This creamy paprika sauce has a good spice kick and a nice smokiness from smoked hot paprika powder. It’s great with grilled, baked or roasted chicken.
Find more delicious recipes with smoked Spanish or Hungarian paprika!
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About the recipe:
I love tasty sauces that take only a few minutes to make and this smoked paprika sauce definitely falls into that category. (As do these 5-Minute Oregano Sauce and 5-Minute Rosemary Cream Sauce recipes, which happen to be great on chicken too!)
Besides spici- and smokiness from smoked hot paprika, this sauce has a nice tang from tomato paste and sour cream. I finished it with chopped cilantro for some freshness.
Ingredients you need:
A few notes on the ingredients:
- Be sure to use smoked Spanish HOT paprika and not smoked Spanish sweet paprika for this recipe.
- As always, I recommend to get the spice from a dedicated spice shop. Freshness and quality of the smoked paprika are definitely important for the flavor of this sauce.
- You need 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste for this recipe and a standard can contains about 10 tablespoons. For ideas as to what to make with the rest, check out these delicious recipes that use tomato paste.
About paprika:
Smoked paprika is a spice powder made from pimiento peppers that have been dried over an oak fire and then finely ground. The spice level of smoked paprika can range from mild and sweet to hot. Hot (also sometimes labeled “picante”) is what you want for this sauce.
Although not all Spanish paprika is smoked, the Spanish paprika varieties that are available in U.S. stores are usually smoked paprika.
Pimenton is another name for Spanish smoked paprika.
Paprika can’t actually go bad, but, like other spices, it will eventually start to lose its aroma and flavor.
How to make the sauce (overview with photos):
This recipe is very easy to make. These are the steps:
- Saute minced onion in butter.
- Stir in smoked hot paprika powder.
- Pour in chicken broth and cook for a few minutes until reduced by about half.
- Take off the heat and stir in tomato paste, then heavy cream, sour cream and cilantro. Turn the heat back on and heat the sauce through.
Can I double or half the recipe?
Yes, easily. The recipe card below is set to 4 servings but you can make less or more depending on how much you need.
How to use the sauce:
You have several great meal options for this sauce:
- The sauce is great on grilled, roasted or baked chicken breast with rice. If you’d like to add a vegetable, I recommend to steam frozen corn, it’s great with the spice and the cilantro.
- The sauce is also great on potato gnocchi. Top them with grated Parmesan cheese for a delicious meal.
How to store leftovers:
If you have any sauce left over, transfer it into an airtight container and store in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop over gentle heat, stirring continuously.
Find more delicious sauces:
Made this recipe? It would be awesome if you could leave a rating. Either tap or click the stars in the recipe card or leave a comment below. Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Spicy Smoked Paprika Sauce with Cilantro
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup minced onion (about 1 small onion)
- 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish hot paprika*
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the onion and saute until starting to soften (~2 minutes).
- Stir in paprika and and cook until fragrant (a few seconds).
- Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and boil uncovered until reduced by about half (3-4 minutes).
- Take off the heat and whisk or stir in the tomato paste.
- Stir in heavy cream, sour cream and cilantro.
- Turn the heat back on and heat the sauce through, stirring continuously.
Steffani K.
I love this sauce! I think I ended up making it with a sweet smoked paprika, which was still lovely, though I like the little love tap the hot paprika gives this recipe. How/where do I find the hot paprika? King Soopers had regular paprika and smoked paprika, but neither indicated they were Spanish or sweet/hot…
Thanks for another fantastic recipe! I love this site.
Nicole B.
Thank you, Steffani! I’m so glad you liked the sauce. I get paprika from The Savory Spice Shop. They have smoked Spanish hot (and a number of other varieties as well) and I have always found the quality of their products to be excellent.