickly. 

(As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Since buying my Instant Pot, I use it on a regular basis, it’s not one of those gadgets that sit in my cupboard forgotten. In fact, it never goes away. 

Instant Pot is a brand of pressure cooker, but there are various other brands and options out there. 

close up of smoked paprika chicken casserole in cast iron casserole dish

Can I use Chicken Breast in this casserole recipe?

Unless you really don't like thigh meat, I don't recommend using chicken breasts in this recipe. Breast meat cooks a lot quicker than thighs and has a tendency to go dry if overcooked.

The chicken thighs stay lovely and tender in this recipe and really absorb all those yummy flavours. 

What Vegetables can I put in a casserole?

In this recipe, I use the usual onion and garlic, along with carrots, yellow pepper and zucchini (courgette). It was what I had on hand at the time when creating this recipe and just works really well.

Don't be afraid to vary this up with different vegetables. Maybe you don't like one of the vegetables I use or have something different on hand. So long as you don't go crazy with the ratio and keep it to around the same quantities it shouldn't affect the casserole.

Some other vegetables I think would go well in this are mushrooms, different coloured bell pepper, butternut squash, peas (I recommend adding those right at the end), even green beans. You could even stir through some chopped kale towards the end of cooking time as the heat of the casserole will be sufficient to cook it enough. 

close up of smoked paprika chicken casserole

Sides for Smoked Paprika Casserole

If you are wondering what sides to serve this with, it literally goes with anything. The kids favourite is just some cooked long grain rice or these yummy crispy golden potatoes.

Some other great options are:

are you sensing a theme here? Yes, that is a lot of potato choice, but potatoes can be enjoyed in so many different ways. 

and if you want extra vegetables on the side, this will pair perfectly with most veg. Don't fancy additional veg, then don't worry, this is pretty packed with healthy vegetables. 

smoked paprika chicken casserole in bowl with rice on wooden board

More Chicken Casserole Recipes

Love chicken casserole recipe? Check out some of these:

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, syn value and smart points etc

close up of smoked paprika chicken casserole

This recipe was originally created on the 11 July 2010 and updated on 25 November 2019

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Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stove Top)

Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stove Top)

Yield: SERVES 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Delicious Smoked Paprika Chicken Casserole - a hearty and comforting recipe with chicken, vegetables and amazing flavour. Grab a bowl and spoon, dig in and enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 500g (17.5oz( boneless chicken thighs, cut in half and any visible skin/fat removed
  • 1 onion, halved and sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 yellow pepper, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 zucchini (courgette), chopped
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1.5 cups (360ml) of chicken stock (use 2 cup/480ml if cooking stove top)
  • 1 tbs of maple syrup (1.5 syns)
  • ½ tbs of hot smoked paprika
  • 1 tbs of paprika
  • 1 tablespoon of mixed herbs
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (1.5 syns) (or can use arrowroot flour or tapioca starch)
  • cooking oil spray (I used olive oil spray)
  • fresh chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

Stove Top

  1. Spray a pan with cooking oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt and black pepper and fry until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and fry for a few minutes to soften.
  4. Add a little of the stock to deglaze the pan scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom
  5. Add back the chicken and add all other ingredients (except the cornstarch and zucchini)
  6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
  7. Cover and simmer for approx 45mins to 1 hour.
  8. Once cooked for the time stated above, add in the zucchini and mix the cornstarch with a little water so that it is a paste and stir this into the casserole.
  9. Simmer gently until sauce is thickened. Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
  10. Top with fresh Italian parsley and serve with your choice of sides

Instant Pot

  1. Set instant pot to saute mode, and spray the inner pan with cooking oil spray.
  2. Once it displays hot, add the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt and black pepper and fry until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and fry for a few minutes to soften.
  4. Add a little of the stock to deglaze the pan scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom
  5. Add back the chicken and add all other ingredients (except the cornstarch and zucchini)
  6. Add lid, close valve (if not self sealing) and select Manual or Pressure Cook for a cook time of 10 minutes.
  7. When the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8-10 minutes.
  8. Remove lid and set to saute mode. Add in the zucchini (courgette) and mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water to make a slurry. Stir this into the casserole and let simmer on saute mode until it bubbles and sauce is thickened.
  9. Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
  10. Top with fresh Italian parsley and serve with your choice of sides

