Chicken a la King is a delicious and comforting classic recipe that’s sure to please the whole family. With its creamy sauce and combination of cooked vegetables, chicken and mushrooms, it’s no surprise why this dish has been around for so long.
Not only is it delicious, but it comes together quickly so you can enjoy a hot meal in under 25 minutes.
Chicken a la King is so simple to make!
Classic Chicken a la King has all the comforts of my Chicken Pot Pie soup, but I’ve converted it into a simple, straightforward recipe with a shortcut to make it even easier.
This rich, decadent dinner combines chicken and vegetables with cans of condensed cream soup instead of making a creamy mixture from scratch, which gives it a velvety texture with less ingredients.
I love to serve this one-pot meal over rice, noodles, or biscuits; the thick sauce seeps into the food below so that each forkful is flavorful and well-balanced. Use pre-cooked chicken and prep this meal in advance; it’s a fast way to make a dish that sounds fancy, but really there’s no fuss!
With a few recipe tweaks and revisions, you can enjoy the same taste of Chicken a la King but bake it with a crust, like my Chicken Pot Pie Bake and Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies.
What is Chicken ala King?
Chicken ala King is a classic dish made with diced chicken, mushrooms, and bell peppers in a rich, creamy sauce, often served over rice, pasta, or toast.
Why is it called Chicken a la King?
It is called Chicken a la King due to its association with a 19th-century New York hotel called the Delmonico’s, where a dish called “Chicken a la Keene” was created. Over time, it evolved into “Chicken a la King.”
Why we love this Chicken ala King Recipe
- Quick and easy to make in a single skillet.
- Uses simple ingredients and pantry staples.
- Hearty, creamy comfort food to feed your hungry family.
- Delicious dish includes protein and vegetables, making it a well-balanced and hearty meal.
- Enjoy it for dinner one night, and enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day.
- A quick weeknight supper that can be made ahead or as a served for a freezer meal.
Easy Chicken ala King Ingredients
- Cooking oil
- Red bell pepper: In a pinch you can substitute another color of bell pepper. The end result will look a little different but will taste very similar.
- Mushrooms
- Italian seasoning
- Chicken
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup: You can substitute cream of chicken soup instead for a slightly different flavor and color, if necessary.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup: If necessary, you can substitute cream of mushroom soup, though the end result may look and taste slightly different.
- Green peas: You can use canned, frozen, or fresh peas as long as they are drained and heated through before you remove the dish from the heat.
- Heavy cream
- Ground black pepper, optional garnish
Easy Chicken a la King Recipe Tools
- Large saucepan or skillet
- Measuring tools
- Mixing tools
Easy Chicken a la King Recipe substitutions and additions
- Choose Your Chicken: You can either cook your own chicken for this recipe, use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, buy shredded chicken, or even use canned chicken, although the canned chicken tends to fall apart into very small pieces. I like using pre seasoned chicken to add a bit more flavor to the dish.
- Change The Chicken: If you prefer to make a seafood version of this dish, you can substitute cooked tuna or salmon for the chicken.
- Other Oils: You can use any cooking oil you have in your kitchen. I used avocado oil for this recipe, but you can also use olive oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil.
Can I can substitute whole milk or half and half for the heavy cream?
Yes, you can substitute whole milk or half and half in a pinch but be aware that your sauce may be a bit thinner. I recommend starting with half of the amount and adding more if necessary.
How to make Chicken ala King
- Sauté and Season: Sauté the red pepper and mushrooms in cooking oil over medium high heat until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and mix with the vegetables.
- Simmer: Stir in the shredded chicken, all 3 cans of soup, and peas and cook over low for 5-7 minutes or until hot.
- Stir: Gradually stir in the heavy cream until combined and then remove from the heat.
Serving this recipe for Chicken ala King
Garnish with black pepper and serve warm over a bed of rice, noodles, pasta, or biscuits. Enjoy!
What is the best rice to serve with my Chicken a la King?
