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. Bigos stew is incredibly simple to make, requires very little effort and makes a fantastic potluck party dish.
Polish bigos for me defines traditional Polish cuisine – hearty, deliciously comforting and great for sharing. This dish is equally popular as a family meal (served with mashed potatoes or bread) as well as party food, accompanying all celebrations including weddings, christenings etc. It has withstood the test of time and remains one of the most popular dishes in Poland today (along with Polish potato salad and pierogi). Poles love comfort food!
Because of its tremendous popularity countless versions of bigos exist and everyone will have their own way of preparing this dish that’s a little different from everyone else’s. What they all have in common, however, are the 2 essential ingredients: sauerkraut and meat.
SAUERKRAUT
Bigos Ingredients
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Sauerkraut
As this is an essential ingredient in Polish bigos ensure you use good quality sauerkraut. I recommend buying the sauerkraut in a Polish delicatessen as it’s likely to be better quality and tastier than sauerkraut sold in large supermarkets. Look for organic, preservative free sauerkraut that has a light yellow/greenish, rather than grey colour.
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White cabbage
Some people recommend rinsing the sauerkraut before making the stew (to make it less sour) but I prefer simply adding some white cabbage into the bigos to create a more balanced flavour. What is sauerkraut without its sourness?
Use common white cabbage or pointed cabbage, which is sweeter.
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Meat
Polish bigos can be made with any kind of meat, from game to pork (used most commonly) and chicken. Having said that I’ve never encountered bigos with lamb but this is probably because lamb is hard to come by in Poland. You can also use a combination of various meats. Whichever meat you choose it is important to use dark rather than white cuts (so for example not chicken breast, which tends to get dry when cooked for a long time). I used skinless chicken thighs. When it comes to pork use ribs or shoulder, not pork tenderloin.
You can adjust the amount of meat in this cabbage stew to suit your preference. I used a moderate amount as I didn’t want the meat to overpower the sauerkraut.
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Sausage
Use smoked Polish sausage (kielbasa) for added flavour and texture. Most Polish kielbasa types are smoked so you’ll be able to find it easily (even large supermarkets tend to stock Polish sausage these days). Alternatively use pieces of smoked ham and/or smoked bacon (crisp it up first).
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Porcini mushrooms
Dried porcini mushrooms are important to add for more depth of flavour but you don’t need to use too many. Again I recommend visiting a Polish shop as porcinis tend to be a lot cheaper there than in big supermarkets. Ensure you wash the mushrooms thoroughly by placing in a bowl, adding a little water and rubbing the mushrooms with your fingertips. Rinse again and add into the bigos.
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Prunes
For me prunes are absolutely essential in a bigos recipe, adding a bit of natural sweetness as well as depth of flavour (along with the mushrooms). I think prunes are exceptionally well suited to sauerkraut dishes. I have used prunes in my sauerkraut casserole with chicken (with great results!), which is similar to this bigos recipe.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.In the pot heat up 3 tablespoons of oil, add the bay leaf, caraway seeds, allspice and juniper berries and onion. Fry gently for 3 minutes stirring often.
2. Push the onion mixture to the side and add the chicken pieces. Fry for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Add the sauerkraut, cabbage, prunes, mushrooms, paprika, marjoram, tomato paste and half of the water. Stir, close the lid and bring the mixture to the boil then simmer gently for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
4. In a pan fry the chopped sausage in 1-2 tablespoons of oil until lightly browned. Add into the stew and cook for 1 more hour. Add a little more water if needed.
5. Remove the bigos from the heat and take out the chicken. Separate the meat from the bone and place the meat back into the pot. Stir and serve!
Top tips for making Polish bigos
- I recommend buying the sauerkraut in a Polish delicatessen. Look for organic, preservative free sauerkraut that’s yellowish in colour, not grey.
- Use any meat you like but ensure it’s dark, not white (not chicken breast or pork tenderloin for example).
- Use any Polish sausage (kielbasa) but ensure it’s smoked (most are). I used smoked chicken sausage. You can also add crisped up bacon or pieces of chopped ham.
- Wash the porcini thoroughly by placing in a bowl with a little water and rubbing with your fingertips to get rid of any grit. Then rinse under cold water and add into the bigos.
- Add the water The stew should be full of moisture though adding too much water may result in a soupy consistency, which is not what you want.
- Do NOT add any salt into your bigos. Both sauerkraut as well as Polish sausage are quite salty so all you’ll need is pepper to taste.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or bread.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.
More sauerkraut recipes
- Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi (Kapusta) Dumplings
- Polish Sauerkraut Salad
- Polish Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
- How To Cook Sauerkraut (Tips and Recipes)
You might also like sausage and bean casserole as well as this collection of easy one-pot chicken recipes.
Keep in touch!
If you make this bigos recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Did you use any other ingredients? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Authentic Polish Bigos Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 g sauerkraut chopped
- 300 g white cabbage chopped
- 4 chicken thighs skinless
- 200 g Polish smoked sausage kielbasa, diced
- 7 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 8 prunes pitted, halved
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp caraway seeds, dried marjoram and paprika each
- 3 allspice and juniper berries each
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5-2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large pot heat up 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. Fry for 2 minutes on each side.
