Easy Chicken A La King Recipe

Since retro is so 2021, it seems only appropriate that registered dietitian and recipe developer, Kristen Carli should have come up with this easy, modern take on the comfy and reliable 1970s classic — chicken a la king. Not only is this dish a lovely shout-out to the decade that brought us disco and fern bars, it's also a wonderful reminder that there's almost nothing you cannot do with a chicken breast. In fact, Carli's chicken a la king is one of those recipes that you might want to keep taped to the fridge because it so easily transforms leftover chicken into something substantial and memorable.

"Chicken a la king is a great recipe to make for family meal time," said Carli, whose version skips the sherry that some restaurants used to include (and you won't miss it), thus making it, even more, family friendly. "Served over rice or noodles," it makes for a nutritious, high protein, high fiber, and veggie packed weekday meal.

When recipe developer Carli said this recipe for chicken a la king is easy, she wasn't exaggerating. Most of the ingredients require no prep, and those that do can be purchased pre-prepped. For starters, you'll need the chopped equivalent of three chicken breasts (which Carli points out is equal to four cups of chopped chicken breast). For that kingly flavor, you'll need one tablespoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of minced garlic (you can purchase this in a jar from the supermarket), a half a white chopped onion, eight ounces of sliced mushrooms, a cup of heavy cream, two cups of chicken broth, a 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup, a teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of pepper, 10 ounces of frozen peas, and one cup of jarred pimentos. 

Grab a sturdy large skillet, and place it on top of the stove. Set the flame to medium heat, and add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Once the olive oil is hot (you'll know when it's hot enough because a drop of water will dance on the surface), add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for five minutes — or until the onion starts to look translucent. Now it's time for those mushrooms. 

The next step is to add your sliced mushrooms to the onion and garlic. If you didn't buy your mushrooms presliced, you'll need to slice them up first and then simply add them to the skillet, and stir to combine with the onions and garlic. Allow the mushrooms to cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Depending on the thickness of your mushroom slices, this should take about five minutes, at which point the mushrooms should have cooked down a bit, and they should look darker.

To turn your veggie sauté into the sauce for your easy chicken a la king, all you'll need to do is add the cream, the chicken broth, and the cream of mushroom soup. Did you know that cream of mushroom soup is one of the most popular soups in the U.S.? That is probably because it is versatile enough to be used in lots of recipes, in addition to being delicious on its own. Stir, and season the pot with your salt and pepper. 

All that is left to do now to complete Kristen Carli's super-easy recipe for chicken a la king is to add in the chicken (because, seriously, what would chicken a la king be without chicken?), the frozen peas, and the pimentos. Stir to combine everything in the pot, and cook until warmed through. This last step should take about 10 minutes total. Serve hot, over rice or noodles, if desired.