Chicken a la King
Cozy, creamy, and ready in just 30 minutes! This Chicken à la King recipe is made with tender chicken, mushrooms, peas, and pimentos in a rich cream sauce. Serve it over rice, pasta, or biscuits for an easy weeknight dinner that feels classic and comforting.
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Chicken a la King was on weekly rotation in my house growing up, so I’m a little partial to this dish. It’s one of my absolute favorites.
Creamy, comforting, and timeless, Chicken à la King is a classic recipe made with tender chicken, mushrooms, peas, and pimentos in a rich cream sauce. This easy one-pan dinner comes together in about 30 minutes and is perfect for serving over rice, pasta, or flaky biscuits. It’s the ultimate weeknight comfort food that feels a little fancy without the fuss.
You can also serve this decadent cream sauce over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, if biscuits aren’t your thing.
If you love one pan dinners, try Broccoli Lasagna Skillet, Cheesesteak Pasta or Skillet Kielbasa with Rice.
Here’s the best part of this recipe: it can be made with already cooked chicken or turkey. So if you need something quick, prepare the sauce and throw in a rotisserie chicken! Or – even better-use leftover Thanksgiving turkey for the best post-Thanksgiving dinner!
Have extra biscuit dough on hand? Check out 10 Things You Can Make with a Can of Biscuit Dough!
What you’ll need
You can find the full, printable recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this post. Read on for more details and tips!
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- A large skillet– I absolutely love mine for recipes like this- it’s a braiser- here’s the link
- Chicken breast-I use 2 chicken breasts, but you can definitely add more if you like it very meaty. Or use boneless thighs. My mom made this dish with already cooked chicken, so you can take a short cut and use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Just add the cooked protein to the sauce at the end to heat it through.
- Canned sliced mushrooms– I know it’s canned mushrooms, but that’s what we use and I love them! We also use the liquid from the can in the sauce. It gives the sauce a nice salty flavor. If you really want to use fresh mushrooms, though, you certainly could.
- Unsalted butter
- All purpose flour– for the roux, to thicken the sauce
- Seasonings- salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic
- Heavy cream and regular milk– this makes the sauce luxurious without being too heavy
- Chicken broth
- Jarred pimentos– the pimentos is the signature of chicken a la king!
- Frozen peas– dig out those peas from the back of the freezer- today’s is the day!
- Biscuits– I use the refrigerated Grands! Biscuits
What are pimentos
Pimentos are just cherry peppers. They are mild, sweet and savory. They are not spicy. It’s the red thing stuffed into your green olives. You can find jarred pimentos next to the olives and pickles in the grocery store.
How to make it
In a large skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until fully cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
While the chicken cooks, preheat the oven and bake the biscuits according to the package directions.
In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter. Add the canned mushrooms and garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until bubbly.
Slowly whisk in the reserved mushroom liquid, cream, milk, chicken broth, and onion powder. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.
Stir in the cooked chicken, pimentos, and frozen peas. The peas will heat through in the hot sauce.
Let the sauce rest and thicken for about 5 minutes. Spoon generously over split biscuits and serve warm.
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Chicken a la King
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- In a large skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until fully cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- While the chicken cooks, preheat the oven and bake the biscuits according to the package directions.
- In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter. Add the canned mushrooms and garlic, cooking briefly until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until bubbly.
- Slowly whisk in the reserved mushroom liquid, cream, milk, chicken broth, and onion powder. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the cooked chicken, pimentos, and frozen peas. The peas will heat through in the hot sauce.
- Let the sauce rest and thicken for about 5 minutes. Spoon generously over split biscuits and serve warm.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- I use 2 chicken breasts, but you can definitely add more if you like it very meaty. Or use boneless thighs. My mom made this dish with already cooked chicken, so you can take a short cut and use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Just add the cooked protein to the sauce at the end to heat it through.
- Canned sliced mushrooms- I know it’s canned mushrooms, but that’s what we use and I love them! We also use the liquid from the can in the sauce. It gives the sauce a nice salty flavor. If you really want to use fresh mushrooms, though, you certainly could.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
