Chicken a la King

January 01, 2023

December 31, 2022

This warm, comforting Chicken a la King is the epitome of comfort food. It’s the perfect blend of flavors in every bite with tender chicken and sweet peas paired with a creamy sauce with mushrooms and pimiento peppers. Serve this meal over rice, noodles, or biscuits—it’s sure to be a beloved family favorite!

As a child, I remember most dishes my mother made for me. One of them was chicken a la king. She didn’t like how it came out, but I loved it. She didn’t use pimiento peppers, but used diced carrots instead—which is a popular substitute! I remember biscuits being served with it as well. Making this dish brought me back to my childhood. It’s amazing how food can be so nostalgic. I felt like the food critic from Ratatouille when he tasted the ratatouille and was brought back to his childhood. There are many stories on how this dish originated, but it, by no means, is french. It’s just good old classic comfort food. Fun fact: the name means king-style chicken. Hail to chicken a la king for being so delicious!

How to make Chicken a la King

This dish is super easy to make. It’s all made from scratch with household ingredients. You can use rotisserie chicken, or sub the chicken out for tuna or diced ham. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).

Cooked Chicken Breast: Use a rotisserie chicken, or sub it for tuna or diced ham. Use leftover turkey if you have any!
Pimento Peppers: I really love pimento peppers, however, they’re not for everyone. You can use diced carrots in their place. My mother did when she made it. It’s a popular substitution.
White Mushrooms: Take your time when browning the mushrooms. It’ll taste way better in the sauce.
Yellow Onion
Frozen Peas: Frozen peas retain their color, shape, and flavor during the simmering process. Highly recommend using frozen peas over canned or even fresh peas!
Chicken Broth, Heavy Cream & Milk: Rather than using cream of chicken soup, I used chicken broth and milk for the sauce, and heavy cream for a creamy sauce.
Flour: Used for thickening the sauce. You can sub it out for cornstarch if you need it to be gluten-free.
Butter
Ground Yellow Mustard, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder & Pepper

In a heavy medium stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the mushrooms and onions until golden brown and soft. Stir in the flour until the mushrooms and onions are completely coated. Cook for another minute or two, then pour in the broth while stirring to combine. Mix in the milk and seasonings. Simmer gently over medium heat, stirring frequently until creamy and thickened. Pour in the heavy cream—add in the chicken, pimento peppers, and frozen peas. Simmer for a few minutes until the peas are fully defrosted. Serve over rice, biscuits, or noodles.

Tips & FAQs

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze this, though it’s best enjoyed fresh. If you plan on freezing, then allow the dish to cool fully. Pack it in freezer Ziploc bags, removing as much air as possible. Lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze. Once fully frozen, stack as desired in your freezer and freeze for up to 1 month
- Reheat:
  - From Frozen: Thaw overnight in the fridge. To reheat, remove the food from the Ziploc bag and place it in a saucepan on low. Stir frequently until it reaches the desired temperature. If you want to microwave it, see below.
  - From Fridge: Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring each time, or place into a saucepan on low, stirring frequently until it reaches the desired temperature.
Don’t get too obsessed with blending the flour with the mushrooms and onions. It just needs to be well-coated. It will all work out when you add the broth and the milk.
Variations:
- Sub the chicken out for tuna, diced ham, or turkey.
- Use cornstarch in place of flour for a gluten-free dinner.
- Use diced carrots instead of pimento peppers. Or, add in more veggies such as corn, broccoli florets, or green beans.
Drain the pimentos well. You don’t want the juice that they are packed in flavoring or coloring your dish.
If the mixture gets too thick, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth at a time until it reaches your desired thickness.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Servings 6

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

35 Min

Chicken a la King

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
8 oz white mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp ground yellow dried mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
3-4 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded
1 cup frozen peas
8 oz jarred pimento peppers, drained well and chopped

Instructions

In a heavy stock pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the mushrooms and onions until golden brown and soft, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the flour, making sure to coat the mushrooms and onions well. Cook for another minute or two. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking as you pour. Pour in the milk and stir to combine well.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard. Turn the heat down to medium heat, and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally so the sauce thickens evenly.
Pour in the heavy cream; whisk. Add in the chicken, peas, and pimentos—mix in. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the peas are defrosted and the chicken is heated through.
Turn off the heat, and serve immediately with rice, egg noodles, pasta noodles, or biscuits.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze: You can freeze this, though it’s best enjoyed fresh. If you plan on freezing, then allow the dish to cool fully. Pack it in freezer Ziploc bags, removing as much air as possible. Lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze. Once fully frozen, stack as desired in your freezer and freeze for up to 1 month
Reheat:
From Frozen: Thaw overnight in the fridge. To reheat, remove the food from the Ziploc bag and place it in a saucepan on low. Stir frequently until it reaches the desired temperature. If you want to microwave it, see below.
From Fridge: Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring each time, or place into a saucepan on low, stirring frequently until it reaches the desired temperature.

Don’t get too obsessed with blending the flour with the mushrooms and onions. It just needs to be well-coated. It will all work out when you add the broth and the milk.

Variations:

Sub the chicken out for tuna, diced ham, or turkey.
Use cornstarch in place of flour for a gluten-free dinner.
Use diced carrots instead of pimento peppers. Or, add in more veggies such as corn, broccoli florets, or green beans.

Drain the pimentos well. You don’t want the juice that they are packed in flavoring or coloring your dish.

If the mixture gets too thick, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth at a time until it reaches your desired thickness.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

420.2

Fat (grams)

28.95

Sat. Fat (grams)

16.3

Carbs (grams)

21.89

Fiber (grams)

3.2

Net carbs

18.69

Sugar (grams)

8.08

Protein (grams)

36.45

Sodium (milligrams)

500.27

Cholesterol (grams)

155.65

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used. Nutrition information does not include side dishes as listed such as rice, noodles, or biscuits.