This Chicken a la King recipe is a simple and delicious comfort food recipe made with fresh mushrooms, sweet peas, and chicken in a creamy sauce served over gluten-free rolls, rice, or gluten-free pasta.
You’ll definitely want to add this recipe to your menu, it will be requested time and time again! The chicken combined with the creamy sauce and vegetables makes it the perfect dish to serve for dinner. It is also great reheated for leftovers the next day!
For more delicious family-friendly dinner ideas that are also gluten-free, check out our Gluten Free Chicken Tortilla Soup, Sheet Pan Pork Chops and Potatoes, Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole and Chicken Bacon Ranch Tatertot Casserole.
This easy Chicken a la King dish is made with canned foods to help keep it simple and affordable. Plus, limit the number of shopping trips you have to make during the week.
It is a great go-to recipe when your meal plan doesn’t go as planned. You can quickly turn to this recipe by always keeping the ingredients on hand.
Using canned foods also helps cut food waste, which is something we are trying hard to be more cognizant about these days. Canned food portion sizes are just right, and most recipes (like this one!) are designed around these sizes.
Our recipe can easily be made on the stovetop, in the Instant pot or crockpot. To get started, gather the ingredients then follow the written instructions or printable recipe card below. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
- 2 cups cubed chicken ✅
- 1 cup chicken broth ✅
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
- 1 cup milk, divided
- 15 oz. can sweet peas, drained ✅
- 2 oz. jar pimentos, drained
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- Serve with gluten-free rolls, pasta, or rice
Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.
How To Make on the Stove Top
- In a large skillet or saucepan, sauté olive oil, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent.
- Add butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in flour and let cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, allowing it to return to a simmer before adding more liquid. Slowly whisk in milk, allowing it to return to a simmer before adding more liquid.
- Stir in chicken, peas, salt, pepper, and pimentos. Serve hot.
Pro Tip: If a recipe calls for a small onion, dice a large onion and freeze the extras.
How To Make in the Instant Pot
- Turn instant pot to sauté mode. Sauté olive oil, butter, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken broth, chicken (we recommend raw chicken, diced), salt and pepper. Cover and pressure cook high for 7 minutes. Quick-release once finished.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and add the peas and pimentos into the instant pot mixture.
- To thicken, whisk together 2 tbsp of gluten-free flour or cornstarch to 2 tbsp milk. Set aside. Turn to sauté mode. Whisk in the flour/milk slurry mixture. Bring it to a simmer. The mixture should start to thicken as it heats.
How To Make in the Crockpot
- In a medium-sized skillet, sauté olive oil, butter, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent. Add to your crockpot.
- Add chicken broth and chicken (we recommend raw chicken, diced) to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- To thicken, whisk together 2 tbsp of flour or cornstarch to 2 tbsp milk. Set aside. To the chicken mixture in the crockpot, slowly whisk in the rest of the milk and add the peas and pimentos or other veggies.
- Whisk in the flour/milk slurry mixture. Continue cooking to bring it to a simmer. The mixture should start to thicken as it heats.
What Kind of Chicken To Use
- Canned chicken – drain 1-2 cans of chicken and add to the pot.
- Boiled chicken – add 2-3 chicken breasts to a pot of boiling water and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, shred & add to the pot.
- Baked chicken – place 3-4 chicken thighs on a baking dish and put in a preheated (375 degrees Fahrenheit) oven and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop cooked chicken into chunks or strips and add to the pot. Or use last night’s leftovers!
- Frozen cooked chicken – buy cooked chicken strips in the frozen aisle at the grocery store and add to the pot (you will need to let the sauce simmer until the chicken is hot)
Substitutions
- Swap the chicken in this recipe for tuna to make a delicious Tuna a la king or turkey for Turkey a la king
- Add a can of carrots or sauteed bell peppers along with the green peas
- Let the chicken, peas & pimentos simmer in the sauce for 5-10 minutes for more flavor
- If you don’t have a can of pimentos or do not care for the flavor, you can go ahead and leave them out. Add extra veggies such as canned corn or French-style green beans if you’re looking for more of a veggie-packed meal.
