Chicken Á La King

A special occasion like a good family dinner! We loved this recipe, and while I ate one serving, my husband wound up eating three--but then he exercises a lot. Used leftover turkey from wings & back, homemade turkey stock, subbed 2TB white wine and 1 TB lemon juice for sherry (no sherry in the house at the moment), added a heaping tsp. of chicken better-than-bouillon paste instead of salt, and added a sprinkle of herbs de provence and a hearty dash of Tabasco sauce. I think the cream cheese is a must, as it adds a richness and tang to the dish. Served over sliced corn muffins with a side of steamed broccoli. So good on a cold night!

I'm always a little irritated when someone posts all the changes they made to a recipe before they have tried it. It just seems unfair to the original. However, I had to make some substitutes out of necessity, not because I felt I could improve the original recipe. In this case I used canned chicken, canned mushrooms and omitted the cream cheese. I added a bit more flour and used some half-n-half. After a couple of taste tests I added a shake or two of cayenne. My husband loved it - three helpings. For me, it would be much better with fresh chicken, fresh mushrooms and as written. Next time I will follow recipe to a T, but am always happy when hubby is happy.

My family does not enjoy mushrooms, so I substituted 3 cups of chopped sauteed veggies instead (cabbage, celery, carrots, peppers of various colors). I also used a variety of dried herbs from my garden instead as it is early spring and my herbs are still seedlings. The result was delicious. I think each cook will need to adjust the seasonings to suit his or her taste, but the texture and consistency were great. I served it with fluffy soda biscuits instead of bread. Leftovers reheat beautifully on the stove top if you add a little broth. A new family favorite.

My mom used to make a version with hard-boiled eggs when I was growing up. I love this version even better and now make it for my daughter who also loves it. It is certainly different than the standard version, but still yummy and now also healthy!

I thought this was just ok. Kind of bland.