Lemon paprika chicken breast is tender, juicy, and so delicious. It goes perfectly with a side salad. Overall, lemon paprika chicken breast is a simple dish that’s loaded with flavor.
Your spice cabinet is not complete until you add a container of smoked paprika. Not only does smoked paprika add color to this lemon paprika chicken breast, but it also adds a mildly sweet yet smoky flavor. It’s the perfect way to jazz up meats like chicken breast.
What Does Paprika Do For Chicken
Paprika adds a mildly sweet, smoky flavor to chicken without overpowering the flavors of the other ingredients in the lemon paprika chicken breast. For example, the chicken breasts are seasoned with garlic powder and lemon pepper. However, the paprika still allows the garlic and lemon pepper flavors to shine through.
Is Paprika Spicy Or Not
Whether paprika is spicy depends on the type of paprika you purchase. Paprika’s flavor, color, and spice level can differ based on the type of peppers used to make the paprika. Therefore, some paprika can be spicy while others can be sweet or mild with hardly any spice.
There are three basic types of paprika regular, Hungarian, and Spanish.
Regular Paprika
Regular paprika is a generic version of paprika made from Californian, South American, Hungarian, and other types of peppers. This is the most common variety grocery stores stock.
Regular paprika has a mild flavor that is not spicy or sweet. Therefore regular paprika is best for garnishing mac and cheese, deviled eggs, or potato salad.
Spanish Paprika
There are three types of Spanish paprika: mild, mildly spicy, and spicy. Spanish paprika is made from chili peppers dehydrated over a fire of oakwood, which gives them a smoky flavor. Some Spanish paprika can also be sun-dried, so not all Spanish paprika has a smoky flavor.
Hungarian Paprika
Paprika is used in several Hungarian dishes. After all, it is Hungary’s national spice, and there are 8 different types of Hungarian paprika. The most common type of Hungarian paprika is Noble sweet, which has a mild sweet flavor.
Health Benefits Of Paprika
Paprika is a nutritional superstar. Paprika contains rich amounts of bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds have beneficial properties such as carotenoids (provitamin A), vitamins C and E, and phenolic compounds.
Cartenoids
Carotenoids are beneficial for eye health, can enhance cognitive function, boost cardiovascular health, and may even prevent some forms of cancer,
Vitamins
Paprika also contains ascorbic acid or vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and prevents scurvy. Vitamin E may deter lung cancer and slow brain aging, which decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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Phenolic Compounds
Phenolic compounds have a rich antioxidant potential. For example, phenolic compounds can reduce inflammation, prevent or alleviate diabetes, prevent tumors, and help manage allergies. Phenolic compounds may also prevent liver damage and inhibit cell growth in tumors.
How To Cook With Paprika
Paprika adds depth and a mild spice depending on the type you use to any ingredient it touches. However, that does not mean you should season your chicken breasts with the entire bottle, especially if you are using smoked paprika, so be careful not to add too much to your chicken breasts.
Smoked paprika is a little spicier than regular paprika. In addition to this, the chicken breast is seared in a skillet, which means the paprika can burn quickly. Therefore, don’t overdo it, or you will be eating burnt chicken breast for lunch or dinner.
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Lemon Paprika Chicken Breast
Course: Dinner, Keto, Gluten-FreeDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes13
minutes402
kcal2.7
1
hour10
minutesThis simple chicken dish is loaded with flavor. Chicken breasts are seasoned with garlic powder, salt, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika, then seared in a cast-iron skillet until browned. Next, onions, red bell peppers, and thyme are sauteed in butter and tossed with the chicken before serving. This lemon paprika chicken breast is moist, juicy, and so flavorful.
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 sprigs of thyme
Directions
- Place the chicken breasts into a bowl, then add the paprika, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil and mix until combined.
- Set a cast-iron skillet or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up.
- Add 2 chicken breasts to the cast-iron skillet and cook them for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
- Turn the chicken breasts over and cook them for 5 minutes until the chicken thighs are fully cooked. Remove the chicken breasts from the cast-iron skillet and set them on a plate.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Place the butter into the same cast-iron skillet and let it melt.
- Add the onions, bell peppers, and thyme and cook it for 2 minutes until the peppers and onions soften, stirring often.
- Return the paprika lemon chicken breast to the skillet and toss to coat it in the butter, then remove it from the heat.
- Let the lemon paprika chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes,
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- NUTRITIONAL INFO DISCLAIMER: The nutritional values presented below are only estimates. I don’t have a medical background, nor am I a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Therefore, nutritional information shown on foodandmoodcreations.com should only be used as a general guideline.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories187
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
11.8g
19%
- Saturated Fat 3.3g 17%
- Cholesterol 50mg 17%
- Sodium 458mg 20%
- Potassium 79mg 3%
- Total Carbohydrate
3.7g
2%
- Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
- Sugars 1.6g
- Protein 17.6g 36%
- Calcium 12%
- Iron 1%
- Vitamin D 2%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
References:
Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Paprika by Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application to Product Designation of Origin Authentication by Chemometrics Sergio Barbosa, Guillem Campmajó, Javier Saurina, Lluis Puignou, and Oscar Núñez Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2020 68 (2), 591-602 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b06054
Manfred Eggersdorfer, Adrian Wyss, Carotenoids in human nutrition and health, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Volume 652, 2018, Pages 18-26, ISSN 0003-9861, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2018.06.001.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003986118301656)
Mène-Saffrané, L. (2017). Vitamin E Biosynthesis and Its Regulation in Plants. Antioxidants, 7(1), 2. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox7010002
