Chicken à la King (American)

american-chickenalaking The origin of chicken à la king’s name is a subject of debate. Some say it was created at New York’s Brighton Beach Hotel in the 1890s and named after its proprietor E. Clark King II. Some claim it originated in England. One of the most prominent origin myths is that William King, a chef at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia in the 1890s, invented the meal. Regardless of where it started, by the turn of the century, chicken à la king was everywhere. Records indicate that it appeared on roughly 300 menus from 1910 to 1960, but by the 1980s food writers seemed ready to pen its obituary. Chicken à la King willl leave everyone satisfied. There’s a lot to love about this easy dinner, from the tender chicken to the colourful vegetables and the flavourful sauce. It’s super cozy, but not too heavy. Since the sauce is made with a combination of chicken broth and dairy, chicken à la king is a comforting meal that won’t weigh you down.

1 stick butter (113 g)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms (225 g)
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached (60 g)
2 cups chicken stock (500 mL)
1½ cups whole milk (350 mL)
3 cups rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup pimentos

To Serve:
biscuits
steamed rice
cooked egg noodles

Melt the butter in a big, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, if using and cook until tender (5 minutes).

Sprinkle the flour and heat it for one minute while stirring with a spoon. Turn the heat down to low.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock while whisking until the mixture is smooth. Then add the milk and continue whisking until you have a nice, creamy sauce. Allow the mixture to thicken for a few minutes.

Add the chicken, the peas and the pimentos. Add a splash of water and whisk again if the sauce is too thick.

Serve over spaghetti, rice, or biscuits after removing from heat. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Use a Deep Skillet: There is nothing worse than beginning a recipe, only to discover that the ingredients won’t fit in the pan. I suggest using your largest, deepest skillet to prepare this recipe.
Garlic Powder is Optional: It is acceptable if you do not have any or do not wish to contribute any. Even without garlic, the flavour is still fairly delicious.
Make it without Mushrooms: It’s okay if you exclude the mushrooms from this recipe if you’re not a fan of mushrooms. You may add additional vegetables, while it is not required.
Add More Veggies: Simply rewarming the frozen peas is all that is required to prepare them for this recipe. You may do the same with other frozen vegetables, such as maize, carrots and French-cut green beans. Try using frozen mixed vegetables to obtain a small amount of each type.
Make it with Tuna: Although I haven’t tried it myself, many people create Chicken à la King with tuna fish, which is a very inexpensive method to prepare a hearty meal. It will have a flavour similar to Tuna Casserole. Add approximately 4 cups of drained tuna to the sauce. Using tuna of higher quality will be optimal.