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A classic recipe for the traditional creamy gravy made with leftover
chicken or turkey served over toast, biscuits or rice that cooks up perfect every time.
Families have funny names for food. My Pa called ice cream tunkey. To
this day, nobody can tell me why.
Not long after Mama and Daddy were engaged, they and my grandparents went to
town to run some errands and Pa asked, “Does anybody want some tunkey?”
Without hesitation, my mama (a Yankee transplant from Maryland) said, “I DO!”
Daddy leaned over and whispered, “Carol, do you even know what tunkey is?” To
which she replied, “No, but I’ve never heard of half of what you eat down here,
and I haven’t tasted anything I didn’t like yet so YES, I want some tunkey!”
Husband’s family calls Chicken à la King, Chicken à la Flin Flan. But I
do know where this name came from.
My mother-in-law, with a family of eight to feed, never let anything go to
waste and often made leftovers into other meals (as do I). Leftover chicken
and turkey most often became Chicken or Turkey à la King and she must have made it a lot
because the kids would gripe and complain that they were having it again.
One night she told them it was something NEW! That they would love it! That it
was Chicken à la Flin Flan! I don’t know if they took to it
better, but I do know the whole entire family still calls it Chicken à la Flin
Flan some forty years later!
I think everybody makes this a little different. When I called my MIL the
other day to ask if she used fresh bell peppers in hers or jarred pimientos
(she uses fresh btw), she pulled out her old recipe and read it to me.
I love reading old recipes with ingredients like oleo and
scalded milk so when she said, “1 Oxo cube”, I smiled because I figured
that must mean a bullion cube.
Her recipe also has curry powder and an unholy amount of nutmeg. My point
being, there’s no right way to make this. So long as you end up with
chicken or turkey in a creamy sauce that has either bell peppers or pimientos
in there somewhere, you’re in the right ballpark.
8 FAQ ABOUT CHICKEN A LA KING
1. Doesn’t it have peas? Not the recipe I grew up with but you can certainly add them if you’d
like! I’d use about 1 cup frozen peas and stir them in with the chicken.
Actually, that’s not true… I’d never use English peas because I hate them but
that’s my best guess!
2. Can I use pimientos instead of red bell pepper? Yep! I definitely prefer using fresh red bell pepper in this but you
can substitute with pimientos if you’d like.
3. How many chicken breasts do I need for 2 cups cubed chicken? One fresh large boneless, skinless chicken breast yields about 2 cups. Frozen chicken breasts are usually smaller so you’d likely need two.
4. Can I use leftover turkey? Heck yes, you can! Turkey à la King is perfect to make with leftover
turkey!
5. Is canned chicken OK with this recipe? I’ve never tried it, but I bet it would be great! They’ve come a long
way with canned chicken (white meat, at least) and I think it would work great
with this recipe.
6. Do I have to use onion and celery? I’m of the opinion that any great creamed sauce starts with the
classic Mirepoix (onion, celery and carrots) or the
Holy Trinity (onion, celery and bell pepper) so I think the onion and
celery are important but if you’re out of either, just season with onion
powder and/or celery salt or celery seed.
7. Can I add corn, mushrooms or carrots? You can put whatever you want in your Chicken à la King, girl. You do
you! If using carrots, I’d finely dice them and sauté with the other
vegetables. Mushrooms, I'd add halfway through sautéing the other vegetables. If adding corn, just drain then stir it in with the cooked
chicken.
8. Can I use green, yellow or orange bell peppers instead of red? Sure! Two things, though… 1) green bell peppers have a stronger taste
than the others so you may want to use a little less and 2) the red bell
peppers (or red pimientos) are hallmarks of classic Chicken à la King.
HOW DO YOU SERVE CHICKEN A LA KING?
Chicken à la King is a thick, chunky creamed sauce so it’s perfect to ladle
over something. It’s too thick to eat like a soup and too saucy to serve
alone.
Chicken à la King is typically served over the following:
Toast (my favorite!)
Biscuits
Rice
Noodles
Puff Pastry Bowls
Recipe for How to Cook Chicken à la King
Chicken à la King
Yield: 6 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
A classic recipe for the traditional homemade creamy gravy made with leftover chicken or turkey served over toast, biscuits, rice or noodles.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups milk
Instructions
Sauté onion, red pepper and celery with butter in a large skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. 1 c. onion, 1 red pepper, 1 c. celery, 1/3 c. butter
Stir in salt, remaining spices and flour then continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, Pinch cayenne, 1/3 c. flour
Add chicken broth then stir well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet. When broth starts to bubble, stir in milk. 2 c. broth, 1.5 c. milk
Cook and stir 5 minutes or until thickened per your preference.
Stir in cooked chicken then continue cooking 5 minutes. If necessary, add more milk, 1/4 cup at a time, if sauce thickens more than a pourable gravy would be. 2 c. cooked chicken
Serve over toast, biscuits, noodles or rice.
Notes
I definitely prefer using fresh red bell pepper in this but you can substitute with pimientos if you’d like. Stir in 8 ounces drained, diced pimientos with the chicken in Step 5.
Use all-purpose or self-rising flour (either is fine).
Any questions you may have are likely answered in the FAQ section above the recipe card.
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
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Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
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A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