- Add the sauerkraut, cabbage, prunes, tomato paste, mushrooms, marjoram, paprika, pepper to taste and half of the water and stir to combine. Close the lid, bring to the boil then simmer for 1 hour.
- In a frying pan heat up the remaining oil (1-2 tablespoons) and fry the chopped sausage until crispy stirring often. Add the sausage (not the fat) into the stew and continue cooking gently for another hour. Add a little more water at this point if you like.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, separate the meat from the bone and put the meat pieces back into the pot. Serve with mashed potatoes or rye/pumpernickel bread.
Notes
- I recommend buying the sauerkraut in a Polish delicatessen. Look for organic, preservative free sauerkraut that’s yellowish in colour, not grey.
- Use any meat you like but ensure it’s dark, not white (not chicken breast or pork tenderloin for example).
- Use any Polish sausage (kielbasa) but ensure it’s smoked (most are). I used smoked chicken sausage. You can also add crisped up bacon or pieces of chopped ham.
- Wash the porcini thoroughly by placing in a bowl with a little water and rubbing with your fingertips to get rid of any grit. Then rinse under cold water and add into the bigos.
- Add the water The stew should be full of moisture though adding too much water may result in a soupy consistency, which is not what you want.
- Do NOT add any salt into your bigos. Both sauerkraut as well as Polish sausage are quite salty so all you’ll need is pepper to taste.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or bread.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Would green cabbage work for this?
I am sure it would taste nice but it just wouldn't be the same dish. The star ingredient in this recipe is sauerkraut which is quite different from fresh cabbage.
My father was always the bigos maker in our household. His bigos was amazing and full of flavour. He passed away suddenly a few years ago and I never got the chance to ask him how he made it — although I watched him do it countless times. Yours was the closest recipe to how I remembered him making it and I gave it a go this past Christmas. It turned out amazing! Very close to his. I used pork (two smoked bone-in pork chops and some pork hock pieces) instead of chicken and I did the rinse method versus adding fresh cabbage because that’s what he always did. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am glad you were able to recreate the bigos you remember to some degree at least with this recipe. The smoked meat must have added so much flavour!
Niech żyje Polska ... making it now ... did not have allspice so crushed some cloves ... did not have quite enough sauerkraut so used some kimchi i bought locally (it tasted more like sauerkraut than kimchi) for some of the sauerkraut ... was stationed in Warsaw for 3 years 90-93 and missed this. it is starting to smell good already. Thank you for this Monika, you laid the recipe out really well.
Dzienkuje Bardzo
Very tasty recipe! I could not quite get my hands on the juniper berries or caraway seeds but it still turned out nice.
Glad to hear it!
Great recipe! So much flavor! my mom used to make a very abbreviated version, just cabbage, chicken, sausage, and tomato paste, this is more fun. I wonder what's you opinion on using red wine instead of some of the water (I really like how it changed the aroma).
I wonder if the suggestions to rinse sauerkraut come because there are some extremely vinegary versions of it. I chanced on one of those and alas didn't drain it. Had to salvage by adding some baking soda; thankfully it worked.
Thank you Albina! I have never tried using red wine in a bigos, I think it's something you have to try and see how you like it - sounds like you've already tried and it worked! And yes, sometimes sauerkraut can be too sour so many people rinse it. I always taste it to make sure I am happy with the flavour before I make the stew.
Red wine shows up in multiple other bigos recipes I found when I was looking, but those also tend to include 4-5 types of meat for some reason. I did not feel that committed, so I picked your recipe instead, to great results. The red wine just felt like too fun an option to pass up.
I think you just have to go with whatever works for you. You can use different types of meat as bigos was created to use up leftover meat, but it's absolutely ok to just use one, chicken in my case. I haven't tried adding wine but perhaps I should give it a go next time I make it:) Thanks again for the feedback!
Another recipe that I have used recommends draining the sauerkraut and reserving the liquid so you can adjust the tartness to suit your personal taste.
I can see how it would be useful to reserve the juice if you decide to rinse the sauerkraut before cooking.
how long should I cook Bigos?
Just over 2 hours, see Total Cooking Time in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. The time is also included in step-by-step recipe instructions.
By far the best bigos recipe I've come across. My polish husband loved it. The only comment i have is that the serving in our household was for 3 people instead of 8! 🙂
I am so glad to hear it! Bigos is one of my favourite dishes ever and I am really happy you and your family (especially your Polish husband!) liked this recipe.
Bigos is on my to make list for the autumn and i will add the caraway and juniper berries, which I haven't tried before. I sometimes make it in a slow cooker and usually serve it with Polish bread if I can get it. Unfortunately, we are in local lockdown and all the Polish shops that I know of are in the neighbouring area, also under local lockdown, so getting bread might be awkward for a while.
I hope you like the spices. Shame about the bread but try sour dough or pumpernickel bread instead if you can't get Polish bread. I'd love to know how this dish turns out for you:)
Thanks Eb, it's exactly that!
This looks perfect for fall Monika!
I must confess, I've never even heard of this, let alone tried it! But it sounds wonderful - packed full of flavours I love 😀 Eb x