I seem to be once again entering one of my retro food kicks. I don’t know why it is that I periodically want to revisit the 50 and 60s, but there it is. I just do.
Now I realize that Chicken à la King wasn’t invented in the 50s or 60s, but only achieved its pinnacle of popularity during those two decades. And where once you could hardly find a menu that didn’t list this lovely dish, you would be hard pressed to find a café or restaurant now that did. And I for one do not agree that Chicken à la King should be relegated to the land of lost and forgotten dishes. Not by a long shot! It is just too delicious and easy to prepare to be dismissed so inelegantly. It deserves better treatment. Plus, it has an interesting history.
There are competing stories related to the origin of Chicken à la King. One such story is that the dish was first created in the early 1900s to honor E. Clark King II, the proprietor of the Brighton Beach Hotel. At the time, Brighton Beach, like its sister Coney Island, was considered a fashionable resort town for harried Manhattanites looking to get away from the city. Apparently, the head chef at the hotel invented the dish to serve to Mr. King and his wife. They enjoyed it so much they requested seconds. After that, Chicken à la King became an item offered on the hotel restaurant’s Bill of Fare. (Bill of Fare is English and was the standard at the time. Menu is French. Calling Bill of Fares – Menus, didn’t come into general usage in America until the 1930s when the term Bill of Fare was universally supplanted.)
Anyway, enough about the history of this dish and on to why I chose to prepare it and then why I’m passing the recipe on to you.
I love creamy comfort food. The more sauce or gravy the better as far as I’m concerned. Now, my doctor would be horrified to read this statement. Because the last thing my “filled to the brim of slimness” body needs is more calories from butter, cream, etc. But I simply refuse to live my life eating only celery sticks and low-fat cottage cheese. (Both of which I actually enjoy eating, but not as my only food source!) Plus, I am leaning more and more towards dishes that don’t take hours to prepare. Oh, they can happily burble away for hours and that’s OK. But me standing up and supervising their progress for hours – not so much. So, a recipe like this that is creamy, doesn’t call for too much prep work, and is ready for the table in under an hour is my idea of a perfect food. The fact that it is really delicious doesn’t hurt either. Or that you can serve it over biscuits, noodles, rice, or even toast. How cool is that!?!?
And as far as the health concerns, of course I take them into consideration. But I try to mitigate any problem by not over-eating. You know the old saying “moderation in all things”, well I like the logical next step in that equation too – “so long as it’s not carried to excess.”
As always, have fun in your kitchen. Don’t forget about all those wonderful dishes that you enjoyed in the past. Of course, you can always give them a bit of a new spin like I did with this recipe. But even with the changes, the good memories will still be triggered.
I don’t know about you, but I remember when times were simpler. People seemed kinder. There was less hatred and violence, and you could trust that most of your fellow citizens cared about and reflected common decency. Maybe by feeling hungry for the comfort dishes I knew and loved when I was younger, it’s my mind’s sub-conscious way of telling me that what I am truly missing isn’t the food from a bygone era. But rather a yearning for our country to put its hard feelings aside and return to a less troubled and more compassionate way of life. If that’s the case, my mind and my heart are in full accord.
Peace and love to all.
¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 3 boneless, skinless thighs, cut into small bite sized pieces
kosher salt
8-10 thinly sliced button mushrooms
½ sm. onion, minced
½ green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp. seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves
⅓ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ c. dry sherry
1½ c. chicken broth
¾ c. whole milk
¼ c. heavy cream (or additional whole milk)
1 sm. (4-oz.) jar sliced pimento, well drained
½ c. frozen petite peas
2 T. freshly chopped parsley
Melt half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the chicken pieces and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Fry until the chicken has cooked through and slightly browned. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoon butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown. Add the onion and green pepper; sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the seasoned salt, pepper, dried thyme, and flour; cook for another minute. Add the dry sherry and let it evaporate for about 30 seconds.
Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream. Cook until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add the cooked chicken, drained pimento, frozen peas, and fresh parsley. Cook until the chicken is hot. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Great over Easy Buttermilk Biscuits. (see recipe below) Also can be served over al dente egg noodles, rice, or toasted bread.
Please note: This is an even quicker and easier recipe if you have left-over chicken or turkey. Just chop up 2-3 cups of the cooked meat and add it to the sauce along with the pimento, frozen peas, and fresh parsley.
EASY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 c. buttermilk, or more as required
Whirl the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and mix just till combined. If it appears too dry, add a bit more buttermilk. (The dough should be fairly wet.) Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Adding flour as needed, fold the dough on itself about 5 times.
Gently pat the dough to 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into large rounds and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently knead the scraps together and make as many biscuits as possible.
Bake in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are a light golden brown on the top and bottom. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and serve warm topped with Chicken a la King. Or allow to cool and store in an airtight container. Gently warm before serving.
