Recipe # 2: Chicken a la King

Chicken a la King

I had to make this dish 3 TIMES to get to this recipie! My grandafther’s recipie that I found just didn’t work for me (or my taste tester), so after talking to my grandma and mom at nauseum about chicken a la king, I am confident that this is the way it is meant to be enjoyed. A creamy, flavorful chicken sauce poured over puff pastry cups!

Now, judging from the ingredients, this dish may seem complicated but it really isn’t if you have everything prepped and ready to go. I suggest roasting the chicken and making the puff pastry ahead of time. And about 20 minutes before you want to serve this dish, chop up all the veggies and make sure you have all the other ingredients on hand. Once you turn on that burner, this comes together in literally 12-15 minutes.

Ingredients (Makes about 5 servings)

2 large chicken breasts (bone-in w/ ribs)

extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

4-5 oz container of white button mushrooms

½ medium yellow onion

¼ cup pimentos (roasted red pepper works too)

1 clove garlic

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ cup dry sherry or white wine

1 cup half and half (warmed in microwave)

½ cup chicken stock or broth

½ cup frozen peas

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Juice of ½ a lemon

5-6 puff pastry shells (see next blog post for instructions)

paprika (for garnish)

Directions For Roasting Chicken Breasts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken on an aluminum foil lined baking pan. Brush or rub 1-2 tablespoons of evoo on the chicken and then season each piece liberally with salt and pepper. Once the oven has pre-heated, put chicken in to roast for 25 minutes. Once finished, take the chicken out and let it cool for at least 20 minutes. Then, remove and discard the skin and separate the breast meat from the bone (either with your hands or with a knife) Finally, dice the breast meat into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

Directions for Chicken a la King

While the chicken cooks, you can chop the veggies. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise (or buy the ones already sliced!) and then dice the yellow onion. Next roughly chop the pimentos, garlic, sage and parsley but keep them separate on the cutting board.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat and then add the mushrooms and onions. Sautee until the onions are clear and the mushrooms have given off all of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Then add the pimentos and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Next, sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until the flour soaks up all the liquid and then add the sherry or wine and let that cook until the alcohol has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Next, stir in the warmed half and half and the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper and let the sauce boil for about 3 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened a bit, fold in the cooked chicken, peas, and sage and let them warm through for about 3-5 more minutes. Finally, turn off the burner and stir in the parsely and lemon juice.

To serve, pour about one cup of the creamy chicken mixture over one puff pastry cup and sprinkle the top with paprika.