A Little History

Chicken à la King or “chicken in the style of King” is a dish consisting of diced chicken made in a creamy sauce, with vegetables, mushrooms and a dash of sherry served over pasta, rice, or bread.

According to Wikipedia as early as 1665 various dishes of chicken “à la Reine” and “à la Royale” have appeared in cookbooks; there is no indication that they are like the modern Chicken à la King we know and love today.

Though we cannot determine the origin of chicken à la king there have been many claims. One such claim is it was created by Delmonico’s chef Charles Ranhofer as Chicken à la Keene in the 1880s, named after Foxhall Parker Keene. Another version claims it was created in 1881 at Claridge’s Hotel in London and named for James R. Keene, father of Foxhall.

Just when you thought that was it, another account claims chef George Greenwald of the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brighton Beach created it in 1898, naming it after patron E. Clarke King II and his wife.

What you’ll need to make Chicken à la King

• 1 Whole Chicken (buy at your local grocer’s deli)
• 50 g Margarine
• 1 Medium green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 125 g White mushrooms, sliced
• 15 g (30 ml) Cake flour
• 250 ml Chicken stock
• 150 ml Full cream milk
• 125 ml Fresh cream
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Salt
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Large eggs (separated) 25 ml Sherry (optional)

How To Cook Chicken à la King

1. First, remove the skin and pull all the meat from the chicken and chop into even chunks.

2. In a saucepan, heat the margarine. Add the green pepper and mushrooms and sauté until they are soft and tender.

3. Blend the flour and stir in the chicken stock and add the milk. Bring to the boil and stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Reduce the heat and add in the chicken pieces and heat through for about 10 minutes on low heat.

5. Add the cream and egg yolks together in a bowl and beat together lightly and add the sherry to the mixture. Add to the pot and heat through stirring occasionally. Make sure not to boil.

6. Serve immediately. Eat on it’s own for a low carb meal or serve with, rice, pasta, or bread.

Just to sweeten the deal, treat yourself to some delicious gluten and sugar free brownies.

Nutritional Info