Quick one pan Chicken a la King

Today I was wondering what to do with a package of chicken tenders I had in the fridge that wasn't the same old breaded and baked or fried. First thing that came to mind was my mom's chicken and dumplings, but I'm far to lazy for that. Plus, they're better if the chicken is on the bone, because it's the broth that makes them so good. Instead I thought back to something I enjoyed as a kid served over toast. Chicken a la King, a staple of the 60s and maybe 70s, sounded about right. 

This is a quick, thrown together version that came from what I had sitting on my pantry shelves, so if you want gourmet, from scratch Chicken a la King, this isn't the recipe for you. But it's really creamy, and makes a filling, comfort food kind of meal with lots of gravy to serve over toast, mashed potatoes or rice.

Hope you enjoy.

Quick Chicken a la King

The Recipe:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or two large breasts)

1 can cream of chicken soup, low sodium (or whatever you prefer)

1 can cream of celery soup, low sodium

1/2 medium yellow onion, minced

1 can mixed veggies, drained (such as Veg-All, or cook your own combo of carrots, peas, etc, about 2 cups)

1 1/2 C chicken broth, plus 1/4 cup

1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

salt and pepper to taste

The Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the soups and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a large (12 inch) skillet, brown the chicken. This is more than a pound of chicken. I'll use the leftover to make a chicken salad later, which I'll share here as well.

Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup chicken broth, scraping the pan to loosen up all those yummy bits. Add the minced onion and cook until transparent, about 3-5 minutes. 

Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the soup mixture and veggies. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Combine corn starch with a little bit of broth or water to make a slurry, then add to the pan. Allow the gravy to thicken, then salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve over mashed potatoes (pictured), rice or toast (my favorite as a kid).

Enjoy! Please comment with questions or suggests. Love to hear from you.