Chicken ala King
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Posted: 02/12/24
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This homemade Chicken ala King is creamy and packed with flavor from a delicious mushroom sauce, chicken, peas and more. Serve it with egg noodles, rice or biscuits. Make this easy homemade dinner recipe tonight.
Looking for a change of pace for dinner? Then check out this recipe for chicken ala king. It’s full of flavor, loaded with veggies, and mixed together in a rich and creamy sauce. Serve it over your favorite pasta or some freshly cooked rice and you’ve got a simple meal that the whole family will enjoy.
This classic dish has stood the test of time for a reason. The combination of creamy sauce, mushrooms, chicken and pimentos is absolutely amazing! We love to make a batch of fresh homemade biscuits when we eat this for dinner. It’s like the ultimate comfort food meal that is “stick-to-your-ribs” good. A hearty meal that takes minimal effort to make!
Why You’ll Love Chicken ala King
- This is a great recipe to use up some leftover chicken! Repurpose those leftovers and don’t let them go to waste.
- It only takes about a half hour to make this chicken ala king recipe. Yes, you can have an incredibly tasty dinner with many different elements really quickly!
- Chicken ala king make 6 hearty servings. Great for a large family or if you want to meal prep and have leftovers!
Ingredients for Chicken ala King Recipe
- Chopped onions – I recommend using yellow onion or white onion for this delicious chicken dish.
- Garlic powder – You can add some freshly minced garlic to your chicken ala king if you’d like, but use the garlic powder too!
- Pimentos – Pimentos are a very very mild pepper, most similar to a red bell pepper. In fact, if you cannot find pimentos then swap them for finely diced bell pepper.
- Frozen peas – Use frozen peas instead of canned so that they don’t get soggy and mushy.
- Flour – A little all purpose flour will help to thicken the sauce that this tasty chicken cooks in.
- Heavy cream – Make a creamy sauce by using some heavy cream.
- Fresh mushrooms – Any of your favorite mushrooms will do! Button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms will all work wonderfully.
- Cooked chicken – My recipe for air fryer chicken breast would be a quick and easy way to make tender and juicy chicken that you can dice up. You can also use rotisserie chicken for this.
- Chicken broth – Make the sauce liquid with heavy cream and chicken broth.
- Butter – Sauté the onions and mushrooms in melted butter to add flavor and make the veggies golden brown.
- Salt and pepper – With all of the fresh flavors in this recipe, you only need to season with salt and pepper!
Helpful Tools
How to Make Chicken ala King
Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and then add in mushrooms and diced onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft.
Season the veggies with garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
Add in the flour and stir until no flour specks remain. Pour the chicken broth and heavy cream into the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Stir in the frozen peas, some drained pimentos, cooked diced chicken and heat through for 2 to 3 minutes.
Once everything is well incorporated and heated through, it’s ready to go!
Serve over cooked rice, pasta, toast or biscuits.
How to Store Chicken ala King
FRIDGE: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and allow to cool completely. Then store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FREEZER: Cream based sauces don’t freeze super well, but you can try freezing these leftovers if you’d like. Just transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw before reheating.
How to Reheat Chicken à la king
To reheat, place chicken in a saucepan or skillet and warm on the stovetop over medium heat. You may need to add a splash of heavy cream or chicken broth to make the dish saucy again.
You can also reheat it in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. We recommend starting with 30 seconds intervals stirring and repeating until warmed through.
What to Serve with the Chicken ala King Recipe
Serve classic chicken a la king with cheddar bay biscuits, breadsticks, or homemade biscuits. Some cheesy garlic bread and regular garlic bread would be tasty too.
Dish out this creamy chicken over a bed of your favorite noodles, some rice, or even toast.
Veggie sides like air fried broccoli and roasted vegetables would pair wonderfully with this dish too.
Why is it called chicken a la king?
There are a couple different theories as to where this dish got its name. Some say that it is a creation of George Greenwald of the Brighton Beach Hotel in 1898 and that he named it after a patron named E. Clarke King II. Another theory is that this dish was made by a hotel cook in the 1890’s. His name was William “Bill” King and he worked at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia.
However it got it’s name, it’s delicious and I’m grateful to the mastermind that created it!
Pro Tips for the Best Chicken A la King Recipe
- If you find that your sauce is too thin, then add a bit more flour into the mix. Cornstarch would work too. On the flip side, if it’s too thick then mix in a bit more heavy cream.
- Don’t make the pieces of chicken too large. You’ll want them to be small enough that there can be chicken in every bite!
- Even though the name says chicken, you can use leftover turkey or even tuna in this recipe!
If you love mushrooms and creamy sauces, then chicken a la king is just the dish for you!
More Chicken Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
- Looking to skip the takeout but craving Asian food? Then make this Orange Chicken recipe!
- No Peek Chicken is incredibly simple to make and is just perfect for dinner. Simple, yet loaded with flavor.
- Spice up dinner time with this Chicken Tortilla Soup. Then you can have a fiesta for dinner!
- Everyone needs a good Baked Chicken Parmesan recipe, and this one is it!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Chicken a la King
Easy, homemade Chicken a la King has a creamy mushroom sauce, chicken, peas and pimentos.
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup chopped drained pimentos
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
- Serve over prepared egg noodles, rice, toast or biscuits
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms, onions and cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Season with garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
- Add in flour and stir until there are no more specks of flour left. Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in frozen peas, drained pimientos, and cooked chicken and let heat through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve hot over cooked rice, pasta, toast, or biscuits.
Tips
FRIDGE: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and allow to cool completely. Then store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FREEZER: Cream based sauces don’t freeze super well, but you can try freezing these leftovers if you’d like. Just transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw before reheating.
To reheat, place chicken in a saucepan or skillet and warm on the stovetop over medium heat. You may need to add a splash of heavy cream or chicken broth to make the dish saucy again.
You can also reheat it in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. We recommend starting with 30 seconds intervals stirring and repeating until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 511kcal (26%), Carbohydrates: 18g (6%), Protein: 35g (70%), Fat: 34g (52%), Saturated Fat: 20g (125%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 166mg (55%), Sodium: 695mg (30%), Potassium: 575mg (16%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 5g (6%), Vitamin A: 2113IU (42%), Vitamin C: 45mg (55%), Calcium: 63mg (6%), Iron: 3mg (17%)
Jayjam says
Came out great!
Kids loved it too!
Sarah Hill says
Win Win! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed – thanks for commenting and rating!
Elaine says
So creamy and comforting!
Courtney says
Thank you!