Chicken à la King
John’s Chicken à la King is rich, creamy, and tender. His one pot recipe is both delicious and nutritious, offering a hearty meal based on the full proof formula of meat, veggies, stock, and a cream sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 12 baby chestnut mushrooms – sliced in half (you can swap for button mushrooms, or 5-6 regular-sized sliced mushrooms)
- 1 large onion – peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
- 280 ml (1 cup + 3 tbsp) hot chicken stock – hot water and a couple of stock cubes is fine
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) semi-skimmed or full fat milk
- ½ tsp dried thyme – or a tsp of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp dry sherry – carefully measured (too much will make the sauce taste of sherry)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 large cooked chicken breasts – chopped into bite sized chunks (about 250g/9oz). John’s top tip: you can also swap these for brown chicken thighs, they’re more tender for residents and typically more flavourful too!
To serve:
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Cooked rice or pasta
Method
- Heat 1 ½ tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan/skillet over a medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are golden brown. Scoop out of the pan, and put in a bowl.
- Heat the remaining 1 ½ tbsp of oil in the pan and add the onion. Fry for 5-6 minutes on a medium-high heat until the edges of the onions wedges start to brown slightly. Move the onions around the pan to ensure they don’t burn.
- Stir in the 2 tbsp of flour and cook whilst stirring for one minute.
- Add in a splash of the hot stock and mix into the onion/flour with a whisk. It should form a thick paste. Add the rest of the stock a large splash at a time, keep stirring with the whisk to ensure your sauce doesn’t go lumpy.
- Once all the stock is incorporated, add in 200ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) milk and the ½ tsp thyme. Keep stirring and the sauce will thicken as it heats up.
- Once thickened, add the 2 level tablespoons of sherry and the ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper. Give it a taste and add a little more seasoning if needed.
- Add the cooked chicken and mushrooms and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes to ensure the chicken is hot throughout.
- Serve on top of some fluffy white rice and finish with a sprinkling of parsley.
Nutritional information
Per serving, not including the addition of rice or pasta.
- Calories: 318kcal
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Protein: 31g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 78mg
- Sodium: 952mg
- Potassium: 604mg
- Fibre: 1g
- Sugar: 5g
- Vitamin A: 99IU
- Vitamin C: 2mg
- Calcium: 92mg
- Iron: 2mg
After another warm, hearty meal? Our take on the British classic Cottage Pie is the perfect comfort food.
