Whether you make this dish dairy-free or not, it is a pleasant change compared to traditional dinner meals. The sauce is creamy with a flavor reminiscent of chicken cacciatore but with a few changes like using smoked paprika and omitting tomatoes. This is so good that I’ve added it to my regular rotation of dinner recipes. Oh, and it’s antioxidant-rich as well.
Gluten Free Smokey Paprika Chicken with Creamy Sauce
Reach for this recipe when you want a dinner that tastes like a dish you’d order in a restaurant that you can make in under an hour. Best of all, it can be made dairy-free with plenty of antioxidants from the coconut milk!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (avocado), divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed (or thigh meat)
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms or whole kalamata olives (optional) or more as desired
- 2 tablespoons gluten free smoked paprika or regular paprika and 1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke (Wright’s
- 1 cup water*
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2-1/2 teaspoons gluten free chicken base or bouillon
- 1/2 packet stevia powder or sweetener of choice, to taste
- 2 teaspoons brown rice flour or more for thickening sauce
Instructions
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If serving with rice, make your rice first. If you’re in a hurry, make Minute Rice. Don’t feel guilty as it contains fewer carbs than traditional rice. Otherwise, I use jasmine rice.
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Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl around the skillet. Add the chicken in an even layer, season with salt and pepper, but do not stir. (Be patient. You want the chicken to brown.) The pieces of chicken will begin to stick together. This okay because you’ll break them apart later. Lift up a section to see if it is nice and brown. If so, turn them over a section at a time. Allow to brown on this side and then break them up. Do not cook them thoroughly as they will remain in the skillet while cooking the vegetables. This takes about 7 minutes.
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Lower the heat and push the chicken to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining oil or just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the bell pepper and onion, stirring often, and sauté until tender about 8 minutes. Be sure to stir the chicken as well to promote even cooking.
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Season the vegetables with a little salt, pepper, and paprika and pour in the water, bouillon, and coconut milk. Stir everything together and sprinkle in the stevia. Stir and taste; season more as desired. Simmer for 10 minutes.
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Sprinkle the rice flour over the top and stir. Continue to simmer for 10 additional minutes.
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Serve hot with rice and your favorite vegetable or salad.
Tips
*Gluten free chicken broth (not reduced sodium) may be substituted for the water and chicken base.
White Wine:
If you’d like, add up to 1/4 cup of white wine when you begin the simmering stage.