Easy Creamy Chicken a la King
This creamy chicken a la king recipe is a homemade version of the classic comfort food dish and is loaded with fresh vegetables and a splash of cream. Pasta replaces puff pastry so that it comes together in just 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight meal!
I originally shared this recipe on September 16th, 2016. I have new images and updated some of the text today.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Easy Chicken a la King
When I developed this recipe in 2016, I knew I wanted to make a Chicken A La King recipe in my own healthy veggie forward way, but to give it that creamy comfort food classic flavor at the same time. I also wanted to make sure it was a simple enough recipe that it would be ready in a half-hour for a busy weeknight. This is a great recipe for when you want to have something cozy and comforting but don’t have a ton of time! You can even use leftover cooked chicken to make this recipe even faster.
What Is Chicken A La King?
Though I remember eating this meal as a child, I wasn’t entirely sure that it was the way I remembered it. So I consulted my copy of The Joy of Cooking before working on this recipe. I found that Chicken a la King is a classic dish consisting of creamy chicken and gravy with red pepper, fresh mushrooms and sherry cream sauce. The timing of it’s origin is unkown, but it gained popularity in the early 1900s. It is typically served in a golden and buttery puff pastry shell (vol au vent.) It can also be served over rice, toast points, noodles or buttermilk biscuits. Some versions contain sweet peas too.
The Joy of Cooking recipe calls for serving almonds on top. Though my mom never served hers with almonds, I really enjoy the texture they add to the final dish and have added them here.
After testing and retesting this recipe, the resulting 30 minute dinner is both creamy and comforting, but our lighter version is lower in calories than most Chicken A La King recipes. You can skip the egg noodles to shave off even more calories and serve it with Cauliflower Rice instead.
Here are some of the ways I made classic chicken a la king easy and healthy:
To Make It Easy: To make this recipe ready in only 30 minutes, we cook the chicken separately in another pot. You can also use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken too to make it easier!
To Make It Healthy: I added extra veggies (many recipes use jarred or canned veggies which are high in sodium and do not have as many vitamins) and thickened the sauce with flour instead of egg yolk. Then I only needed a little half and half to make the sauce creamy. I also skipped right over the fussy/fatty puff pastry business, and opted for pasta instead.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta or whole wheat egg noodles. You can also serve this in puff pastry shells or over your favorite biscuits.
- 2 large chicken breasts, about 1 pound. See our thawing chicken instructions here. You can also substitute cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons organic canola oil or avocado oil (you can also use olive oil if you prefer)
- 1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (Many recipes call for red pimentos- if you prefer a shortcut, use frozen bell peppers and add to the sauce with the chicken.) If you like green peppers, you can use one instead.
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry (This can be purchased at the liquor or package store. Avoid cooking sherry which often includes sodium)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth or sub in homemade chicken stock and add an extra pinch of salt.
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Chicken A La King
Step 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook whole-wheat egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain well and keep hot.
Step 2: Meanwhile, place chicken breast in a medium saucepan and cover completely with cold tap water. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, turning in the poaching liquid occasionally until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and cooked through, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on thickness of the meat. Remove the chicken and cut into cubes.
Step 3: While pasta and chicken cook, heat one tbsp butter and oil in a large skillet or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to melt butter. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices, and the juices have evaporated and the vegetables are starting to brown, 8 to 12 minutes.
Step 4: Add sherry to the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring until evaporated. Stir in flour to coat the vegetable mixture.
Step 5: Add broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the flour is dissolved into the broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add chicken and return to a simmer, stirring often until the chicken is heated through and the sauce is thick.
Step 6: Remove from the heat and stir in half and half. Serve the chicken and sauce over the noodles. Top with almonds and parsley. Serve hot.
FAQs and Expert Tips For This Recipe
Yes! This recipe reheats beautifully. The sauce will become very thick, and may need to be thinned with a splash of chicken broth. Keep it stored in an airtight container for up to three days. It can be frozen for 2 months.
Sherry adds flavor that is hard to replicate. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, skip the step of deglazing with sherry and add 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce with the broth instead.
This is served with egg noodles, but it can also be served as a main dish with rice, biscuits or puff pastry. Side dishes that pair well include sauteed green beans, steamed broccoli and sauteed kale or sauteed swiss chard.
More Healthy Dinner Recipes:
- This new Slow Cooker Bolognese sauce can be made with beef, turkey or ground chicken.
- Speaking of slow cookers, do you know how to make cacciatore in a slow cooker? It is super simple and makes the perfect dump and go make-ahead dinner.
- Easy Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Apple Skillet: a delicious fall dinner.
- Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner with Moroccan Spice, if you love the flavors of Morocco, then you’ll probably love this one pan dinner!
- Easy Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps, here’s a simple no-cook meal thanks to rotisserie chicken!
- If you are looking for more quick chicken recipes, this 20-Minute Ground Chicken Tacos with Poblano peppers is a great one. Keep this fast dinner on hand for busy nights!
- Healthy Chicken Paprika Skillet, if this Chicken a la King is your cup of tea, you’ll definitely want to try this Chicken Paprika too! It is another creamy chicken dish inspired by an old classic. Make sure to check out all of our delicious chicken recipes here.
- My Classic Garden Salad is like the comfort food of salads, and would pair really well with this Chicken A La King recipe!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintChicken a la King Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This creamy chicken a la king recipe is a homemade version of the classic comfort food dish and is loaded with fresh vegetables and a splash of cream. Pasta replaces puff pastry so that it comes together in just 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta or whole wheat egg noodles
- 2 large chicken breasts, about 1 pound
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons organic canola oil or avocado oil
- 1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook whole-wheat egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain well and keep hot.
- Meanwhile, place chicken breast in a medium saucepan and cover completely with cold tap water. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, turning in the poaching liquid occasionally until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and cooked through, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on thickness of the meat. Remove the chicken and cut into cubes.
- While pasta and chicken cook, heat butter and oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to melt butter. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices, and the juices have evaporated and the vegetables are starting to brown, 8 to 12 minutes.
- Add sherry to the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring until evaporated. Stir in flour to coat the vegetable mixture.
- Add broth and cook, stirring constantly until the flour is dissolved into the broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add chicken and return to a simmer, stirring often until the chicken is heated through and the sauce is thick.
- Remove from the heat and stir in half and half. Serve the chicken and sauce over the noodles. Top with almonds and parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
Substitution For Sherry
If you prefer to cook without alcohol, skip the step of deglazing with sherry and add 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce with the broth instead.
Make Ahead
Yes! This recipe reheats beautifully. The sauce will become very thick, and may need to be thinned with a splash of chicken broth. Keep it stored in an airtight container for up to three days. It can be frozen for 2 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups chicken and about 7 oz. noodles
- Calories: 590
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 52 g
Keywords: chicken a la king,healthy chicken a la king,chicken a la king with sherry
Delicious!
My family loves this!!! I make it at least a couple times a month!!!
★★★★★
That’s so awesome Jennifer. Thank you for coming back to review and rate. I appreciate it. Have a great rest of your week.
My Family to love this creamy and delicious and nutritious recipe. This dish look perfect too.
★★★★★
My family always loves anything with creamy sauce and pasta. It’s a clean plate club kind of a meal for sure!
This looks so creamy and delicious – I can’t quite believe it only takes 30 minutes to make!! Look forward to trying this!
★★★★★
Aren’t 30 minute meals always a revelation! We live by them!