Slow Cooker

  1. Spray a pan with cooking oil over medium-high heat.
    Add the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt and black pepper and fry until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and fry for a few minutes to soften.
  3. Add a little of the stock to deglaze the pan scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom
  4. Add back the chicken and add all other ingredients (except the cornstarch and zucchini)
  5. Set to cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours
  6. On the last hour, remove the lid and add in the zucchini (courgette) and mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water to make a slurry. Stir this into the casserole and leave the lid slightly ajar for the remaining cooking time.
  7. Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
  8. Top with fresh Italian parsley and serve with your choice of sides

Notes

  • This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, paleo (Whole30), Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
  • Slimming World - 1 syn per serving
  • WW Flex/Freestyle Smart Points - 4 per serving
  • Gluten Free - use gluten free stock and starch

*SUITABLE FOR FREEZING

NOTE: Some newer models of the Instant Pot are sensitive with tomato products, if this is the case with yours, layer the tomato produce on the very top and combine once cooked.

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Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 SERVING
Amount Per Serving Calories 264Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1.4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 365mgCarbohydrates 25.1gFiber 5.1gSugar 7.5gProtein 28.8g

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© Siobhan (Slimming Eats)
Cuisine: American / Category: Main
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Comments

  1. Jayne Champion says

    Hi I just started SW in June and love your recipes, not just me, the whole family, they don't know it's "diet" food!

    I do green days but use my hexB's for meat or fish.

    If I use my hexB's for the chicken would this be 3.5 syns for the whole recipe? I take it the syns are for the flour right?

    Sorry if it seems a silly question but I'm new to this.

    Many thanks

    Jayne

  2. admin says

    yep the syns are just for the flour.

    Enjoy 🙂

  3. MancBird says

    I'm making this tonight! Doing spring onion mash with it, can't wait! x

  4. Linz says

    Congrats on your brilliant site!Made this recipe tonight, it was so good my husband wanted to know if there was any left over so he could take some to work tomorrow!Def. recommend it! Many thanks

  5. Rebecca says

    Hi, Just found your site, looking good!
    My question - although probably silly - is what to use for stock, can i use oxo or similar or does it have to thicker? Not great on cooking unless it's from a jar or packet so need all the help i can get!!!
    Thanks, Rebecca.

  6. admin says

    yep you can just use stock cubes mixed with boiling hot water to make up the stock

  7. Sue says

    Thank you so much for this lovely recipe, I made it for my husband and son and myself this evening and it was a total hit !! I look forward to trying many other recipes on this fabulous site 🙂

  8. Vicki Hardy says

    I made this today for lunch - it was totally lush and we have enough left for another meal. Gorgeous!

  9. Anonymous says

    Made this for dinner with wild rice, but used smoked paprika instead...gorgeous!!! Thanks for such a brilliant site...!!

  10. Toni McCann says

    this was really tasty, one of the best slimming world recipes I've had in a long time!

  11. Clare says

    Recipe sounds amazing. Would this work by cooking in the oven instead of the hob. Don't own an instant pot.

  12. Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

    yes it sure will - enjoy!!

  13. Becky wright says

    Can you leave out the maple syrup or is it is must use item

  14. Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

    It just balances the acidity of tomatoes in the sauce, you can certainly omit if you prefer.

  15. Lizzy says

    Hi just wanted to check your abbreviations.... tbs - I'd take this as tablespoon.... Its just i noticed the abbreviation and then it written in full for some ingredients??
    If you could clarify please, I don't want to blow heads off with too much spice haha. Thank you 🙂

  16. Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

    tbs is indeed a tablespoon, tsp is a teaspoon 🙂

  17. Laura says

    What are the mixed herbs used in this recipe?

  19. Ellie says

    Absolutely,utterly delicious! I make this dish practically every week and it goes down a treat every time. I love pairing this with crusty,straight out of the oven Portugese baguette,spread with a little garlic and herb butter. Highly recommended!

  20. Marie says

    This is delicious. I have just made a batch in my instant pot so I can freeze and then have a ready made meal on days I’m busy or just don’t feel like cooking. The recipe always reheats with no loss of flavour or texture
    Love this app user friendly

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