Cozy Chicken a la King Recipe
Cozy, comforting Chicken a la King is one of my favorite weeknight dinners! Juicy chicken and tender veggies with creamy, flavorful gravy served over toast, biscuits, or pasta is a winner with the whole family, even picky kids.
Do you love cozy weeknight dinners made in 30 minutes or less? Check out Crispy Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Garlic Sauce, Honey Chipotle Salmon, Creamy Chicken Tomato Tortellini Soup, and Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls.
I love it when I tell people, "I'm making Chicken a la King." and they go "Ooh, that's fancy!" But I (and now you) know the truth: it's a fast, easy, and mega comforting dish that only takes 25 minutes to make and is kid-approved.
What is Chicken a la King?
It's really simple: chopped chicken with vegetables in a creamy gravy usually served over toasted bread, biscuits, or pasta. In other words, it's pure comfort food and perfect for cold weather. So cozy!
What's in it?
- Chopped chicken thighs. I love using leftover chicken (because who really wants to eat leftovers for three days straight?) when I have it to make chicken a la king. But chopping up boneless, skinless chicken thighs is what we're using in the recipe, and because they're diced into small, bite-sized pieces, they'll cook up quickly.
- Butter.
- All-Purpose Flour.
- Fresh Garlic.
- Yellow Onion.
- Vegetables. The classics are bell pepper and peas, but you can use whatever you want (whatever ones the kids will eat) or have in the fridge. This is a great 'clean out the fridge' kind of recipe! I love using carrots, celery, quartered mushrooms, and peas. My family eats it right up!
- Flour.
- Chicken broth.
- Heavy Cream. Can't be a creamy gravy without it!
- Fresh Parsley.
- Lemon juice.
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper.
How to make it
- Sear the chopped chicken thighs. If you're using uncooked chicken, brown them on all sides, which will take about 7-10 minutes to do. Don't overcrowd your pan, they'll steam instead of brown. Remember, brown food is flavorful!
- Saute the veggies. Cook the onions down, get some color on them as well.
- Add flour and stir. Coat the veg in the flour. This will thicken up your chicken a la king to make it into a delicious stew.
- Add in the chicken broth. Simmer and stir occasionally.
- Add in heavy cream. Simmer some more.
- Add your frozen peas. If you're using other frozen veggies, add those too!
- Season to taste. Add lemon juice (it cuts through the richness with some bright acidic deliciousness), garnish with parsley and serve.
What do you serve with Chicken a la King?
Chicken a la King is usually served over something, unlike other stews.
- Bread. In these photos, I'm serving it over thick, toasted slices of brioche bread. The first time I ever made Chicken a la King, I served it over slices of a Tuscan Italian loaf that I got from Whole Foods. So good!
- Rice. You could make this keto / low-carb by replacing the flour with arrowroot powder or cornstarch and serving over cauliflower rice!
- Mashed Potatoes. Who is going to say no to mashed potatoes with a creamy chicken a la king gravy? Nobody!
- Pasta or Zoodles. Wide egg noodles, pan-fried gnocchi, or even zucchini noodles go great with this!
- Biscuits. A classic! What's better than chicken and gravy over some buttermilk biscuits anyway? No one southern, that's for sure.
Can you Freeze Chicken a la King?
You can freeze chicken a la king. Let it cool completely, then place into a freezer-safe zip-top bag (or vacuum sealing bag), flatten out, and freeze for up to six weeks.
To thaw, place into the fridge overnight or thaw in a large bowl of hot water until the chicken a la king has softened enough to reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
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📖 Recipe
Chicken a la King Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon 30 mL vegetable oil
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- OR
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoon 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms quartered
- 3 washed and peeled carrots diced small
- 2 celery stalks chopped small
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup 35g all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 480 mL chicken broth, low-sodium
- ½ cup 120 mL heavy cream or half and half
- ½ cup 67g frozen sweet peas
- ½ tablespoon 10 mL fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet or medium dutch oven, pour in vegetable oil over medium-high heat. If using uncooked chicken, sear the chicken thighs on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Don't overcrowd the pan. After searing the chicken, move to a plate and set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium heat and add butter to melt in the pan. Saute the onion, mushrooms, carrots, and celery for 7 minutes, until the onions are golden brown and the mushrooms are softened. Add in the garlic and cook for half a minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in flour and stir to coat the vegetables in flour and cook out the raw flour for one minute. Stir in the chopped/shredded chicken.
- Pour in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown fond at the bottom, that's all good flavor. Over medium-high heat, let it come to a lively simmer/low boil then reduce your heat to medium-low, pour in heavy cream and gently simmer until the gravy is thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in frozen peas and let heat up, about 3 minutes.
Season to taste with lemon juice, kosher salt, and pepper.
Serve hot over thick slices of toasted bread, overcooked pasta, biscuits, etc.
