Creamy Chicken a la King: Comfort Food Classic
Make this rich and creamy Chicken a la King from scratch. This recipe delivers a flavorful, soul-satisfying dish perfect for serving over toast points or puff pastry shells.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works well)
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup diced pimento or red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Puff pastry shells, rice, or toast points, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the butter and vegetables. Stir constantly for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste, creating a roux.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until the mixture is smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring until it thickens slightly.
- Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of a spoon. This creates your homemade cream sauce for chicken.
- Stir in the cooked chicken, frozen peas, and diced pimento. Heat through for about 3 minutes, ensuring the vegetables are tender-crisp. Do not boil after adding the chicken.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve immediately over your choice of accompaniment, such as warm puff pastry shells or rice, for an elegant chicken dinner simple prep.
Notes
- For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for some of the whole milk.
- If you want a thicker sauce, let it simmer a little longer or add an extra tablespoon of flour to the initial roux.
- This filling works well as a quick chicken pot pie filling alternative if you top it with a biscuit dough and bake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (without accompaniment)
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 550
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 95