Entrée — Chicken à la King (Southern Style) by dvdlee

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Entree -- Chicken a la King (Southern Style)
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 9:50 am

DESCRIPTION
Entree -- Chicken a la King (Southern Style)

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
Nothing is quite so quintessencially "Southern" as Chicken a la King to me. While today it is frequently a terrible dish made with canned soup (blech!) or commercial 'helps' the truly homemade Chicken a la King deserves it's special place: rich, opulent, with overwhelming flavors and textures -- which stimulates the entire mouth with its classic tastes of well-seasoned cream and chicken accented with the mild pepper and sweet green peas, blended with the hot, flaky taste of the biscuit base.

I give two versions -- both are very, very good -- they share similarities -- but are slightly different. (It's hard to choose between them!)

1 chicken (around 3-4#)
5 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth (you will use 1 & 1/2 cups of broth)
1 bay leaf
1 small onion stuck with 2 cloves
2 whole allspice buds
1 carrot (peeled, and diced into large cubes)
3 ribs celery (diced into large cubes)
Salt to taste
8 peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 & 1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping)
Fresh grated pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 egg yolks, beaten
3/4 cup thin sliced mushrooms
1/3 to 1/2 cup diced jarred pimientos (well-drained)
1/2 cup frozen baby peas (thawed) - optional
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
Hot biscuits

In a large dutch oven or stewer, put the chicken (either whole or cut-up) with water/stock, bay leaf, onion, allspice, carrot, celery, salt and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, partially cover and simmer 30-45 minutes (until the chicken is tender and done). Let cool in broth.

Remove the chicken and strain the broth through a double layer of cheesecloth. Discard solids from the broth. If the broth sweems weak, boil it down quickly until reduced by one third or half its original volume. Remove the white meat from the chicken and dice. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter until the butter foams. Add the flour and stir with a wire whisk for 1-2 minutes so that the flour is cooked, but the roux has not browned. Add 1 & 1/2 cup of the reserved broth. Whisk together well until smooth. Cook further around 5 minutes -- adjust salt & pepper to taste. Reduce heat and add the cream (I think the cream combines better when its at room temp.). Add lemon juice and blend. Remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks together and then gradually add around 1/2 cup of the sauce to temper the egg yolks. Add the yolk/sauce mixture to the rest of the sauce, stirring well while adding the tempered yolk mixture. Blend together well. Add diced white meat to the sauce. Let sauce heat on the lowest heat setting, stirring occasionally.

In a skillet melt 1 Tablespoon of butter. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms give up their moisture. Continue to saute and sear the mushrooms until almost all of the liquid is reduced. (Don't stir the mushrooms too frequently, you want them to sear and brown a bit.)

Add sauted mushrooms, Sherry, Tabasco, peas (if used) and pimientos to the hot sauce just before serving. Adjust salt, pepper and Tabasco and serve immediately over split hot buttermilk biscuits.

3 Tablespoons minced onion
8 Tablespoons butter (3+1+4) (you can increase the 3 measures by 1 Tablespoon each usage to give a total of 11 Tablespoons!, but I think that's overkill!)
2 cups diced white chicken meat (bone-in breasts are best)
2/3 cup dry white wine OR dry vermouth OR 3 Tablespoons dry sherry
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup strong chicken stock
1 cup half and half or cream
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper***
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Swiss Cheese
1/2 lb. thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen baby peas (defrosted) -- optional
1 large and 1 small jars of diced pimento peppers, well-drained (or 2 large jars, whatever your preference)

***To measure a pinch. Pour some cayenne pepper in the palm of your hand. Using the thumb and forefinger pick up a big "pinch" of the pepper. This will be slightly less than 1/8 of a teaspoon.

DIRECTIONS:

Put 2-3 bone-in chicken breasts in a saute pan. Add enough low-sodium chicken broth to almost cover and bring to a gently boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and poach breasts until done. Let cool in broth. Remove chicken and dice chicken so that you have at least 2 cups of white meat. Strain liquid through a double layer of cheesecloth. If the broth seems weak, quickly boil it down by 1/3 or so. The stock should be strong and flavorful. (You can add a little peeled onion, diced carrot and celery to the broth while poaching if desired.)

In a 3-qt. saucepan, cook the onions and 3 Tablespoons butter together over low heat for 5 minutes or so. Add chicken meat and continue to cook for 2 minutes (still on low). Add the wine/vermouth/sherry. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat and boil rapidly until all of the liquid has almost evaporated. Add salt & pepper. Set aside.

Put 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet or saucepan and saute mushrooms until mushrooms are seared and their liquid has been released and reduced. Put aside.

In a clean saucepan melt 4 Tablespoons butter over medium heat until almost foaming. Add flour and whisk to form a roux and cook for 2 minutes or so. Do not let the roux brown. While browning the roux, heat 1 cup of chicken stock to boiling. The half and half should also be warm or at least at room temp. Remove roux from heat and whisk in the boiling stock. Then slowly add the 1/2 n 1/2.

Blend together the egg yolks and whipping cream, slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot sauce to yolks and cream, while stirring. Add the yolk mixture slowly back to the sauce. Blend well. Return to the heat and slowly cook the sauce until it thickens. Add chicken and sauteed mushrooms. Add grated cheese, Tabasco sauce, green peas (if used), and pimentoes and adjust the seasoning.

If too thick, add additional strong broth or cream.

Serve piping hot over split biscuits.

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