This classic dish is all about hearty, creamy comfort food deliciousness. It comes together quickly using pre-cooked chicken, making it perfect for those busy nights when you need dinner on the table fast. Traditionally you serve it up over something, but what you serve it over is a matter of personal preference. It goes great over rice, pasta, toast, or biscuits. The options are all delicious so the choice is up to you!
If you can’t get enough of creamy chicken recipes, try our creamy chicken soup, our southern style chicken and dumplings or our white chicken chili.
Why Our Recipe
- The most velvety, luxurious sauce that’s easily made from scratch.
- Uses pre-cooked chicken and is ready to eat in about 30 minutes.
- Serve it over rice, pasta, toast, or biscuits for comfort food heaven!
Chicken a la King was popular in the ’50s and ’60s. It’s one of those recipes you may have enjoyed at grandma’s house, with a smell that brings back fond childhood memories. It might be a vintage dish, but it’s just as relevant as ever to have an easy-to-make dinner that the whole family will love.
Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms: Either white or cremini work here. Slice them yourself or buy the pre-sliced option to save time.
- Chicken Broth: Use low-sodium broth if you can to best control the salt content and flavor. You can always salt to taste which tends to work better.
Milk: Whole milk or 2% is preferred. - Egg Yolks: Make sure to temper them slowly with the hot sauce to prevent scrambling.
- Heavy Cream: You can substitute with half-and-half, but the sauce won’t be as thick.
- Frozen Peas: No need to thaw; they’ll heat through quickly in the sauce.
- Diced Pimientos: You can find them jarred, usually near the pickles and olives in the grocery store. Be sure to drain them well.
- Chicken: You have a variety of options—freshly baked, leftover, shredded, canned, or even rotisserie chicken all work great.
Pre-Cooked Chicken Options
When a recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken, there are several great options. You can use leftover chicken, but depending on the seasonings and flavors added, that doesn’t always work. Here are some other easy options:
Rotisserie Chicken – many American grocery stores sell cooked rotisserie chickens that you can buy and shred. Many stores are also now offering the rotisserie chicken pre-shredded and packaged too!
Frozen Cooked Chicken – check out the freezer section of your grocery store for pre-cooked chicken strips and chunks.
Bake Your Own Chicken – lay chicken breasts out into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through. Chop into chunks and use right away, or freeze for later use.
Boil Your Own Chicken – place chicken breasts into a large pot of boiling water or chicken broth. Boil 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Shred or chop.
Quick Skillet Chicken – heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place chicken breasts into skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Tempering Egg Yolks
Tempering egg yolks ensures that the yolks won’t curdle and cook (making scrambled egg chunks) when being added to the hot pan of simmering sauce. To temper your egg yolks, simply add a scoop (about 1/2 cup) of the sauce mixture into the bowl of your egg yolk and heavy cream mixture. Give it a light stir and then quickly add that entire egg yolk mixture into your hot pan while stirring quickly but gently.
Tuna Twist
Over the years, many have swapped the chicken in Chicken a la King for tuna, creating a delicious twist that seafood lovers will enjoy. To make Tuna a la King, simply replace the chicken in this recipe with about 4 cups of tuna. Just be sure to use high-quality tuna for the best flavor!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze any leftover portions in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags, once the dish has cooled. Keep frozen for up to 1 month, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat portions in the microwave on high in 30-second intervals stirring in between, or heat in a pan over low-medium heat until thoroughly warmed.
This was absolutely delicious! I threw a crust on top and called it a Chicken a la King pot pie! I’m making it per request tomorrow over egg noodles!
this is great over mashed potatoes.
I just made this and it’s delicious! Thank you
Another winner! I made the recipe according to directions using the heavy cream and egg yolks. It was rich and satisfying. I served it over English muffins.
The recipe lacks salt, as all bakers know, salt is essential even in sweet recipes, more so in savoury. I am not sure how you can omit the salt in the listed ingredients, perhaps an oversight. Pepper as well as cayenne pepper would be good additions, with herbs.
I haven’t had chicken ala king since I was a kid. A LONG time ago. LOL This is a very easy, very good recipe. I did leave out the pimentos because I don’t like them and I did add a bit of salt and pepper. We had it over homemade buttermilk biscuits. It was really good. We’ll be having this often. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Terrific week night meal that is as easy as pie.
This a great recipe. Very easy to follow and turns out just right, like I remember it as a child. I made two changes- shiitake mushrooms instead of plain white mushrooms and fresh mini bell peppers in place of the pimentos. The shiitakes are like sponges so I doubled the butter, and sauteed the peppers first. Delicious!
Very good! Thanks for sharing. I made homemade biscuits and used your recipe
sautéed shallots in the butter for to add some flavor depth (I usually make a recipe as is the first time and then adjust the next time, but it was clear it needed this). Also added a splash of white wine. Used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream. Served over a small piece of baked puff pastry (just the frozen kind from store) as my grandmother used to.