Classic Chicken à la King
This Classic Chicken à la King has tender chicken and vegetables in a rich and creamy sauce. Serve it over toast, rice or noodles for a quick and easy comfort food dinner that's perfect for any night of the week!
Servings: 4
Estimated Calories: 443
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (white or cremini/baby bella)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped green bell peppers, remove seeds before chopping
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry, it's best to use a sherry that you would drink rather than cooking sherry
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups water
- 2 teaspoons roasted chicken base, I use Better Than Bouillon
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup peas, I use frozen peas; no need to thaw
- 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat (I use an 11-inch skillet with deep sides), heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter until the butter is melted.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and season lightly with salt and pepper; sauté, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through (165°F) and lightly browned in spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken from the skillet to a plate; set aside.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the mushrooms, onions and bell peppers; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic; sauté, stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Add the sherry; continue cooking, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for about one minute or until the sherry has mostly evaporated.
- Add the flour and stir to combine; cook, stirring frequently, for one minute (this will cook out the raw flour taste).
- Add the water, chicken base, and heavy cream. Stir until the chicken base is dissolved and the liquid mixture is smooth with no lumps of flour.
- Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Return the cooked chicken and any juices to the skillet, along with the peas and pimientos; stir to combine. Simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, until the chicken and peas have heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
- Serve over buttered toast, hot cooked rice or egg noodles, mashed potatoes, biscuits, or puff pastry cups/shells. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- When sautéing the chicken, make sure it is cooked through (165°F), but be careful of overcooking it. It will cook a little more when you add it back to the sauce, and you don't want it to end up dry and tough.
- Keep in mind the salt level of your chicken base when seasoning the chicken and vegetables. I season them very lightly; you can always add more salt later if needed.
- If you prefer to not cook with alcohol, you can omit the dry sherry. It's only a very small amount and it mostly evaporates out, so you don't need to replace it with anything.
- Estimated calories are for the chicken à la king only and do not include what you might serve it over, such as toast, rice, noodles, etc.
- Please refer to the post for additional information and tips, step-by-step photos, substitutions and variations, storage and reheating instructions, and serving suggestions.
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