With just 10 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake Chicken à la King delivers tender chicken, fresh veggies, and a creamy sauce — all baked in one dish. Serve it over biscuits, rice, or pasta for a weeknight dinner that’s fit for royalty!
Chicken à la King is a classic American comfort dish made with diced chicken, vegetables (like mushrooms and peppers), and a rich, creamy sauce, typically served over rice, pasta, or biscuits. Its exact origin is debated, but it likely dates back to the late 19th or early 20th century, with claims linking it to chefs in New York City or Philadelphia. The dish was named in honor of someone—possibly a hotel patron or chef—with the surname King or Keene. It gained popularity throughout the 20th century as an elegant yet easy way to use cooked chicken.
If you’re looking for even more vintage chicken recipes, don’t miss this King Ranch chicken, Chicken Divan casserole, and a chicken casserole with Ritz crackers, too!
A Simple Chicken ala King Recipe that’s Perfect for Busy Nights
We’re putting an updated, easier spin on this retro dish! Instead of stirring together a homemade cream sauce on the stovetop with a roux and previously cooked chicken, this recipe takes advantage of the dump-and-bake method (and a few grocery shortcuts). It’s perfect for those of us who are busy or tired at the end of the day — or just those of us who don’t want to stand at the stovetop making a meal from scratch every single night!
Just wanted to let you know I’ve made this recipe a few times now for my family and it’s so delicious every time! My kids love it garnished with shredded cheddar cheese. It also has become my new “go-to” recipe for bringing a meal to a family with difficulties or a new baby. Thanks for the recipe!
– Carla
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Condensed cream of chicken soup is a great shortcut for this creamy sauce. You can substitute with a different flavor, such as cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup, too. And if you’re watching your fat and sodium intake, look for the Heart Healthy variety.
- Prefer to start with cooked chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken) or even cooked turkey? No problem! You’ll need about 2 – 2 ½ cups of the cooked, diced or shredded meat. Just stir it right into the dish with the vegetables. The baking time will be about the same, because you need to allow the veggies to soften in the oven.
- Feel free to jazz up the sauce with your favorite herbs and spices. I’ve suggested thyme, basil, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder in the recipe below, but feel free to adjust to suit your taste preferences.
- Try other vegetables in the dish, too. Good options include frozen peas, corn, or mixed vegetables.
How to Make Chicken ala King
This is truly the easiest chicken ala king recipe you’ll ever make! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Whisk together the condensed soup, milk or cream, and any herbs or spices that you enjoy.
- Stir in the chicken and veggies. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through. You’ll know it’s done when the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This old fashioned chicken ala king is delicious when spooned over biscuits (as shown here). Just bake off a can of refrigerated biscuits on a busy weeknight, or try our favorite flaky biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, or these easy buttermilk biscuits. The creamy chicken and veggies are also great with rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or puff pastry shells.
On the side, try a simple green salad dressed in Dijon vinaigrette, honey mustard dressing, or lemon vinaigrette, a cucumber tomato and onion salad, southern style green beans, or 3-ingredient roasted yellow squash.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Chicken ala King
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup milk or cream
- Optional additional seasoning such as ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, and/or onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sherry (optional)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ of a green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
- Optional for serving: biscuits, rice, or pasta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a medium (about 1 ½ – 2 quart) casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In the prepared dish, whisk together condensed soup and milk. If you like, this is a great time to add even more flavor with some extra herbs and spices (for instance, try ¼ teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried parsley, dried basil, garlic powder, and onion powder) or a splash of sherry.
- Stir in the uncooked chicken, mushrooms, bell pepper, and pimentos. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bake uncovered until the dish is hot and bubbly, the chicken is cooked through, and the vegetables are tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Stir about halfway through to ensure even cooking. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Serve over hot biscuits, cooked rice, or pasta.
Notes
- Condensed cream of chicken soup is a great shortcut for this creamy sauce. You can sub with a different flavor, such as cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup, too. And if you’re watching your fat and sodium intake, look for the Heart Healthy variety.
- Prefer to start with cooked chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken) or even cooked turkey? No problem! You’ll need about 2 – 2 ½ cups of the cooked, diced or shredded meat. Just stir it right into the dish with the vegetables. The baking time will be about the same, because you need to allow the veggies to soften in the oven.
Nutrition
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- You can freeze chicken ala king; however, the vegetables will likely have a mushier texture when thawed.
- To reheat, place the mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir just until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave until warm.
Delicious and comforting!
