Nestlé: Chicken a la King

Sometimes I'm feeling nostalgic.  Sometimes I'm feeling nostalgic for something I didn't eat very often.  Sometimes I'm feeling nostalgic for something that came out of a freezer box and went into the microwave.  Okay, I admit it, I actually liked the Stouffer's frozen meals.  I still do.  When you don't feel like moving your exhausted body into the kitchen to do more than press buttons, those little meals are a lifesaver.

The one meal I really liked was Chicken a la King.  For a long time I thought this was just something that came from a box and that no one actually made it.  But then one day I ran across an actual recipe.  And the actual recipe turns out something that tastes just like the box.  It's bland and full of cream and probably bad for you, but it's good in a bad way.  And it's not that hard to make, especially if you have some leftover rotisserie chicken sitting in the fridge, staring you down.

Chicken a la King
Adapted from Nestlé

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

¼ cup chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

3 large egg yolks, beaten

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat

2 tablespoons diced pimento

2 tablespoons dry sherry

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, green pepper, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender but not brown.  Stir in flour, salt, and paprika.  Gradually add evaporated milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Whisk 1 cup of thickened sauce into egg yolks; pour into saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil again.  Stir in chicken, pimento, and sherry.  Heat through.

Makes 4 servings