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Chicken a la King is a cozy, classic one pot recipe that takes only 30 minutes to make and is a great way to use up leftover chicken. The chicken is tossed in a creamy sauce with mushrooms, red pepper, and peas. Serve over egg noodles for a cozy weeknight meal.
Try some other delicious chicken casseroles next, like my Chicken Potato Casserole.
Why We Love This Recipe
- One Pot Recipe – Only one large skillet is needed to make for easy clean up!
- 30 Minutes – The entire recipe comes together FAST!
- Cozy and Comforting – The combination of the creamy sauce and tender veggies is so comforting and filling.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How To Make Chicken a la King
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Cook Mushrooms and Onions – Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, then add in the mushrooms and soften, ending with the garlic.
Make Sauce – Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in the wine, chicken stock, chicken base, thyme, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes before reducing to a simmer and adding the heavy cream.
Add Final Ingredients – Add in the peas, pimentos, and chicken and simmer until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve – We love to serve over egg noodles, biscuits, or mashed potatoes.
What is Chicken a la King?
Chicken a la King is a long-standing recipe where cooked chicken is tossed in a creamy sauce with sauteed vegetables.
While the origin of Chicken a la King is debated (some say it was first made in New York, some say Philadelphia, and others say England), it is a cozy recipe that has been a favorite for well over 100 years.
Serving Suggestions
This is delicious served over any starch such as noodles, biscuits, mashed potatoes, or rice. Some of our favorite pairings are:
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, add an extra splash of broth or cream to help thin out the sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Use Leftover Chicken – You can use whatever leftover chicken you have. This is the perfect recipe to use up leftovers or a store bought rotisserie chicken. You could also bake chicken breasts or about 1 pound of chicken tenders for this recipe.
- Other Veggies – Mushrooms, peas and pimentos are the classic combination of vegetables for this recipe, but asparagus and broccoli would also be great.
- Chicken Bouillon – You can skip the chicken bouillon if desired, but it helps to give this dish a stronger and deeper flavor. You may desire to add more salt if omitting the bullion as this adds a lot of salt to the recipe.
- Wine Substitute – White wine can be substituted for more chicken stock.
- Chicken Stock – Chicken stock can be substituted for chicken broth. Low sodium chicken stock helps you control the level of salt in your dish. Using low sodium broth and stock is always my preference.
More Chicken Recipes
- Hawaiian Chicken Sliders
- Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta
- Lasagna Stuffed Chicken Breast
- How to Shred Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Salted butter
- 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms sliced
- ½ Yellow onion diced small
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons Flour
- ¼ cup Dry white wine
- 2 cups Reduced sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Chicken base like Better Than Bouillon
- 2 springs Fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Fresh cracked black pepper
- ½ cup Frozen peas
- ¼ cup Drained pimentos
- 3 cups Cooked chicken cubed
Instructions
- Melt butter to a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.
- Once melted and foamy add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another 3-4 minutes until softened and browned. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Carefully whisk in the wine, chicken stock, chicken base, thyme, salt and pepper until fully combined and bring to a boil. Boil the sauce for 3 minutes, reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk in the heavy cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust. If the sauce is a little thicker than you'd like, you can whisk in a little more broth.
- Add in the peas, pimentos and chicken and simmer until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over egg noodles, biscuits or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, add an extra splash of broth or cream to help thin it out.
- You can use whatever leftover chicken you have. This is the perfect recipe to use up leftovers or a store bought rotisserie chicken. You could also roast or poach 2-3 chicken breasts or about 1 pound of chicken tenders for this recipe.
- There is no need to thaw the peas before adding them into the sauce.
- This is delicious served over any starch. Noodles, biscuits, mashed potatoes or rice are excellent options.
- White wine can be substituted for more chicken stock.
- Low sodium chicken stock helps you control the level of salt in your dish. Using low sodium broth and stock is always my preference.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
