Making Polish bigos involves stewing sauerkraut, white cabbage, meat and sausage along with a handful of spices to create a warming, hearty dish that’s moreishly delicious.
1⅓ teaspoons caraway seeds, dried marjoram and paprika (each)
3 allspice and juniper berries (each)
1-2 bay leaf
1½ tablespoons tomato puree
5 tablespoons vegetable/olive oil
1½-2 cups water
Categories
Dinner
Party Food
Cuisine
Polish
Steps
In a large pot heat 3 tablespoons of the oil, add the caraway seeds, juniper and allspice berries, bay leaf and onion and gently fry for 3 minutes stirring often.
Push the onion mixture to the side and add the chicken thighs. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.
Add the sauerkraut, cabbage, prunes, tomato puree, mushrooms, marjoram, paprika, pepper to taste and half of the water and stir to combine. Cover, bring to the boil then simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Top up with more water as needed (make sure the bigos doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan).
In a frying pan heat the remaining oil (1-2 tablespoons) and fry the chopped sausage until crispy stirring often. Add the sausage into the stew and continue cooking gently for 1-1½ hours. Add a little more water if needed.
Remove the chicken from the pot, separate the meat from the bone and put the meat pieces back into the pot. Serve with boiled/mashed potatoes or rye/pumpernickel bread.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 335 kcal
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Protein: 14 g
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 73 mg
Sodium: 793 mg
Sugar: 7 g
Reviews
Angie on 2026-02-11 (5 stars): We decided to try this stew after reading about it while playing Spark. It is absolutely delicious and we now understand why it is one of the most favored soup in the world. Next time I may switch out different mushrooms and beer for the wine. But only to be different…otherwise this stew was amazing!
Erin on 2025-01-18 (5 stars): Hi. Hosted a Polish theme dinner and served Bigos. This recipe was delicious and I appreciated your tips. I served with boiled Yukon gold potatoes with butter and parsley and rye bread. Friends brought over dessert from a Polish bakery. I never heard of Bigos so it was enjoyable to try a new recipe and learn more about Polish food. After dinner we watch a movie about 2 cousins traveling to Poland to visit where their grandmother was from. Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Christy on 2024-12-13 (5 stars): I LOVE this recipe!!! Followed the directions exactly and, having made it twice now, both dinners came out perfectly! Definitely in my dinner rotation for cooler weather meals. Delish!!!
Moé on 2024-01-01 (5 stars): Dear Monika, thank you so much for the fantastic recipe! I cooked bigos for the first time with my Polish-born boyfriend and he was surprised how authentic it was! It was absolutely divine and made our New Year’s Day. We can’t wait to cook more from your recipes. Thanks again, take care x
dc on 2023-05-03 (5 stars): Delicious, The pot it was cooked in was wiped out clean. The house smelled beautifully as soon as the onions and spices released the amazing aroma,. I did not follow the exact measurements since I already cooked Bigos once in the past (different version) but I love this one the spices are added right after onion for them to infuse all the rest of the ingredients. It is already spring with rainy and cool days - perfect comfort food that tastes amazing. I did not get rid of the fat but thinned it with juices release from the sour kraut and cabbage. The juices from the churros sausage combined with juices from the cabbage and sour kraut add an extra flavor to the dish. For as long as the fat is not burned and just slightly caramelized, the juices from the cabbage and sour kraut dissolve the caramelized sausage juices without losing the flavor. Fat is not always bad. Our brains need some fat.
