Don’t know what to make with sauerkraut? You need this simple chicken and sauerkraut recipe. It’s perfect for when the weather is cold and is filling and satiating.
with barley
This easy, spicy chicken with sauerkraut and bulgur is a great choice when it comes to using sauerkraut in recipes.
The healthy chicken recipe is super easy to make and great for meal prep too. You basically dump a few ingredients into a pot and let them cook until the chicken is done. It tastes delicious and it makes A LOT.
with bulgur
You’ll Love This Chicken With Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is not for everyone, but if you enjoy it – you’ll definitely love this meat and sauerkraut recipe. I’ve also made this for people who don’t like sauerkraut and they absolutely enjoyed it as well. It’s:
- easy to make
- delicious
- pretty healthy
- made with few ingredients
This recipe is healthy as there’s no frying and only natural, healthy ingredients in it.
A Salty Warning
The only thing you need to look out for if you’re dealing with high blood pressure is the salt content of the sauerkraut. I usually don’t add any salt to this dish as the sauerkraut I use makes it salty enough, but this can vary.
Chicken And Sauerkraut Ingredients
There are only six of them here! To make this chicken with sauerkraut recipe you’ll need:
- Chicken. I prefer thighs or drumsticks. Bone in or boneless will both work!
- Sauerkraut. You can even make your own if you’re motivated!
- Bulgur or another grain of choice. Last time we used barley.
- Paprika. A must for
- Olive oil. It’s very important here, as this dish can dry out.
- Crushed red pepper. To add some spice!
How To Make Chicken With Sauerkraut And Bulgur
One of the best things about this meal is that it needs almost no preparation. No onions to be chopped, no vegetables to be washed, nothing to marinate. You take 6 ingredients, put them in a cooking pot, add some water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let that cook for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken and bulgur are completely cooked.
Optionally, you can then transfer the entire thing to a large baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes. But as I mentioned it’s optional.
Why Eat Sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut contains probiotics that are very beneficial for gut health. Sauerkraut is made using cabbage, which is low in calories and high in fiber which might help with losing or maintaining weight. For more sauerkraut health benefits – check out this article.
Another very good reason to do it – it’s because it can be so delicious! This has been a family recipe that we’ve been making for many, many years and we never get sick of it. Especially during winter.
Tips
- Add spice. I always like to add crushed red pepper to this recipe as I love it when it’s a little bit spicy.
- Don’t be afraid to add olive oil or another type of oil here and don’t be stingy about it. Adding enough fat to this recipe is very important to develop the taste!
- Do not add too much water or stock, you want this to be rather like a rice dish and not too soupy.
Options
There are some ways to vary this recipe. For example, you can use pork or ground beef instead of the chicken – this will be a more heavier version of the meal.
You can choose between bone-in or boneless skinless chicken thighs. The boneless variation will cook faster.
You can also use another grain – rice or even barley can be a great choice here if you can’t tolerate gluten well. Barley has a little bit of gluten and it also has a low glycemic index – which is important if you have high blood sugar.
Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy this chicken and sauerkraut recipe!
More Family-FaVorite Dinner Recipes:
Chicken And Sauerkraut
Don't know what to make with sauerkraut? You need this delicious simple chicken and sauerkraut recipe. It's perfect for when the weather is cold and is filling and satisfying!
Ingredients
- 450g / 1 pound chicken drumsticks
- 500g / 1 pound sauerkraut
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1/2 cup bulgur, coarse
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a pot, add water or chicken stock, just enough to cover the ingredients (I measured about 1 cup!), cover the pot with a lid and cook at medium-high until boiling.
- Reduce the heat and and let the meal cook for around 30 minutes or until the chicken and bulgur are done. During the last 5-10 minutes of cooking remove the lid. At any point after 10 minutes - add more water or stock if needed.
- In the end, add salt and olive oil if needed (usually it should be enough!)
- Serve immediately - best with toasted bread! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Instead of coarse bulgur, you can also use rice for an easy gluten-free option.
Note that the meat might be coming off the bones if you're stirring too much. A simple fix is to simply remove the bones from the cooked meal. Or use boneless skinless chicken thighs - the meat will cook faster, but make sure to cut it in pieces before adding to the pot.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 374Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 144mgSodium 864mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 5gSugar 2gProtein 29g
These numbers are estimated.
This recipe was originally published in December 2019 and updated with new tips and images in October 2022.