Leftover, perhaps even dry, chicken is transformed into an elegant party dish as it is cooked in a silky sauce of everything nice – butter, mushrooms, peppers and wine! A generous cupful of chicken stock adds a great depth, the result being a mild but a flavoursome treat that tastes great over crisp toasted bread!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups/300g small cubes of cooked boneless chicken – Refer notes (1) & (2)
75g sliced white cup/ button mushrooms
1 small green capsicum – cut into small cubes
3 tbsp/35g chopped bottled red peppers/ canned diced capsicum (Drained)
2 tbsp/30ml dry fortified wine/ dry white wine
1 cup/250ml chicken stock – preferably liquid stock (Tetra pack) or homemade
1 cup/250ml milk
⅓ cup/50g plain flour
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup/100g cubed butter
Very crisp toasted bread to serve
METHOD
1. Take the butter in a skillet and place it over low heat. Once melted and foaming, add the mushrooms and stir until all the slices are coated in butter. Season with salt. The fungi will release a good amount of water – continue cooking on low heat so that it softens.
2. Once the water dries up, stir in the green capsicum. We want it to retain its crunch for now – if cooked to the point where it softens, it will turn into a mush by the time the dish is done. Cook for a minute, stirring and tossing constantly.
3. The mushrooms should be light brown, the green capsicum still crunchy – at this point, mix in the flour. Stir continuously. The flour should lose its rawness but not change its colour much. Remove from heat once hot and bubbly.
4. Using a wire whisk, gradually incorporate the wine into the ‘roux’ (Cooked flour and butter). Return to low heat and cook for a good minute, whisking constantly. Pour in the stock & the milk similarly – slowly and whisking throughout. These techniques will help prevent any lumps.
5. Once all the liquid ingredients have been added to the sauce, sprinkle the nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust the salt & pepper accordingly. Remember that commercially available chicken stock contains both salt and black pepper. Not to forget, the mushrooms were seasoned with salt. Also bear in mind if you used salted butter.
6. Increase the heat and bring the silky sauce to a boil, still whisking. Reduce the heat and finally introduce the chicken to the pan. Simmer. Once you feel that the preparation is about to reach its desired consistency, add the red peppers/ capsicum. (It will thicken further as it cools.) Cook for a minute or so.
7. Let Chicken à la King rest for 5 minutes, during which the chicken will absorb more moisture and flavour from the sauce. Serve on toast.
NOTES
1. This recipe is not just a genius way to use leftover chicken, like a roast, but also to create an elegant party dish with it. It’s probably the best thing that you can do with a chicken preparation that turned out too dry. As the meat simmers in the milk, stock and wine sauce, it becomes more moist.
2. We suggest cutting the chicken into really small cubes as that is more suitable for serving on toast. It also ensures that no-one gets to know if your chicken is dry!
3. Mushrooms, like a piece of sponge, absorb a lot of water. Washing prevents them from soaking up other flavours during the cooking process. It also results in mushrooms that are less crisp. Buy mushrooms with as little visible dirt as possible, then simply clean them using a moist kitchen towel.
4. For parties, remove the edges of bread slices, cut each into quarters, and then toast. Place a spoonful of Chicken à la King on each and garnish with mixed capsicums for elegant canapés.
5. Regardless of the dish, always start with butter in a cold pot or pan. Heating the utensil first and then adding butter will cause it to burn instantly.
