Add This To Chicken For 10x The Flavor

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It is true, a chicken dinner is indeed a winner, especially in the U.S. According to Our World In Data, Americans consume 55 kilograms (a little over 121 pounds) of chicken per person per year, which is probably why chicken recipes seem so popular on the internet. With that kind of popularity, we are always looking for new-to-us ways to flavor our favorite bird. We already know that garlic and butter are two of the most versatile ingredients in our pantry, and chilis are an obvious addition, though straight-up chili peppers might be too spicy for some. Let's add just a little kick, then, in the form of paprika.

The truth about paprika is that there is more than one type of this warm spice. So which should you choose? Some categorize it by flavor, whether it be sweet, smoked, or hot (these terms are pretty self-explanatory), and others categorize it by origin, especially paprika from Hungary or Spain. Paprika, in general, brings a gentle warmth to a dish, and its flavor notes vary according to its type. For chicken dishes, pretty much any paprika can work, and when combined with garlic and butter, it makes for an unstoppable flavor combination.

So how best can we incorporate paprika, garlic, and butter into a chicken dish? Our first recommendation is the classic Hungarian dish, chicken paprikash, which uses a generous amount of Hungarian paprika by default. Mashed's chicken paprikash recipe uses olive oil as the cooking fat, but butter is common in many authentic Hungarian recipes, so you can substitute it in place of or in combination with the oil. You can also try an easy garlic chicken recipe like Instant Pot creamy garlic chicken and sprinkle in a tablespoon of paprika while sautéing the garlic to add a new depth of flavor and an earthy color to your dish.

If you are a fan of slathering compound butter over your chicken before roasting it, you can easily tweak Mashed's simple garlic butter recipe to include a teaspoon of paprika. Try this with some sweet and smoky Spanish pimentón and watch your family fawn over just how luxurious a homemade roast chicken can be. With these paprika-forward tips and tricks in your arsenal, your weeknight chicken dinners are going to be even more flavorful, which is a win-win.