Everybody loves a one-pot meal — even better when it only takes 20 to 30 minutes to prepare the perfect busy weeknight meal!
Chicken à la King is a rich, creamy, comfort food staple. Wikipedia lists various possibilities of where this “king-style chicken” recipe originated. It seems to be debatable and although none of them have a direct “royal link” to the recipe, all we can say is: “Hail to the royal taste of Chicken à la King!
For this delicious Chicken à la King recipe, tender chunks of cooked chicken are combined in a creamy béchamel sauce with mushrooms, peas and sweet red peppers. Feel free however to add some of your favourite vegetables into this dish: Green peppers, leeks, celery or broccoli work well.
The mushrooms in this recipe are of course full of health benefits as they are low in cholesterol, high in protein and vitamins and minerals like potassium, selenium, vitamin D, and calcium.
Serve your Chicken à la King creation over rice, pasta, toast or even biscuits. Enjoy!
CHEF’S TIP:
- Replace the chicken with about four cups of tuna for a seafood version.
- To spice up your dish, add a dash of cayenne, or red chili pepper flakes.
- This dish makes for a great freezer meal. Let the leftovers cool down before freezing it in airtight, or freezer-friendly containers for up to three months
Ingredients
CHICKEN
- 5 chicken breasts cubed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- oil and butter
SAUCE
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 2 punnets mushrooms washed and sliced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 200 ml cream
- 1 cup sweet red pepper chopped
- 1 small bunch spring onions chopped
- black pepper freshly grounded
- frozen peas (optional)
Instructions
CHICKEN
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and butter.
- Place chicken breasts cutlets into the skillet.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sauté until light golden brown.
- Add the chicken stock and cook 6 -10 minutes or until soft and done.
- Set aside.
SAUCE
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sweet peppers and chopped spring onions.
- Add the chicken broth and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir until there are no specks of flour left and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Working quickly, slowly pour in the cream while whisking vigorously
- Cook a few minutes more.
- Add the cooked chicken and mix well.
- Season to taste with black pepper.