Chicken Ala King

They served Chicken Ala King in the school cafeteria last week, and it was delicious! So delicious, that I craved for more and inspired me to cook the same dish at home.


What you need:

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 6 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 1 tablespoon Sherry
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a small onion, sliced thinly

What to do:

In a small pot, boil the chicken in lightly salted water. Put the chicken on a cooling rack, and set the stock aside. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat and dice it.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions until translucent, then stir in the flour with a whisk. Add the stock gradually stirring continuously. Add salt, pepper, mushrooms, sherry, and diced bell pepper. Cook stirring over low heat for 5 minutes.

Add diced chicken and light cream. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes while stirring. Place the egg yolk in a small bowl and lightly beat. Take about 4 tablespoons of the sauce (from the pot) and put it in the bowl to stir in with the egg yolk. Return to the simmering chicken mixture. Give it a final stir. Serve hot over biscuits or rice.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Traditional Chicken ala King recipe calls for sherry. However, you can omit it if its not available.
2. You can also use grilled or fried chicken in this dish. Basically, any cooked chicken. Just be sure to remove the skins.
3. Try different vegetables like celery, carrots, or peas.
4. For a quicker version, use the same ingredients and measurements above but omit flour, egg yolk, light cream, salt and pepper. Instead, use 1 can (10 oz) condensed Cream of Mushroom soup.