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Hungarian Goulash

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Hungarian Goulash (with non-traditional chicken instead of beef)

Hungarian Goulash

There’s a local restaurant here in town that always serves a cup of goulash before your meal. My wife goes crazy for it for some reason…LOL. So, I decided to try making goulash at home, and after experimenting with different traditional Hungarian goulash recipes, this is what I’ve settled on.

The recipe gives options for chunky beef (which is traditional, but takes the longest to cook), chicken (definitely not traditional, but very tasty nonetheless and pictured above), and ground beef (which is also very NOT traditional, but is what the local restaurant uses in theirs).

I also opted to make this base recipe an inherently lower-carb version so that it could be enjoyed by folks during their On-Protocol weeks in our 12-week weight-loss program, “The Balanced Burn”. That’s why there are no potatoes in the ingredients, even though they are traditionally included.

During a Maintenance week, I’d make this with the richer meat choices (E.G. sirloin tip beef or chicken thighs) and enjoy this with some nice, crusty sourdough bread alongside to get my additional fat and starchy carb portions.

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large / 1-1/2 medium onions (diced)

  • 4 carrots (diced)

  • 4 sweet bell peppers (red, orange or yellow; seeded and diced)

  • 4 cloves of garlic (minced)

  • 1 can tomato paste

  • 1.5 litres / 6 cups broth (chicken or beef, depending on your protein choice)

  • 4 tablespoons sweet paprika (make sure it’s fresh and has a nice, sweet but earthy smell - if it smells like nothing or weak, your goulash will be weak / taste like nothing)

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 750 grams / 1-1/2 pounds of meat

    • Option 1: beef inside round, outside round or sirloin tip roast, cut into chunks; preseasoned with 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt for at least 30 minutes

    • Option 2: boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, left whole; preseasoned with 1 teaspoon sea salt for 20-30 minutes

    • Option 3: extra lean or lean ground beef; preseasoned and mixed by hand with 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt for at least 30 minutes

  • 1 cup fat-free sour cream

Method

  1. Preseason your meat with the recommended amount of sea salt for the recommended time. I usually season the meat before beginning my veg prep and just let it rest while I do that and get the veg cooking, and then it’s ready to go when I reach step 5 / 6 / 7, where the protein is added.

  2. Sweat the diced veg with a little vegetable oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes

  3. Mix in the tomato paste and minced garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes

  4. Add the broth to the pan and mix well, then stir in 2 TBSP of the paprika and add the bay leaves

  5. If you’re using Option 1 for chunky beef:

    • Add the beef to the pot, then bring to a boil

    • Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 60-90 minutes or until the beef chunks are tender

    • If you want the goulash to be a bit thicker consistency (remembering that the sour cream will also thicken it slightly), you could transfer about half of the vegetables and broth to a blender and puree them at this point, but it’s not necessary. If you do, stir the pureed mixture back into the pot with the remaining vegetables, beef and broth.

  6. If you’re using Option 2 for chicken:

    • Add the chicken pieces to the pot, then bring to a boil

    • Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes

    • Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and pull / shred them into chunks

    • If you want the goulash to be a bit thicker consistency (remembering that the sour cream will also thicken it slightly), you could partially puree the vegetable and broth mixture with an immersion blender at this point, but it’s not necessary

    • Return the shredded chicken to the pot

  7. If you’re using Option 3 for ground beef:

    • Add the meat to the pot, breaking it apart as you bring the mixture to a boil

    • Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes

  8. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and stir in the remaining 2 TBSP of paprika along with the sour cream until well mixed

  9. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve!

Nutrition Info

You’re absolutely correct—the protein content will vary depending on the type of meat used. I'll adjust the analysis to include a range for protein based on the differences between the specified options. Here's the fully updated analysis:

For the Entire Recipe:

  • Calories: 1,760–2,080 kcal

  • Protein: 200–248 g (800–992 kcal, 42–49% of calories)

  • Fat: 32–64 g (288–576 kcal, 16–28% of calories)

  • Carbohydrates: 192 g

    • Fiber: 48 g

    • Net Carbohydrates: 144 g (576 kcal, 24–33% of calories)

  • Non-Starchy Vegetables: ~8 fist-sized portions

Per Serving (8 servings):

  • Calories: 220–260 kcal

  • Protein: 25–31 g (100–124 kcal, 42–49% of calories)

    • Palm-Sized Portions: 1–1.5

  • Fat: 4–8 g (36–72 kcal, 16–28% of calories)

    • Thumb-Sized Portions: 0.5–1

  • Total Carbohydrates: 24 g

    • Fiber: 6 g

      • Women under 50: 21–24% RDI

      • Men under 50: 18–19% RDI

      • Women over 50: 27% RDI

      • Men over 50: 21% RDI

    • Net Carbohydrates: 18 g (72 kcal, 24–33% of calories)

      • Cupped-Palm Portions: 0.5–1

  • Non-Starchy Vegetables: ~1 fist-sized portion

Notes on Protein Options:

  1. Beef Inside Round, Outside Round, or Sirloin Tip Roast (Option 1): These cuts provide the highest protein content per weight. Their lean nature results in moderate fat levels and a traditional goulash texture.

  2. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast or Thigh (Option 2): Chicken breast has slightly less protein per gram compared to lean beef, but it's very low in fat and calories. Chicken thighs contribute more fat and slightly less protein than chicken breast.

  3. Extra Lean or Lean Ground Beef (Option 3): Ground beef, even when labeled "lean," contains less protein and higher fat than the other options. However, it provides a rich flavor and texture for a heartier goulash.

This nutritional analysis is an estimate only, based on available knowledge regarding the nutritional content of the individual ingredients. Nutritional content of foods is HIGHLY variable, so you should always base your dietary intake on whether it meets your needs and progresses you towards your goals rather than any theoretical numbers on paper.

Notes / Options

  • Not traditional, but you could amp up the veggie and fibre content as well by adding in some chopped kale or power greens (about 4 fist-sized portions, or 4 cups). If you go with kale, add it with the other veggies at the beginning so that it gets fully cooked and tender. The power greens can be added to the goulash when you stir in the sour cream, then just let it sit for a few minutes for the greens to cook in the goulash.

  • You could make this plant-based using 2 packages of Big Mountain Soy-Free Tofu as your protein source. Just cut the tofu into bite-sized chunks and stir it into the mixture at the end with the sour cream. The total protein content will be less (around 16 grams per serving), but still pretty reasonable.

  • An alternative way to thicken the goulash instead of pureeing some of the vegetable / broth mixture if you’re not being as strict with starchy carbs would be to mix in some deyhdrated mashed potato flakes. Traditional goulash recipes do actually include potato for the starchy body that it adds to the goulash, but as noted in the intro, I opted to make the base recipe more low-carb to allow more flexibility.

  • As noted in the intro, during a Maintenance week, I’d tend to use the richer cuts of meat (sirloin tip roast or chicken thigh) in making the goulash, and enjoy a nice piece of sourdough bread alongside this for my extra portions of fats and starchy carbs.