An easy recipe for chicken stroganoff, succulent chicken breast cooked in a rich sauce of onions, mushrooms, and a touch of sour cream.
I made this recipe for the first time because I had no choice. My plan was to make beef stroganoff. But all I had in the fridge were boneless skinless chicken breasts.
So I thought, how bad could it be - chicken cooked in olive oil with onions, mushrooms, and sour cream? Perhaps Count Stroganoff would have disapproved... but this dish turned out delicious (though admittedly not as good as the beef version), and I've been making it regularly ever since.
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make chicken stroganoff. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Chicken: I use cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts when making this recipe. I'm fairly confident that boneless skinless chicken thighs would work too and might, in fact, be juicier. But I almost always have chicken breast on hand, so that's what I tend to use.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil. But if you'd rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead. Butter is another tasty option.
Chopped onion: There's a fair amount of onion in this recipe, and as you can imagine, it adds wonderful flavor to the dish.
Sliced fresh mushrooms: White mushrooms or Cremini work equally well in this recipe, though personally, I tend to prefer Cremini.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work. I'm lazy, so guess what I use... although admittedly, freshly minced tastes better.
Sour cream: I tried using Greek yogurt one time and thought it was too tart. So sour cream is definitely the way to go.
How to make chicken stroganoff
It's such an easy recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full details. But the basics steps are simple:
1. Your first step is to cook the chicken in olive oil, then set it aside.
2. Now, in the same skillet, cook the onions and the mushrooms in more olive oil until tender.
3. Add the garlic, then add the chicken and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. You don't want to cook for too long at this stage since the chicken is already cooked.
4. The last step is to reduce the heat to low and mix in the sour cream. That's it! Dinner's ready.
How to serve it
Traditionally you would serve chicken stroganoff on top of cooked noodles. But the starch is actually not necessary. This dish is very good on cauliflower rice, on spinach leaves, or even on some shredded lettuce.
It is also excellent on its own. I serve it with a spoon in addition to a knife and fork, so as not to waste the delicious sauce. Since this dish contains vegetables (onions and mushrooms) in addition to meat, it doesn't really need to be served with a side dish.
But a bright green side such as microwave broccoli adds a nice splash of color to an otherwise grayish plate. Chicken stroganoff is very tasty, but visually speaking, it's a bit challenged.
Variations and substitutions
As mentioned above, chicken thighs should work very well in this recipe instead of chicken breasts.
You can cook the chicken and the vegetables in butter or ghee instead of in olive oil.
As for how to season this dish, you can add paprika - try a teaspoon, and make sure it's sweet paprika, not spicy.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep fairly well in the fridge, in a sealed container, for about 3 days. However, they're not as good as the freshly made dish. Chicken tends to dry out when reheated.
I recommend reheating the leftovers very gently to avoid drying the chicken and curdling the sour cream. Use your microwave on 50% power, and heat them covered.
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Chicken Stroganoff
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided (if using fine salt, use less)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large onion chopped
- 16 oz fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
INSTRUCTIONS
- Measure out the sour cream and remove it from the fridge, to allow it to warm up a little.
- Season the chicken with half the kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a very large, deep skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Cook, stirring often, until no longer raw, 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Add the onions and the mushrooms and sprinkle them with the remaining kosher salt and black pepper. If the skillet seems too dry, add a splash of water. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and browned, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir-fry 2 more minutes, to ensure all chicken pieces are cooked through.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the skillet a few seconds to cool down a bit. Add the sour cream, mixing it in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Don’t allow the sour cream to simmer or boil, to avoid curdling. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.