Traditionally this dish is served over white rice which you can easily start to cook before making this quick dish. I also recommend trying Chicken a la King with brown rice or even a wild rice blend because the flavors go together beautifully.
What is the best type of noodle to serve with my Chicken a la King?
Because Chicken a la King has a thick sauce and lots of vegetables and chicken, I recommend choosing a noodle that is bigger, such as shells, farfalle (bow ties), or a spiral noodle. You can also serve it over spaghetti but be ready for some mess!
Can I serve this dish with biscuits or toast?
I love eating this dish for lunch with some hot biscuits. You can either make your favorite homemade recipe or just grab a can of biscuits from the store and put them in the oven when you start your chicken.
Does this dish pair well with other veggies?
Even though there are some delicious vegetables in this dish, you can never have too many! Chicken a la King is delicious when served over or alongside asparagus, Garlic Green Beans, steamed veggies or salad.
Chicken ala King Recipe tips
- You can replace the red bell pepper with pimientos for the same pop of red color.
- This recipe is easily adaptable to include your favorite veggies or spices. Try green peppers, leeks, celery, or even broccoli.
- This is a great recipe to use up any leftover turkey you have from the holidays.
Chicken a la King storage
- To Store: Leftover Chicken a la King should be cooled to room temperature before storing. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Leftovers can be frozen for up to 1 month, but it does lose some texture and flavor. It should be thawed in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: It is best to reheat this dish in a saucepan on the stove, over low heat, stirring frequently. If you wish to microwave it, be aware that it may reheat unevenly. I recommend pausing and stirring the dish frequently to distribute the heat.
More like this Recipe for Chicken ala King
More Great Recipes!
- Homemade Fried Rice Recipe
- Salisbury Steak
- Taco Spaghetti
- Egg Roll Bowl Recipe
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
Easy Chicken a la King Recipe (Chicken ala King)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper cored, de-seeded, and finely chopped
- 8 ounce package mushrooms sliced
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 cups precooked, shredded chicken
- 21.5 ounce (2 10.75-ounce cans) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup green peas (I used frozen)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Ground black pepper optional garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium high heat until hot, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add and sauté the red bell pepper and mushrooms until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and mix together with the vegetables.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, condensed cream of mushroom soup, condensed cream of chicken soup, and peas.
- Cook over low for 5-7 minutes or until everything is heated through and hot.
- Gradually stir in the heavy cream until combined and then remove from the heat.
- Garnish with black pepper and serve warm over a bed of rice, noodles, pasta, or biscuits.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Leftover Chicken a la King should be cooled to room temperature before storing. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Leftovers can be frozen for up to 1 month, but it does lose some texture and flavor. It should be thawed in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: It is best to reheat this dish in a saucepan on the stove, over low heat, stirring frequently. If you wish to microwave it, be aware that it may reheat unevenly. I recommend pausing and stirring the dish frequently to distribute the heat.
- You can replace the red bell pepper with pimientos for the same pop of red color.
- This recipe is easily adaptable to include your favorite veggies or spices. Try green peppers, leeks, celery, or even broccoli.
- This is a great recipe to use up any leftover turkey you have from the holidays.
Love this recipe!!!
However, all the pop ups, ads and constant jumping of the recipe made it very difficult to follow on my phone. Every time I touched the screen to scroll down a bit I was bombarded with ads to close and then the recipe would jump forward or backwards. I struggled just to follow enough to write it down. Sorry to bring this all up, am I the only one? I would pay to find a way to just pull up the recipe and see it all at once! Like most recipes I follow.
Thanks again for a great recipe though!!
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful feedback!! I really and truly appreciate it. If you hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the post, it will take you directly to the recipe card. There you will see all of the ingredients and amounts as well as step-by-step instructions. You can also print it out easily for an ads free recipe card. Hope this helps.
Chicken aLa King: can anything be substituted for heavy cream?
This was a favorite of mine growing.