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.
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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Recipe
Authentic Polish Bigos Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds (500 g) sauerkraut drained, chopped
- 10.58 ounces (300 g) white cabbage chopped
- 4 chicken thighs or other meats, see Notes*
- 14.11 ounces (400 g) Polish smoked sausage kielbasa, diced
- 0.25 ounces (7 g) dried porcini mushrooms small handful
- 8-10 prunes pitted, halved
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 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 (360-480ml) water
Instructions
- 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.
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). Pork ribs or pork shoulder are good options.
- Use any Polish sausage (kielbasa) but ensure it’s smoked (most are). 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 you might only have to add pepper to taste (you can adjust the seasoning towards the end of cooking).
- Serve with boiled/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.
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Adam Gerlach says
Czesc Monika. Adam z Melbourne.
Trafilem na Twoja strone, kiedy szukalem info czy mozna zrobic sok z czerwonej kapusty (niedawno stalem sie fanem czewronej kapusty). Chce podziekowac za wiele wspanialych przepisow i pozwol na jedna krytyczna uwage: w przepisie na golabki piszesz negatywnie o tluszczu ! - droga polska dziewczyno-tluszcz jest naszym najlepszym przyjacielem (gdy chodzi nie tylko o smak ale glownie o zdrowie !).
Pozdrowienia, Adam
Monika says
Hi Adam! I'll answer in English so everyone can understand it. I am glad you are enjoying my recipes and thank you for your kind words. I will definitely review the cabbage rolls post as I am sure it wasn't my intention to speak negatively about fat. Thank you for pointing it out:)
dc says
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.
Monika says
Glad you enjoyed this dish and thank you for your feedback:)
Moé says
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
Monika says
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback:)
M Sojka says
I had bigos the first time at a Polish restaurant in London. Needless to say, I loved it. My dad is Polish and made homemade sauerkraut, pierogis and galompkis. For some reason, bigos was not on the menu. After having it in London while on holiday, I have striven to recreate the initial experience. To that end, I've used many different online Polish recipes and even a recipe from a Croatian cookbook my Croat former boss gave me. All have been different and this one was too.
I made many many substitutions and changes to this recipe based on ingredients on-hand. Didn't have chicken. Used ventriche for the bacon. Had chorizo sausages. Didn't have cabbage but had homemade sauerkraut. Added some carrots. I had never put mushrooms (used TJ's frozen cooked and seasoned) or prunes in before but followed your recipe for most/all of the seasoning. I had some homemade chicken stock and used that instead of water.
Bottom line is that using your ideas my wife and I agree this was the best bigos we have made. The flavors melded together so well. I used quite a few mushrooms. But nothing stood out and it combined to make a very satisfying comfort food meal on a cold winter night. The first night we had by itself. The 2nd night we ate with homemade sourdough bread grilled cheese sandwiches.
Thank-you for a wonderful recipe.
Monika says
So glad you and your wife enjoyed it and thank you for your kind words. This recipe is based on bigos I had as a child, but you can make it in so many different ways. Which is probably why you have struggled to recreate the flavour from the London restaurant. I am glad I came close:) And I am glad your substitutions worked and the dish turned out well.
Maria says
Bigos is a very old Polish dish. Red wine was definitely used in old times, it was popular among Polish gentry. Chicken was never used, but duck, goose and turkey. And no tomato paste, since tomatoes were not known in Europe. Bigos should be served with
Polish rye bread or boiled potatoes, not mashed.
Monika says
Thank you for the historical perspective! This recipe reflects how bigos is made today (and it can have so many variations, too) so definitely interesting to look at it from another point of view.
M Sojka says
Lots of historical perspective out there in different blogs and cookbooks. I don't know what is absolute truth. One of the stories was that Bigos was known as a Hunters Stew. It was a giant pot kept going over a fire all winter long. Whatever the household came across went into the pot. Likely, the man of the house would bring back rabbits, birds, wild boar, venison - who knows. In a way, it was a living stew that changed with the ingredients brought home. Of course, the sauerkraut was likely a staple that everyone kept in the cellar to get you from harvest to spring time. And, nowadays no one is gong to keep a pot of stew cooking for weeks! So, it has morphed with the times and I think for the better. Also, a note on the wine. In other slavic and germanic areas that make variations of bigos, some use white wine calling for a Riesling or similar. I have tried that and found it works OK. Depends on the person.
