Enjoy a comforting bowl of Chicken A La King, a speedy one-pot recipe that offers creamy goodness and wholesome ingredients. Try this today!
Delicious Chicken a la King is an easy one-pot Chicken Recipe. It’s the ultimate comfort food! If you enjoy this be sure to check out my Chicken Divan or my Classic Chicken Pot Pie recipes.
Sabrina’s Chicken A La King Recipe
The name of the creamy chicken dish might make you think it comes from France or somewhere exotic, but it’s actually an American recipe. Well, most likely it’s American. There are several conflicting accounts of where this delicious dish originated. One of them claims Chicken A La King was created in London at the Claridge’s Hotel. However, most other accounts place it somewhere in the US, although, whether that’s New York, Philadelphia, or Miami is up for debate. No matter where it came from, one thing that can be agreed on is how delicious it tastes!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms , sliced
- 1 stalk celery , thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 carrot , peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cooked chicken breasts , cut into 1" chunks
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Add butter to a large heavy skillet on medium heat.
- Add in mushrooms, celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrots, stirring well.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until vegetables are softened.
- Whisk together flour, salt, broth, and milk until smooth.
- Add into the pot and stir well.
- Add in chicken breast pieces and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in peas and serve over rice or toast.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
To add a little depth of flavor to the dish I like to add a splash of Sherry while it’s cooking. If you don’t want to cook with alcohol, you can just add some extra chicken base. You could also add 2 egg yolks in. Temper them with a little warm milk before adding them back into the dish. This will add to the creamy, smooth texture. u003cbru003e
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Chicken à la King is a classic chicken dish made with a creamy sauce, mushrooms, peppers, and other vegetables. It’s one of those dinner recipes you can throw together in just over a half-hour, and it never disappoints. This creamy chicken dish is perfect for the next time you have leftover Rotisserie Chicken or any other pre-cooked chicken. Simply slice the leftover chicken into bite-sized cubes and add it to the sauce with the other easy ingredients for a quick meal that the whole family is sure to love.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this dish can certainly be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. For the best results when reheating, it’s recommended to use the stovetop on medium heat. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to three months: just be sure to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop. This way, you’ll maintain the dish’s flavor and texture effectively.
Serving Ideas
Chicken à la King is classically served over toast or Rice, but I love it over pasta, Mashed Potatoes, or any other starchy mildly seasoned side. It goes particularly well over a bed of Egg Noodles. No matter how you serve it, the combination of chicken, creamy sauce, veggies, and starchy base makes it a filling and comforting dish that you won’t be able to get enough of!
How to Store
- Store: The dish will stay good at room temperature for up to 2 hours, you should transfer the dish to airtight containers to store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Reheat: To maintain the dish’s flavor and texture, you will want to reheat this on the stove. If you are in a time crunch, you are also able to reheat single servings in the microwave in 1-minute intervals until you reach your preferred temperature.
- Freeze: You can also store the chicken in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just let it defrost in the fridge before reheating the recipe on the stovetop.
Slow Cooker Method
- Saute the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrots, cooking for about 5-7 minutes until Softened. This will enhance the flavor of the dish, but you can also skip this step if you’re short on time.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, chicken broth, and milk until smooth.
- Add the sautéed vegetables and chicken breast chunks into the crockpot. Pour the flour mixture over everything and stir until combined.
- Cook on Low for 4-6 hours or on High for 2-3 hours, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
- 30 minutes prior to serving, stir in the frozen peas.
- Once everything is fully cooked, serve over rice or toast.
Variations
- Vegetables: You can try adding a variety of extra veggies into this recipe. Cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, red potatoes, corn, or spinach would all taste amazing and add some variety.
- Seasonings: Experiment with the flavors by adding in spices and seasonings. Garlic powder, paprika, rosemary, oregano, onion powder, or thyme would all bring a unique new twist to the recipe.
- Cream sauce: If you want a thicker and richer cream sauce, just use heavy cream. You can use heavy cream to replace part or all of the milk depending on how rich you want the dish to be.
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I agree with the others concerns!
I’m not so sure that raw chicken will cook enough, in the cream sauce, in 8-10 minutes, to be safe to eat.
Thanks for the recipe. It sounds yummy, but I’ll use pre-cooked chicken, when I try it!
Hi John, Sorry for the confusion. I would be concerned as well; however, in my blog I refer to using cooked chicken or left over chicken in a number of places. I just updated the recipe card to read “cooked” chicken breasts. Hopefully that will alleviate the raw chicken concerns going forward. Thanks so much for your comments. Let us know if you try the recipe and what you think!
I was confused and relieved when I read others are also unsure how to brown chicken in a sauce. Sabrina you did write add chicken to the sauce until golden brown at the edges. It’s under Tips for making Chicken a la King.( ?? you might want to edit)
So to clarify, add raw chicken to the sauce.
Good Point Irene. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll get this on the list of things to update.
On point!
I will definitely try this; looks delicious. Just need clarification regarding the chicken. Do I use uncooked chicken or cooked chicken?
The initial paragraph suggested this was a good recipe for leftover rotisserie chicken, but in actual recipe, it doesn’t specify cooked or uncooked chicken.
Hello Harry, uncooked chicken is what you need.
Confused by the instructions. How do you brown the chicken in a cream sauce. Below is your instructions. Just curious. Thank you.
TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN A LA KING
Vegetables: Start the recipe by slicing the onion, fresh mushrooms, celery, green pepper, and carrots into thin pieces. Add your butter to a large skillet and turn the stove heat to medium. Add the sliced vegetables to the melted butter and stir well. Give the vegetables an 8-10 minute cook time until they’re slightly softened.
Cream sauce: In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, broth, and milk. Whisk until the creamy mixture is smooth. Then pour it over the vegetables.
Chicken: Add the boneless chicken breast pieces. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the chicken is golden brown at the edges and the sauce is thickened—it should take about 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the peas. Serve over rice, toast, or pasta right away.
Hello Sue, I’m not sure what recipe you are talking about, this Chicken A La King doesn’t mention any browning of the chicken.
These are the instructions :
Instructions
Add butter to a large heavy skillet on medium heat.
Add in mushrooms, celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrots, stirring well.
Cook for 8-10 minutes until vegetables are softened.
Whisk together flour, salt, broth, and milk until smooth.
Add into the pot and stir well.
Add in chicken breast pieces and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 10-12 minutes until thickened.
Stir in peas and serve over rice or toast.
Hope this clears things up!
Because you have it right there on the page, ya twonk:
“Chicken: Add the boneless chicken breast pieces. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the chicken is golden brown at the edges and the sauce is thickened”
I’d definitely brown the chicken by sautéing before adding to the pot- raw chicken then simmering for 10 minutes seems like it risks larger pieces not cooking through. Not sure that frozen peas will be ready by adding them immediately before serving either.
Why do you say over rice or toast and then show picture with noodles. ?
In her write up, Sabrina says this is good over pasta as well, noting that egg noodles are especially tasty.