Chicken à la king is a dish consisting of diced chicken in a cream sauce, often with sherry, mushrooms, and vegetables, generally served over rice, noodles, or bread. It is also often served in a vol-au-vent or pastry case.
The origin of chicken à la king is obscure, and many theories have been proposed. One story is that Mr. and Mrs. Clark King of the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brooklyn, New York, invented the dish sometime around the turn of the 20th century.
Chicken a la King
Source: The Modern Club Book of Recipes, c. 1921; pub. The John C. Winston Company
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup button mushrooms
1/2 green pepper
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken
2 level tbsp. flour
Salt, paprika
1 pt. cream or rich milk
Cayenne pepper if desired
Melt butter in a chafing-dish or saucepan, but don't let it brown
add green pepper, minced fine, and cook 3 or 4 minutes without allowing it to brown
add flour and cook until frothy, then add cream or rich milk and stir until the sauce thickens.
Set in a double boiler over hot water. Add mushrooms cut in half and cooked chicken cut in cubes about an inch in size. Season with salt, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.