Creamy Chicken Stroganoff (Oma's Hühnchen-Stroganoff)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.

Published: October 19, 2026

Stroganoff without sour cream? Yes, and you won't miss it. This creamy chicken stroganoff gets its sauce from heavy cream, a spoonful of Dijon mustard and a little smoked paprika. There's no flour to cook out and nothing to curdle. Dinner is on the table in 40 minutes.

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Chicken is cheaper, and I favor it with the spätzle in this recipe. I love spätzle! Egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes work as well.

What is Chicken Stroganoff?

Chicken stroganoff is strips of chicken and mushrooms in a creamy, tangy sauce. It's made the same way as the classic beef stroganoff, only faster. The dish comes from Russia and is named after the Stroganov family. Boeuf stroganoff is well known in Germany, and home cooks there make hühnchen-stroganoff (HUEN-shen STRO-gah-noff) with chicken.

Plenty of creamy sauce for the spätzle to soak up.

Is Stroganoff German?

Stroganoff is actually Russian, but Germans took to it and made their own variations over the years. You'll find boeuf stroganoff and hähnchen-stroganoff in German cookbooks and on supermarket recipe cards. Many German versions stir sliced pickles (gewürzgurken) into the sauce for extra tang.

Königsberger Klopse have a Russian connection too, but they started out German. These meatballs in creamy caper sauce are named for Königsberg. That Prussian city is now Kaliningrad, Russia.

Like the generations of Germans before me, I made it my own. I've never added pickles myself, and mine goes over spätzle.

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Chicken Stroganoff Without Sour Cream

Sour cream gives stroganoff its tang. It also splits if the sauce boils, and then you have little white flecks instead of a smooth sauce. Heavy cream can simmer without splitting. So you can let the sauce bubble gently and thicken on its own without flour while the Dijon mustard brings back the tang.

If you really want the sour cream taste anyway, take the pan off the heat and stir in a spoonful or two at the very end.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Chicken breasts: Cut into thin strips so they cook fast and stay tender.
• Mushrooms: Fresh white button mushrooms, sliced.
• Onion and garlic: The base of the sauce.
• Olive oil and butter: The oil helps to keep the butter from burning too quickly, and the butter adds flavor.
• Smoked paprika: Gives the sauce its color and a mild smoky taste. Sweet paprika works too.
• Dijon mustard: Adds the tang that sour cream usually brings.
• Chicken broth: Use low-sodium if you can, so you control the salt.
• Heavy cream: In Canada, that's whipping cream (35%). Lighter creams are more likely to split when they simmer.

How to Make Creamy Chicken Stroganoff

Gather all your ingredients to have ready.

Everything you need, plus 2 garlic cloves (not pictured).

Cut the chicken into strips, pat dry, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Dry chicken browns, and wet chicken steams.

Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips so they cook quickly.

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds. Any longer and it can scorch and turn bitter. Add the chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning now and then, until it's lightly browned.

Add the chicken strips once the onion is soft.

Add the mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, until most of their liquid has cooked off. Leave it in and the sauce turns thin.

Stir in the smoked paprika and mustard while seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Then pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the cream. A gentle simmer keeps the sauce smooth.

Simmer uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens a little. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve.

Creamy chicken stroganoff over spätzle. My favorite way to serve it!

Oma's Tips & Variations

• If it's too thick, stir in a splash of cream or broth. If it's too thin, let it simmer a few minutes longer with the lid off.
• Start the spätzle water when the onion goes in. Both are ready at the same time.
• Don't let it boil hard after the cream goes in. A gentle simmer thickens the sauce without the cream catching on the bottom.
• For a smokier sauce, add more smoked paprika a pinch at a time.
• Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them gently on the stove with a splash of broth, because the sauce thickens in the fridge.

For something different:

• German-style pickles: Stir a few sliced dill pickles into the sauce with the cream. Many German cooks do. I haven't tried it myself, so start with a few and taste.
• Sweet paprika: Use 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika in place of the smoked paprika.

Print Recipe

Creamy Chicken Stroganoff (Hühnchen-Stroganoff)

Creamy chicken stroganoff made just like Oma's, with heavy cream instead of sour cream, chicken, mushrooms, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika in a quick, rich sauce. Ready in 40 minutes.

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

25 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (454 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 10½ ounces (300 grams) fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) butter
• ½ teaspoon (1 gram) smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) Dijon mustard
• ¾ cup (180 milliliters) chicken broth
• ¾ cup (180 milliliters) heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon (0.6 grams) freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Pat the chicken strips dry with a paper towel and season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and translucent.
4. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the chicken strips and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and most of their released liquid has evaporated.
7. Stir in the smoked paprika and Dijon mustard, then season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
8. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil.
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream.
10. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked (165°F / 74°C inside) and the sauce has thickened slightly.
11. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Notes/Hints:

• If the sauce gets too thick, add extra cream or chicken broth. 
• Add more smoked paprika if desired. Use 1 teaspoon sweet paprika instead of the smoked paprika. 
• Serve over spätzle, egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
• Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.