– Abby
More Dump-and-Bake Chicken Recipes
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole
45 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Salsa Chicken
55 minutes mins
Originally published in July, 2018, this post was updated in June, 2025.
Blair, do you think this recipe would work in a Crockpot? If so, how long do you think it would need to cook? Thanks!
Hi, Ann! Yes, I do! You just want to cook it long enough to cook the chicken all of the way through. You can put whole chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH, and then shred the chicken in the pot at the end. In the alternative, you can pre-dice the chicken (as the recipe states), which would shorten the cooking time in the slow cooker. In that case, you would probably only need about 3-4 hours on LOW or 1-2 hours on HIGH. I would also recommend stirring the pot at least once or twice during the cooking time to make sure that the cream sauce stays “creamy” and smooth. 🙂
A super tasty dish which I remember having for supper on Saturday evenings, whenever my sister & I would spend the weekend with our grandparents. I love that it’s made in one vessel w/o a mess. Do you bake your own homemade (buttermilk?) biscuits, or use the popular brand which comes in a ‘tube’? Better yet, do you have an easy recipe for drop buttermilk biscuits? Thanks for reminding me about this wonderful dish, Blair! I’m anxious to serve it to my family, and I’m sure they’ll love it just as much as I did when I was a kid.
Thanks so much for your note, Angelina! I hope that you’ll get to try it soon and that it will bring back good memories!
I occasionally make my own biscuits at home using this recipe (you can omit the cheddar and chives, if desired): https://www.theseasonedmom.com/cheddar-chive-bacon-biscuits/
I also have a recipe for easy drop biscuits from my Aunt Bee, which I will try to post on the blog soon! Thanks for that reminder. 🙂 On an average weeknight, though, I typically just buy a “tube” of the refrigerated dough and bake those. My kids love them (and the similar crescent rolls).
Blair I haven’t had Chicken-a-la-King since I was a child! This brought back so many memories. We always had it over buttered toasted bread and it was so yummy!
I am totally making this dish this week. But there will be just 1 thing that I will change, we both prefer chicken thighs so I’m just going to sub them out. I personally just think that have way more flavor and we buy them when they are on sale and hubby skins and de-bones them for quick dinners. Other than that I will stick to the recipe.
Thanks for bringing back good memories and an awesome affordable dinner that I had completely forgotten about.
The chicken thigh meat will work perfectly, Paula! And I love the idea of serving it over buttered bread. Great option!
Enjoy the little throwback to your childhood. 🙂
I just love dump and bake. I made the chicken with Soy Vay tonight. It was fabulous.
http://www.motownsavvy.com
Awesome, Carla! They’re definitely the easiest way to cook!
Yum. Talk about delicious! I’m craving all the warm comforting foods on these cold winter nights so I need to make this!
Yes!!! So cozy!
Hi Blair,
I.m sure you could make this even quicker by microwaving it. That would be great in hot climates, like Florida.
It would probably take 20 to 30 minutes. No extra heat in the kitchen.
That’s true, Diane! You could probably microwave it, but you’d definitely want to stir it regularly to make sure that it cooks evenly. 🙂
I just recently “found” your blog and have been enjoying exploring it 🙂 Just wanted to let you know I’ve made this recipe a few times now for my family and it’s so delicious every time! My kids love it garnished with shredded cheddar cheese. It also has become my new “go-to” recipe for bringing a meal to a family with difficulties or a new baby. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Carla! Thank you so much for your kind note! I’m so happy to hear that your family (and your friends) have enjoyed the recipe!
My mother used to make pie shells in muffin cups ans serve the chicken a la king in them. I however prefer Mary B’s biscuits.
Both of those options sound delicious! 🙂
Hi, Jaye! This recipe doesn’t include the sour cream and milk that the other recipe calls for. Those two ingredients make me nervous when freezing, because they have a tendency to “break” when thawed. Not always — but sometimes. It usually has to do with how much of the sauce is cream based. If it’s a small amount, the casserole might freeze fine. And these condensed soups work perfectly well for freezer meals. 🙂
Delicious and comforting!
CanJudy you use already cooked chicken.in this?
Hey, Judy! Yes! I would suggest using 2-3 cups of cooked, diced chicken. Enjoy!
I am going to use left over turkey and was wondering how long to bake it for since the turkey is already cooked? thanks!
Hi, Pauline! I would stick with that same general cooking timeframe, since you want to make sure that the vegetables have enough time to soften in the oven. If you want to shorten the time, you can saute the bell pepper and mushrooms in a skillet before combining the ingredients. If you do that, then you can decrease the baking time with the cooked turkey and pre-cooked veggies to about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!