A Southern Grace: god save the (chicken a la) queen

August 29, 2012

god save the (chicken a la) queen

Yum




Are you familiar with chicken a la king? As far as I can tell, it's pretty much chicken pot pie without the pie crust, served over some other form of carbohydrates, be it a biscuit, rice, or plain ol' white bread.*


*At my restaurant, we have it as a brunch item served over a waffle and with bacon crumbled on top--it's amazing!

Like pot pie, you can add whatever veggies you like--I chose peas, carrots, pearl onions, and celery. I love peas. You can also season it with whatever herbs and spices make you happy; for me, thyme is on my side. (Yes, it is.) Another great thing about this dish is that you can use up leftover chicken that's been poached, baked, or boiled, and shredded, chunked, or cubed. How you serve it is up to you, too. What I had on hand for this batch and what ended up in the photos were some simple fluffy rolls. Like I said above, anything works, even waffles.


See--there's plenty of room for personalization with this dish, and that's always a good thing.

Chicken a la Queen
Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more, to taste
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 1/2 cup pearl onions
  • 4 cups 1-inch cubed poached chicken
Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil while stirring. Add the thyme sprigs, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the carrots and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce into the veggies and season with the salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Whisk in the milk or cream.
Add the peas, pearl onions, and chicken to the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over bread of some form or rice.

30 comments:

t said...

Um, creamy chicken, waffles AND bacon? Getoutta here! My mouth is watering ;)

The Squishy Monster said...

I have no idea why my name is "t" ^^ LOL

vanillasugarblog said...

Bacon! Good thinking Gracie!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

There was a time when i always ordered chicken pot pie in restaurants. If I were to make this I could still have sit special treat without the pastry.

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

What a delicious warming chicken dish :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

So scrumptious looking!

Cheers,

Rosa

Alicia Foodycat said...

Wow - that is a blast from the past! Apparently no one has ever made it as well as my mother in law, so I need to try this recipe and see what my husband thinks.

Angie's Recipes said...

It looks really creamy and flavourful. I love the idea of serving them with waffles.

Faith said...

Oh wow does this sound amazing on waffles! Brilliant, Grace!

TKW said...

I am going to strongly advocate for rice! It's my favorite vehicle for this dish, which I LOVE. Comfort food!

jillian said...

I love the idea of serving it over a waffle! This was my mom's go-to comfort dish when I was growing up.

~~louise~~ said...

I've never been able to warm up to Chicken and Waffles apparently a popular dish here in PA. I may however enjoy it a heck of a lot more with crumbled bacon on top!!!

I'll request it the next time it's offered and see what happens:)

Thanks for sharing, Grace. It sure looks delicious!

lisa is cooking said...

I don't think there's a starch item that wouldn't be delicious with this. But, serving it with waffles sounds pretty amazing.

Leslie said...

ahhhhh yes! My Mom used to make Chicken a la king all the time when I was a kid!!! YUM

Blond Duck said...

I want to go to your restaurant.

Lynda said...

Me to, I want to go to your restaurant Grace.I love this dish, and it would be super on a waffle. Got to have peas and thyme too. Peas are sometimes under appreciated, but they are a must in these kind of dishes.

Erica said...

What a delicious and creamy chicken dish,Grace!Love all the colors and flavors!

Pam said...

I haven't had this dish for years! It looks fantastic Grace.

Anonymous said...

oh my that does bring back memories - we typically had it over nice warm biscuits when i was growing up. but i'm a vegetarian now and wouldn't care for chicken - wonder how an all veggie version would be??? perhaps some portabella mushrooms instead of the chicken ....

Marjie said...

My grandmother made a mean chicken a la king. She would heartily approve of your variation! And of your updated name for it!

Jackie @Syrup and Biscuits said...

Love your interpretation of this classic recipe, Grace!

Juliana said...

Oh Grace...this chicken dish looks delicious, creamy and so flavorful...and I like that idea of not having to deal with the pie crust heheheh.
Hope you are having a enjoyable week :)

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

In Quebec Chicken a la King is serve over a flaky pastry and chicken pot pie is with a pastry over the filling. Confusing! We are using the same recipe but two different names. Lot's yum!

Susan said...

Hi Grace!

My Mom use to fix Chicken Ala King and I didn't like it. But then again, that was about 40 some years ago... I like my chicken pot pie though! Maybe I sholuld print out your recipe for Mom..:-)

Susan

Beth said...

Chicken a la King is such a classic, and I love the way you've updated it. The veggies look great!

Lori said...

Boy that would be one heck of a breakfast with the waffle. YUM!

Joanne said...

The most annoying part of a pot pie is, I believe, the crust. Love that this takes that out of the equation!

Mimi said...

A little cayenne is just the zip that this old favorite needs.
Mimi

Carolyn Jung said...

I grew up eating Swanson's boil-in-the-bag version as a kid. Was one of my fave treats. Thanks for the memories.

Raul said...

Is this one of the chickens from earlier pics?