This Chicken Stroganoff Brazilian Style is an easy 30 minute dinner with a tomato based sauce, cream, and mushrooms all over rice.
You might be saying, ‘well, that doesn’t look like Stroganoff’. And the truth is, that’s what I said too, as it’s not the kind that my Mom always made in the midwest. But this, my friends, is Chicken Stroganoff Brazilian Style and it is delicious! My version is a quick 30 minute dinner!
There are a few key differences vs. it’s Russian beef stroganoff cousin. Rather than beef broth and a brown mushroom sauce, it’s base is tomato sauce and chicken broth. I kept the mushrooms in my version. Then half and half (my variation on the traditional heavy cream) is added vs. sour cream to the sauce to give it that beautiful pink-orange color. Finally, it’s served over rice rather than the egg noodles.
By the way, we recently moved to Brazil for my husband’s job. I am sharing my journey through Brazilian recipes on my new Easy Brazilian Food blog. I hope you check it out!
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
Simple Ingredients and Swaps for Brazilian Stroganoff
Fridge and Fresh Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless – You can swap in boneless skinless chicken thighs. I always have raw chicken breasts in the freezer as they can last up to 12 months if in an airtight container or packaging. Check out all of my tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
- Yellow onion, medium – You need about a cup diced, so you can use large or small onions to get to this amount. Shallots or red onions will work as well.
- Garlic Cloves, minced or 4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Mushrooms, sliced – Mushrooms are not necessary in the Brazilian version of Stroganoff, but I love them and they give a nod to the Russian version.
- Dijon mustard – there is little spice or heavy seasonings added to this recipe, so it really needed some flavor added and dijon adds the perfect amount of tang and spice.
- Half and half – You can use heavy cream in this recipe, as is what is typically used, but I wanted something a bit lighter, so I went with Half and Half.
- Cilantro, chopped – This recipe was screaming for some bright flavor and since I adore fresh cilantro cooked into Slow Cooker Brazilian Black Beans, I thought to add them here too. You could use dried cilantro in a real pinch, but fresh is really the way to go here. If you don’t have or don’t like cilantro, you could use fresh parsley. However, since parsley doesn’t have much flavor, I would also consider adding oregano.
Pantry Ingredients
- Olive Oil, Salt and Ground black pepper
- Tomato sauce – you could also use pureed, crushed, or diced canned tomatoes.
- Tomato paste – this adds depth of flavor, but you could leave it out if you don’t have it.
- Chicken broth or stock – You can also use vegetable broth or stock.
- Cornstarch – this is used as a quick and easy way to thicken the sauce just a bit.
- Uncooked long grain rice
No Special Equipment Needed!
I made this recipe in a dutch oven.
You could use any other soup pot or high sided pan or skillet.
For mincing garlic, I used a Garlic Press.
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch bite-size pieces and sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Set it aside.
Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Chop the cilantro and separate 2 tablespoons out for garnish.
Slice the mushrooms if they’re not already sliced.
Cooking Steps for this Chicken Stroganoff Brazilian Style
Preheat a Dutch oven or high sided large pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, the mushrooms, and the onions. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the mushrooms reduce by half and the onions start to turn translucent.
Add the garlic and chicken and cook until the chicken is completely white, no longer pink on the outside, about 8 minutes (you can cover to speed up the cooking time to 4-5 minutes)
Add the fresh cilantro, dijon mustard, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add according to taste. Once it begins boiling (takes about 2 minutes on med-high heat), reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the half and half or heavy cream and stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for a final 5 minutes so sauce can thicken.
Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley. Enjoy!
Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff Recipe FAQs
Yes, this can be made in the slow cooker! To do so, you can simply add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the half and half, rice, and reserved cilantro for garnish. Mix to combine and set the slow cooker to 6 hours or 8 hours, depending on your schedule. Add the half and half right at the end (Step 4).
You can use chicken thighs in this Chicken Stroganoff and I recommend sticking with boneless skinless thighs for easy prep and cooking. Consider the amount of thighs that you will need as well. Generally, I estimate 16 ounces or 1 pound of chicken for 4 servings. That will likely mean 5-6 boneless skinless thighs, depending on their size. The recipe instructions will be the same for thighs as the breasts.
Traditionally, this Chicken Stroganoff is served over rice in Brazil. However, you can certainly serve it with egg noodles or even quinoa or other pasta.
This Stroganoff recipe is gluten free with the ingredients listed. However, as with any recipe that you find online, make sure that you double check all packaging ingredient labels to ensure that it does not contain gluten.
You can absolutely make this Chicken Stroganoff ahead! This dish reheats beautifully and is a great meal prep option for enjoying several days during the week! To reheat, you can place it in a microwave safe bowl and warm it for 1-2 minutes. Or you can place it back in a pot covered on the stove and warm it on medium heat. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Chicken Stroganoff Brazilian Style
Ingredients
- 2 pound Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 Yellow onion, medium
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced or 4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8-10 oz Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 15 ounces Tomato sauce (1 can)
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
- 2 cups Chicken broth or stock
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¾ cup Half and Half you can also use heavy cream
- ½ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 2 cups Uncooked Long Grain Rice
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Steps
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch bite-size pieces and sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Set it aside.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Chop the cilantro and separate 2 tablespoons out for garnish.
- Slice the mushrooms if they’re not already sliced.
Cooking Steps
- Make the rice. Rinse the rice under water in a strainer until the water runs clear. Add to 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt and bring up to a boil. Turn the water down to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Preheat a Dutch oven or high sided large pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, the mushrooms, and the onions. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the mushrooms reduce by half and the onions start to turn translucent.
- Add the garlic and chicken and cook until the chicken is completely white, no longer pink on the outside, about 8 minutes (you can cover to speed up the cooking time to 4-5 minutes)
- Add the fresh cilantro, dijon mustard, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Once it begins boiling (takes about 2 minutes on med-high heat), reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch to half and half or heavy cream and stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Then add to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for a final 5 minutes so sauce can thicken.
- Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley. Enjoy!
Linger says
Carrie, this stroganoff looks so amazing and very interesting. I love fresh ideas from different countries and I’m intrigued with your recipe. Love that it has a tomato base. The ingredients are fabulous. I will have to stretch myself and try your Brazilian Beef Stroganoff. Thanks so much for sharing.
Chef Mimi says
I’ve been to Brazil, and I don’t remember this on the menu anywhere. If it had been, I would have ordered it! Fabulous!