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    Chicken à la King

    April 30, 2024

    Cozy and creamy, our simple Chicken à la King recipe makes it easy to cook this old-fashioned classic from scratch.

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    a bowl of Chicken à la King made with chicken, mushrooms and peas in a creamy white sauce served with onion chive biscuits
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    A Classic Chicken à la King Recipe

    While grandma’s Chicken à la King may have relied on canned foods, it’s actually so much easier to make Chicken à la King from scratch than you’d guess. Simple enough for a weeknight, this recipe is a genius way to use up leftover chicken, too. If you’ve never had Chicken à la King before, think of it as hearty, simple comfort food, like our Chicken Pot Pie Soup and Chicken and Dumplings all mashed into one cozy, soothing meal.

    chicken, mushrooms, onion, garlic, white wine, flour, chicken broth, milk, spices, peas and pimentos in prep bowls

    Chicken à la King Ingrédients

    • Chicken breast. To make this homemade Chicken à la King even simpler and faster, you can use leftover cooked chicken, or even the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
    • Mushrooms. Cremini mushrooms are our favorite mushroom — they just make the mushroom cream sauce so rich and savory — but white button mushrooms are OK, too.
    • White wine. Yes, sherry is traditional in this recipe, but a nice, dry white wine is our preference.
    • Milk
    • Peas. We use frozen because it’s just so easy.
    • Pimentos
    • Flour
    • Olive oil
    • Spices! Salt, pepper, onion powder, fresh thyme
    • Salted butter
    • Yellow onion
    • Garlic
    • Chicken stock AND bouillon (we love the Better Than Bouillon brand, but whatever you have on-hand is fine.)
    cut up chicken breast seasoned with salt being cooked in olive oil in a skillet
    mushrooms, onions and garlic cooking in butter in a skillet
    mushroom, onion and garlic cooking in butter in a skillet
    white wine being poured in a skillet with mushrooms, onion, garlic and butter
    chicken broth being added to a skillet with white wine, flour, mushrooms, onion, garlic and butter
    whole milk and spices being added to a skillet with chicken broth, white wine, flour, mushrooms, onion, garlic and butter

    How To Make Chicken à la King From Scratch

    1. Brown the chicken breasts. Warm the oil In a large saucepan, and add the seasoned chicken. Cook it until it’s browned and cooked through, and set it aside.
    2. Cook the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms in butter (yum) and add the garlic and white wine (yum and yum) and bring all of that loveliness to a simmer.
    3. Make a creamy sauce. Sprinkle the winey mushrooms with flour, and then slowly stir in the broth and milk. A flexible silicone spatula is handy for this, so you can really scrape up delicious bits of garlic or mushroom as you stir. Then add the chicken bouillon, pepper, onion powder, and thyme and simmer it all until the cream sauce is nicely thick.
    4. Finish by adding the cooked chicken, peas and pimentos to the cream sauce (if you are using leftover chicken, now is the time to add it!).
    5. Serve with biscuits, just like Grandma did! Use the ultra-tender biscuits from our Biscuits and Gravy recipe, or go next-level with our Onion-Chive Biscuits.
    peas, chicken and pimentos added to a skillet with cream sauce
    a skillet of Chicken à la King made with chicken, peas, mushrooms, pimentos, onions and spices

    How To Freeze Chicken à la King + Tips

    • Yes, you can freeze Chicken à la King! To freeze the finished chicken à la king, cool it completely and transfer any leftovers to a freezer-safe container. Store the it for up to 3 months.
    • When you are ready to eat it, defrost it in the fridge overnight. Then warm it gently on the stove top over low heat. Because of the cream sauce, it’s not quite as good after being frozen, but it’s still delicious.
    • About the wine in our recipe: Any dry white wine that you love — we usually reach for an affordable-but-good sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, or gruner veltliner — will work well here. And if you don’t cook with alcohol, just use a little more chicken broth.
    a skillet of Chicken à la King made with chicken, peas, mushrooms, pimentos, onions and spices
    a bowl of Chicken à la King made with chicken, mushrooms and peas in a creamy white sauce served with onion chive biscuits

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    Chicken à la King

    April 30, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  35 min
    • Calories:  403
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    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
    • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 6 tablespoons salted butter
    • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
    • 1 small yellow onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups chicken stock
    • 1½ cups whole milk
    • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
    • ¾ cup frozen peas
    • 4 ounces drained pimentos
    • Onion Chive Biscuits, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Heat the olive oil In a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken in a single layer. Season with the salt and cook, undisturbed, until the chicken is browned, about 4 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

      cut up chicken breast seasoned with salt being cooked in olive oil in a skillet

    2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

      white wine being poured in a skillet with mushrooms, onion, garlic and butter

    3. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and stir to combine. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and whole milk until fully combined. Add the chicken bouillon, pepper, onion powder, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened, about 4 minutes.

      Chickenala King 8

    4. Return the chicken to the saucepan along with peas and pimentos. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the peas are tender, about 4 minutes.

      peas, chicken and pimentos added to a skillet with cream sauce

    5. Divide among six plates and top with pepper. Serve with biscuits on the side, if using.

      a skillet of Chicken à la King made with chicken, peas, mushrooms, pimentos, onions and spices

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 403
    • Protein 32 g
    • Carbohydrates 21 g
    • Total Fat 22 g
    • Dietary Fiber 3 g
    • Cholesterol 104 mg
    • sodium 785 mg
    • Total Sugars 6 g

    Chicken à la King

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Karen

      Hi! Do you recommend browning the chicken ahead of time if I want to put in a slow cooker?

      Sure!

    • Megan

      Perfect fall or winter comfort food recipe. My daughter and boyfriend both loved it. Thank you!

      Thanks Megan, we are so glad you loved it!

    • David

      I love this dish, and I only omitted the pimentos. I also always do my chicken beforehand cooking in water, and then use the broth along with bouillon for the chicken broth. A favorite for me .

      Thanks David, so glad you loved it!

    • Carol

      Very tasty and easy to make. Very good for older people to eat. Soft and filling.

      Thanks Carol, so glad you loved it!

    • Candice

      Creamy, satisfying, comforting, everything I could want. I served it with biscuits and will definitely be making it again.

      Thanks Candice, we are so glad you loved it!