Yesterday I did a TBT cookbook review of Meat & Potatoes by Judith Choate. Published in 1992, the book is filled with classic recipes. Some, I think, so classic you may not have ever had them. Here’s one I remember from the 1950s. Yes, I was alive then and eating every day. My mom made this dish, but I suspect this recipe may be a tad elevated.
Make this once, and you’ll know why it was so very popular for decades. Make this once, and it will be popular for you decades into the future.
Chicken a la King
Yield: serves6
Ingredients:
- 9 pieces homemade-style white bread
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup minced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups hot heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 cup hot chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- ¼ chopped pimentos [optional]
- 2 large egg yolks
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Toast bread. Trim off crusts and cut in half diagonally. Set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add mushrooms, celery, and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until mushrooms have exuded most of their moisture and vegetables are soft. Add remaining butter. When melted, stir in flour until it has absorbed the fat. Pour in cream and chicken stock, whisking constantly. When well combined, add chicken, 1 tablespoon parsley, and pimentos, if using. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.
Whisk a bit of the hot liquid into the egg yolks. Then whisk eggs into chicken mixture. Add salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place three toast points on each of six warm serving plates. Place equal portions of Chicken a la King on top of each serving. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve immediately.
NOTE: Chicken a la King also may be served over rice or in commercially prepared puff pastry shells.
Source: Meat & Potatoes by Judith Choate [Simon & Schuster, 1992]