Faith says
My husband is Polish. The first time I ever had Bigos was when a Polish friend of his made a big pot of it this winter, using this recipe, and shared some with us. I asked him for the recipe, and made it a few weeks later. The look of love and appreciation on my husbands face when he ate it was a gift to me. Now, I have an authentic Polish recipe, that he loves, in my arsenal. Making it today. Thanks! I owe you one!
Monika says
Hi Faith, you are very welcome, it means a lot knowing that people enjoy my recipes. Thank you for your kind words.
Wanda says
So happy to find this site. My mom just passed away in June. Even with her recipe or directions, nothing tastes quite the same. Love your recipe. Ours is similar. I sauté mushrooms, kolbosa, onions and bacon. I use beef broth instead of water. I put a couple of pork chops on top and when it’s done I take the meat apart. Wish I could find the berries. That’s something I have never done.
Have you ever made beets with horseradish, a sort of relish? My mother always made that for special occasions.
Monika says
Hi Wanda, thank you for your kind words. Sorry about your mom, I also wish I could ask mine for cooking advice but she is no longer here. Your bigos sounds fantastic, full of flavour even without the berries. Yes, I know the beet relish you are talking about, I do make it occasionally and perhaps will include it in my posts in the future.
Wanda says
Thank you. Would love to see your recipe for the beet relish if you decide to post it.
Wanda
Agnieszka says
Hi, it’s called ćwikła, the beet relish you are talking about. In Poland we eat it usually for Easter and Christmas
Colleen says
Would green cabbage work for this?
Monika says
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.
Iain says
Hi. I made the Bigos with red cabbage, fifty fifty with sour cabbage from the market, minus the tomato. Was great. A little different than normal cabbage.
Monika says
Sounds great and must have looked nice too! I must admit I've never used red cabbage in bigos, no idea why, but I am going to have to try it. Thanks for the feedback:)
Grzes says
... I also use Red Cabbage.... it lends a fresh and surprising sweetish taste. I also use Red Onion. I have never used tomatoes of any kind in the dish. However, I might be open to it. Chicken or fish? Never.
dc says
I think what you ment is a whit cabbage which is the second ingredients in this recipe. Juniper berries gives that amazing aroma to this dish. You can find it in a health food stores among other spices and buy it by the weight. Personally, This dish without the juniper berries is not quite what the Bigos should be. I am not Polish but coming from Slavic nation, and I can relay to loving sour kraut and cabbage. I am used to eating sour kraut fresh, or cooked, the wonderful earthy and healthy foods with the nice good bite of dark breads. When first cooking this Bigos, it is best to have all the ingredients prepared ahead, and follow the sequence of all the ingredients in the pot. It does make a difference , you will see. Once you cook it the first time, the second time you might memorize the steps and cook it without having to check the steps in the recipe. Enjoy the aroma and bon appetite.
Izabela says
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!
Monika says
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!
Joe aka “Smok” says
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
Cosmo Kramer says
Very tasty recipe! I could not quite get my hands on the juniper berries or caraway seeds but it still turned out nice.
Monika says
Glad to hear it!
Steve says
I couldn't get my hands on juniper berries either, however I've got some gin in the cupboard (which is made from juniper) so I just added a cap of that after step 1 so it had time to cook off a bit of the alcohol taste.
Monika says
I hope it worked out ok with the gin!
Albina says
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.
Monika says
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.
Albina says
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.
Monika says
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!
Eric Paige says
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.
Monika says
I can see how it would be useful to reserve the juice if you decide to rinse the sauerkraut before cooking.
Grzes says
Red wine was never used in Bigos. I am not sure why it shows up in so many google recipes. We had Beets and Beet Juice. Otherwise, we drank Vodka, Tea and Compote. No one had Red Wine for cooking.
Monika says
It would be difficult to find any authentic Polish recipes using red wine as there simply was no (proper) red wine available in Poland until relatively recently. So agree with you completely. But since this is such a popular recipe people make it in many different ways and that's fine, in my opinion. But if you want to go traditional then no red wine in this recipe, as you said:)
pkyllis k. says
how long should I cook Bigos?
Monika says
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.
Paola B says
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! 🙂
Monika says
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.
Helen Kennedy says
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.
Monika says
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:)
Monika says
Thanks Eb, it's exactly that!
DeeDee says
This looks perfect for fall Monika!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
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
igor says
as a polish person I am offend because this isn't the original recipe and the original is only in polish you could translate the recipe
Maria says
@igor
If you were genuinely Polish, you would not be "offended"; you would know that every region and every cook has their own version of bigos.
Which version do you consider the original? The one from the middle ages?