Chicken Cooked in Creamy Sauce with Mushrooms and Pimientos
Take a journey back to the late 1800s New York City, where the fascinating dish, Chicken à la King, is said to have made its first appearance. It swirled into existence at either the Brighton Beach Hotel or Delmonico's Restaurant. However, its roots are as cloudy as the mushroom cream sauce that gives this dish its distinguishing touch. We're sticking to the traditional cooking method, shaping up as a mouthwatering mixture of sautéed mushrooms, simmered in sherry, and combined with chicken and peas. Serve this delight over a bed of thick-sliced garlic toast, noodles, or in a buttery puff-pastry shell.
Want to save some time? Go ahead and use 4 cups of shredded meat from a whole rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey to shave about 45 minutes off this recipe.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings (about 6 cups) Difficulty: Easy Total Time: Approximately 2 hours
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts and whole chicken legs (about 2 each), or 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
- 1 bunch fresh tarragon
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed
- 2 medium shallots
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas (about 4 1/2 ounces, thawed if frozen)
- 1 tablespoon dry or amontillado sherry
Let's Get Cooking
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare a rack in the middle. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil and generously season them with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and roast until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F, about 45 to 50 minutes.
- As the chicken cooks, douse the dried porcini mushrooms in a medium bowl with boiling water and let them soak for 20 minutes. Finely chop the parsley leaves and tarragon leaves (you'll need 1 tablespoon of each) and set them aside in a small bowl. Cut the cremini mushrooms into quarter-inch slices and put them in another medium bowl. Chop the shallots and stash them in a small bowl. Set the chicken broth or stock aside in a separate medium bowl.
- After the porcini mushrooms have finished soaking, scoop them out of the water using a slotted spoon and place them on a cutting board. Chop them coarsely and transfer them to a small bowl. Carefully pour 1/2 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid into the chicken broth (be cautious not to include the gritty sediment at the bottom of the bowl). Discard the remaining mushroom liquid.
- By the time the porcini mushrooms are prepared, the chicken should be ready. Move it to a cutting board to cool down. Meanwhile, warm the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until it starts to froth. Add the chopped shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until they soften. Next, add the cremini mushrooms and cook, still stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes, until they soften too. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in the chopped porcini mushrooms.
- Pour the flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to evenly coat it. Stir the mixture around for about 3 minutes, until the raw flavor of the flour has vanished. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth mixture. Add the milk and cream, turn up the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally as you do this. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- When the sauce has thickened, chop the cooked chicken and set it aside on the cutting board. Fold the chicken, peas, sherry, and the chopped tarragon and parsley into the sauce and cook until the chicken is heated through, roughly 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve immediately over rice, pasta, toast, or puff pastry.
Fun Fact
Chicken à la King is named after the game of that name, which involves accumulating points by collecting sets of cards of the same rank. The game became quite popular in the late 1800s when the dish debuted and has since been enjoyed by many, just like this classic dish.
- To make cooking easier, consider using 4 cups of shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey, which can save about 45 minutes on this traditional recipe.
- As you savor each bite of Chicken à la King, remember that this dish shares its name with a popular card game from the late 1800s, just like Delmonico's Restaurant where it is said to have originated.
- If you're looking for interesting serving options for Chicken à la King, consider using nutritious recipes such as garlic toast, noodles, or puff pastry shells to complement the exquisite combination of sautéed mushrooms, simmered in sherry, and combined with chicken, peas, and other ingredients.
