Chicken a la King combines tender chicken, mushrooms, onions, peas, green peppers, and pimentos in a rich cream sauce. Serve it over rice, egg noodles, toast, or puff pastry shells.
Chicken a la King is a super-easy, heartwarming, satisfying meal. This delectable recipe comes together quickly using baked rotisserie chicken. If you like rotisserie chicken recipes, try chicken and rice soup, chicken Waldorf salad, and chicken cordon bleu casserole.
What is Chicken a la King?
It is a creamy one-pot comfort food dish made with chicken, mushrooms, peas, onions, green bell peppers, and pimientos. Traditionally, serve it over rice, noodles, toast, biscuits, or puff pastry shells. For an equally delicious change of pace, substitute cooked tuna or salmon for the chicken.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Butter: unsalted or salted. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt.
- Mushrooms: cremini mushrooms provide the most decadent flavor, but white mushrooms work well, too.
- Dry mustard: you can substitute regular mustard
- Chicken broth: low sodium is best
- Half and half: or whole milk for a lower-fat option. It will not be as rich, but it will still be delicious.
- Peas: frozen peas are best in this dish. They retain their color, shape, and flavor during the simmering process much better than canned or fresh.
- Pimentos: Sweet cherry peppers usually found in the pickle aisle with the other peppers
How to make Chicken a la King
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
- Cook the mushrooms, onions, and green peppers in butter over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and dry mustard.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to combine. Simmer until thickened, stirring several times.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the half-and-half, peas, pimentos, and cooked chicken. Simmer to thicken and warm.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Take the time to brown the mushrooms. They taste better that way, and the dish is more visually appealing.
- Drain the pimentos well. You don’t want the juice they are packed in to flavor or color your dish.
- For a lower-fat version, use half the butter, half the flour, and milk instead of half-and-half. It will still be delicious, just not as rich.
- If the mixture becomes too thick, add one-quarter cup of chicken broth at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on low power or on the stovetop over low heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use rotisserie chicken, which is available almost anywhere. You can pick them up at club warehouses, grocery stores, and nearly every Walmart.
However, you can use any baked, poached, or roasted chicken. You can also use cooked skinless thigh and wing meat.
Once the dish is thoroughly cooled, pack it in freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze. Once fully frozen, stack as desired and freeze for up to 1 month.
To reheat, defrost in the refrigerator, remove from the bag, and place the contents in a saucepan on low heat. Stir frequently until the mixture reaches the desired temperature. Likewise, pour the contents into a microwaveable bowl and reheat in the microwave for 1-minute intervals at 50% power until the desired temperature.
More Comfort Food
- French onion soup
- smothered pork chops
- slow cooker chicken stew
- salisbury steak
- Irish stew
- gnocchi pasta
- pumpkin bars
Chicken A La King Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter ½ cup
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 7 ounces diced pimentos well drained
- 3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper, and cook until the vegetables soften and the mushrooms brown.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and dry mustard. Sprinkle in the flour. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to combine. Simmer until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the half-and-half, peas, pimentos, and cooked chicken. Continue cooking and stirring until everything is hot.
- If the mixture becomes too thick, add one-quarter cup chicken broth at a time until it reaches the desired thickness. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over rice, noodles, toast, biscuits, or puff pastry shells.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave at 50% power or on the stovetop over low heat.
Nutrition
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Sara
This was a very tasty meal that the whole family loved. I left out the mushrooms that none of us like but the rest of the dish was perfect. Thank you!