- Serve over gluten-free pasta, gluten-free bread toasted, sliced gluten-free rolls that have been broiled, rice or gluten-free biscuits
- If your family is not huge fans of mushrooms, we recommend chopping the mushrooms to be the same size as the onions. This is a great way to add any vegetable to a recipe – the smaller the piece, the less likely your kids will pick it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you do end up with leftovers, this recipe is great to store in the refrigerator. Store the chicken ala king separate from the pasta, rolls, biscuits or rice.
Simply microwave in increments until warm for lunch or dinner the next day.
Along with the pasta, rolls, biscuits or rice, we typically serve a roasted vegetable recipe. Recently, we have been enjoying Roasted Frozen Cauliflower or Roasted Frozen Broccoli because of how quick and easy they are to make.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- You can tell onions are done being sauteed when they start to smell sweet and are translucent (or clear).
- Swap the can of peas with a bag of frozen peas.
- Drain the can of pimentos really well – you don’t want the juice from the pimentos to change the color of your creamy sauce.
More Chicken Recipes
- Greek Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Pie Crust
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Shredded Chicken Skillet Nachos
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Chicken A La King Recipe (Instant Pot + Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
- 2 cups cubed chicken ✅
- 1 cup chicken broth ✅
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
- 1 cup milk, divided
- 15 ounce can sweet peas, drained ✅
- 2 ounce jar pimentos, drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Serve with gluten-free rolls, pasta, or rice
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- ⭐️Turn instant pot to saute mode. Saute olive oil, butter, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent.1 small onion, diced, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
- ⭐️Add chicken broth, chicken (I'd recommend raw chicken, diced), salt and pepper. Cover and pressure cook high for 7 minutes. Quick-release once finished.2 cups cubed chicken, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Slowly whisk in the milk and add the peas and pimentos into the instant pot mixture.15 ounce can sweet peas, drained, 1 cup milk, divided, 2 ounce jar pimentos, drained
- To thicken, whisk together 2 tbsp of flour or cornstarch to 2 tbsp milk. Set aside. Turn to saute mode. Whisk in the flour/milk slurry mixture. Bring it to a simmer. The mixture should start to thicken as it heats.1 cup milk, divided, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
Stove Top Instructions
- ⭐️In a large skillet or saucepan, saute olive oil, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent.
- ⭐️Add butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and let cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, allowing it to return to a simmer before adding more liquid. Slowly whisk in milk, allowing it to return to a simmer before adding more liquid.
- ⭐️Stir in chicken, peas, salt, pepper, and pimentos. Serve hot.
Notes
- Swap the chicken in this recipe for tuna to make a delicious Tuna a la king or turkey for Turkey a la king
- Add in can of carrots or sauteed bell peppers along with the green peas
- Let the chicken, peas & pimentos simmer in the sauce for 5-10 minutes for more flavor
- If you don’t have a can of pimentos or do not care for the flavor, you can go ahead and leave them out. Add extra veggies such as canned corn or French-style green beans if you’re looking for more of a veggie-packed meal.
- Serve over gluten-free pasta, gluten-free bread toasted, sliced gluten-free rolls that have been broiled, rice or gluten-free biscuits
- If your family are not huge fans of mushrooms, we recommend chopping the mushrooms to be the same size as the onions. This is a great way to add any vegetable to a recipe – the smaller the piece, the less likely your kids will pick it out.
Nutrition
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Kelly says
This looks amazing! Can you taste the pimentos in there? I don’t know what kind of flavor they have.
Shabanam says
Thanks for sharing!
Jeanette Melahn says
Thank you, this was very good. I cut up chicken tenders and baby Bella’s because I had both of them on hand. Also added white wine with the broth. So easy and quick, husband loved it.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Jeanette! I love your additions. Sound delish!