Chicken a la King is a delicious combination of 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.
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.
This is one of my favorite comfort food meals. It reminds me of the beautiful creamy one-pot meals I enjoyed with my brothers and sisters. It is amazing how food can be so nostalgic.
Chicken a la King is a super easy, heartwarming, satisfying meal. It is quick to come together, making it a perfect weeknight meal. This recipe calls for already baked rotisserie chicken, but you can use any leftover chicken. You can pick up a rotisserie chicken at any club warehouse and most grocery stores. Leftovers warm up quickly right on the stovetop.
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. It is traditionally served 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: are 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.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and cook for several minutes. Then add the onion and green pepper, cooking until the veggies soften and the mushrooms brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and dry mustard. Sprinkle in the flour while continuing to stir. Cook and stir for about 2 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. Continue cooking and stirring until everything is hot. If the mixture becomes too thick, add one-quarter cup of chicken broth at a time to reach the desired thickness. Serve over rice, noodles, toast, biscuits, or puff pastry shells.
Preparation Tips
- 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 only half of the butter, half of 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.
Storage and Reheat
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be reheated in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
To freeze, first cool completely. Then, spoon into freezer bags. Lay the freezer bags in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets and place the sheet in the freezer. Once fully frozen, stack the bags up on their side in the freezer to save on space. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
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. 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
Classic 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, cooking until the veggies soften and the mushrooms brown.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and dry mustard. Sprinkle in the flour while continuing to stir. 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 of chicken broth at a time to reach the desired thickness. Season with salt and frshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over rice, noodles, toast, biscuits, or puff pastry shells.
Video
Notes
- 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.
- Frozen peas are best in this dish. They retain their color, shape, and flavor during the simmering process much better than canned or fresh.
- For a lower-fat version, cut the butter and cream in 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.
Nutrition
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MARK
I have been making this recipe for 40 years. The only thing I do is add just a titch of sugar to change it from the taste of salt to sweet (peas). And I serve it over biscuits. Otherwise, it’s the best.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Mark! I love the tip. Yes over biscuit is absolutely delcious!
John C.
My Mom used to make Chicken A La King for us, when we were kids & we LOVED IT!!!
I can’t wait to try your recipe! It sounds AWESOME!!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks John enjoy! My mom made it too. I have such fond memories of it.
Barb
I liked this recipe. It was a little bland and way too thick for me. I ended up adding more chicken broth. Next time I might add a little cooking sherry to enhance the flavor.
Shirley Cox
I made this tonight for our family and it was fantastic! We put it over rice and served it with blueberry muffins. There are plenty of vegetables in it so we didn’t have to add any as side dishes. The only thing we found is that we needed to add more liquid. I doubled the recipe, and used 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth instead of the 3 cups for a double recipe, and about 1/3 cup more cream. Also, I used non-fat 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream. It was so good, I’ll be making it for us again, as well as use it for meals I give to others that just had a baby, or are on chemo.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Shirley! So glad that you and family liked it. It is such good comfort food.
Christine Clemins
I followed the recipe exactly except I used sliced Baby Bella mushrooms for added depth of flavor. Had to add far more broth than anticipated for some reason–you mentioned this. It was a pretty good dish. Next time I’ll add finely diced carrots and celery though (that’s what I’m used to) and use less green pepper. These are just my personal taste preferences though. There’s nothing wrong with the recipe as written at all. This really took my husband and I back to the 70s. Thanks for a great recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Christine! Food can be so darn nostalgic!
Donna
Looks and tastes like I remember. I’ll definitely make this again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Donna! So glad that you liked it!!
Kristyn
Wow, the flavors in this are so good!! It is hearty & hits the spot!
Natalie
Comfort food at its finest!! One pot meals are the best! Easy to clean up & easy to make!
Melissa
Wow – your recipe turned out great! My family really enjoyed it.
Alison
It’s also terrific with left over turkey!
Beth Pierce
So true! Thanks for the reminder!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Evette! I sure hope you enjoy it!
Barbara Fisher
Can you freeze this in single serving size?????
I love to freeze larger meals into single servings.
Beth Pierce
Yes you most certainly can.
Genevieve
I’ve never heard of Chicken-a-la-king but this looks delicious and perfect for leftovers!
rika
I think my kids are going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to make it.
Ashley
What a perfect comfort food! The chicken was so flavorful and reminded me of a fancier deconstructed chicken pot pie!
Wanda
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Never heard of it before and it looks so delicious!