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Diced chicken, plenty of fresh vegetables, and a creamy sauce simmer together in one dish for a quick, easy, and low-calorie dinner with just 10 minutes of prep! Serve this Dump-and-Bake Chicken a la King over biscuits, rice, or pasta for a weeknight meal that’s fit for royalty.
That’s right — thanks to lots of fresh vegetables and lean protein, you can enjoy a light, comforting dinner that only tastes indulgent!
What is Chicken à la King?
Chicken à la King (or “King Style Chicken”) is a dish made with diced chicken in a cream sauce, which also often includes sherry, mushrooms, and vegetables. The creamy chicken is served over rice, noodles, or bread.
The origin of the recipe is not clear. Some accounts claim that it was created by Delmonico’s chef Charles Ranhofer as Chicken à la Keene in the 1880s, and named after Foxhall Parker Keene. Others say that chef George Greenwald of the Brighton Beach Hotel created it in 1898, naming it after patron E. Clarke King II and his wife. There are a few other stories as to why the dish is called Chicken à la King, but one thing is for sure — the Fannie Farmer Cookbook includes a recipe for Chicken à la King in the 1906 update, and the dish became a popular staple in the United States during the middle to late 20th century.
How to make Chicken ala King:
This easy Chicken ala King recipe has been simplified to make it a quick dump-and-bake meal that you can serve on your busiest weeknights.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- Condensed Cream of Chicken soup
- Milk or cream
- Chicken breasts
- Sliced fresh mushrooms
- Green bell pepper
- Diced pimentos
- Sherry
To prepare this easy chicken dinner, just stir together your uncooked chicken, raw veggies, and creamy gravy in one dish!
Bake the chicken in a 350 degree F oven for about 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so to ensure even cooking.
What to serve with the creamy chicken and vegetables:
A classic Chicken ala King recipe is served with:
- biscuits (our vehicle of choice!)
- toast
- puff pastry
- rice
- pasta
The options are truly endless, so feel free to pick any easy addition that your family will love!
Can you freeze Chicken ala King?
Absolutely! This is the ultimate make ahead meal!
You can assemble the casserole and keep it covered in your refrigerator for a few hours until you’re ready to bake it (this is ideal for busy moms who want to get dinner prepared during nap time).
To freeze the Chicken a la King, I suggest baking the dish first. Then allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag to store in the freezer for up to 3 months. This meal prep idea will be a lifesaver during a busy season!
I hope that you enjoy the simple Southern supper just as much as my family does. It’s one of those great kid-friendly options that makes mealtime just a little bit less stressful!
More easy chicken recipes that you might enjoy:
- Farmhouse Chicken and Bisquick Dumplings
- 5-Ingredient Baked Chicken Breast
- Dump-and-Bake Pesto Chicken
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Cacciatore
Dump-and-Bake Chicken a la King
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (NOT diluted) (I used Campbell's Healthy Request)
- ½ cup milk or cream
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 ounce jar diced pimientos, drained
- 1 teaspoon sherry (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
- Optional for serving: biscuits, rice or pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a medium (about 1 ½ quart) casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared dish, whisk together condensed soup and milk. Stir in uncooked chicken, mushrooms, bell pepper, and pimientos. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Remove from oven when the dish is hot and bubbly and the chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley just before serving.
- Serve over hot biscuits, cooked rice, or pasta.
Notes
- You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it.
- To freeze for a later date, I suggest baking the dish first (according to the recipe instructions). Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat gently in the oven at 350 degrees until warm, or reheat on the stovetop over low heat until warm.
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! 🙂
I just commented on another recipe with mushrooms and cream sauce and you said it doesnt freeze well, but this recipe your saying freezes well, am I missing something?
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!