Tastes Like Vintage: Chicken a la King

Tweet

Vintage rooster planter by ClassicRetro

Anyone who was fed Chicken a la King during it's heyday in the mid century world of avocado green and harvest gold kitchens probably lumps it in the same canned-soup-as-sauce category as green beans with mushroom soup (a beloved casserole at Chez Recent History). Before the former was streamlined for the busy modern cook, it was a recipe of such elite pedigree that no fewer than four chefs were credited with its creation in the late 1800s. You can pick the origin of your choice: Delmonicos of New York, Claridges of London, the Brighton Beach Hotel of Brighton, England or the Bellevue Hotel of Philadelphia.

Chicken a la king is not exactly a complex recipe to make from scratch, making one wonder if the soupinization was the work of the marketing department of the large soup company that uses red and white colorblocked labels. It starts with a simple roux which becomes a savory white sauce with tasty chunks of meat and vegs swimming in it, poured over a slice of toast, a nest of rice or a bed of pasta depending on what strikes your fancy and what you have in your larder. If a cook from this century wanted to streamline matters, a fair choice would be to skip the soup in favor of the roux but use a package of conveniently pre-cooked chicken.

Vintage Dansk Kobenstyle saucepan by homebodyvintage

This recipe comes from the Better Homes Recipe Book, published by the Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper in 1933. Full disclosure, the book is listed in my shop now. It's one of my favorite kinds of vintage cookbooks, worn out from use, with penciled in notations from it's previous owner. Nobody wears out or writes in a cookbook they don't love. She made the note "very good" by this recipe and suggested possibly substituting peppers for the mushrooms.

Chicken a la King

Brock of California bowl by VintageGypsies

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups diced chicken
3/4 tsp. salt
1 pint milk
1 cup light cream
1 cup diced mushrooms (or peppers according to the former owner's note)

Melt butter and cook the mushrooms in it. Stir in flour and seasoning. Gradually add milk and cream, stirring constantly. When it has reached the boiling point, add chicken and set over hot water. Serve on hot toast.