Chicken a la King Tartlets
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here. All sources used in research for this post are linked in the text.Welcome back to the 1920’s Halloween series! You’re in for a cozy treat today.
It’s officially fall in Portland! The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and I ordered my first hot drink of the season today (a devilwood flower honey latte if you were curious)! And if you ask me, one of the best foods to eat on a crisp fall day is a warm chicken pot pie, and this recipe comes pretty close.
What’s Chicken a la King?
Chicken a la king may have fallen out of popularity a bit in our time, but it is vastly underrated in my opinion, and is a quality comfort food. There was a time however, when it was the coolest (or hottest?) dish in the culinary world. In 1985, food writer Calvin Trillin wrote in The Nation, “There was a time - In the 1950’s say, when the whole country seemed to be awash in chicken a la King.” If you’re not familiar, chicken a la king is tender chicken, mushrooms, pimentos, and usually peas or green peppers in a creamy sauce. It often includes sherry as well, but our version today is alcohol-free. It’s traditionally served over noodles or rice, but these mini tartlets transform this traditional dish into a great appetizer or party dish.
Origin
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this dish first came to be, but the most common story is that it was invented by the chef at the Brighton Beach Hotel for the owners, whose last name was King, some time in the 1890’s. It sold for $1.25 a plate (I wish, am I right?)! The first recorded public recipes for chicken a la king were in Fannie Merritt Farmer’s Boston Cooking School Cookbook in 1896, in which there were actually two separate recipes for this dish!
History
One of the things I like the most about dishes like this is that they have a little bit of everything - some protein, some dairy, some veggies, some carbs, all the good stuff. These “little bit of everything” meals started becoming more popular in the early 1900’s because of an increase in refrigeration technology, which made it easier to keep fresh ingredients (even though most families couldn’t yet afford a refrigerator, and had cool food storage rooms instead). During this time, there was also a jump in scientific research on essential vitamins and minerals, which lead to people eating a more varied diet.
This dish may seem a bit hearty for a party (haha that rhymed), but I guarantee that they’ll look beautiful at any small holiday gathering, and people will be impressed!
Step-By-Step Walk-through:
If you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills and want to skip the walk-through, click here.
Step 1:
Make the Crust Dough
Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
Measure out ⅓ cup of the flour mixture into a separate small bowl and mix in ¼ cup cool water.
Into the remaining dry flour mixture, use your hands to rub in ½ cup cold butter that has been cut into chunks until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs and no pieces larger than a large pea remain.
Mix water mixture into butter mixture (you may have to use your hands here as well).
Use hands to form dough into a rough ball, careful not to overwork it (this will make the crust tougher). Form the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Step 2:
Bake the Crusts
After the dough is refrigerated, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and unwrap dough from plastic wrap, placing on a lightly floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out, about ⅛ inch thick.
Cut 12 4½ - inch circles from the dough with a round cookie cutter.
Press gently into an ungreased muffin tin to form small pie bases.
If needed, gently run a knife along the top edge of the little pies once pressed into the tins to straighten the edges.
Re-roll scraps to cut more circles as needed, but keep in mind that the more the dough is rolled, the less flaky and crisp it will be after baking.
(Optional) You can use any leftover scraps by cutting out small decorations and baking them separately on a baking sheet for about seven minutes. These make great decorations for the tops of the tartlets!
To get a shiny finish, brush them with a little beaten egg before baking.
Press a roughly 4-inch square of parchment paper into each crust and fill with ceramic baking beads or dried peas or beans to weigh down the crust and help it keep its shape while baking (this step is optional but will make more room for filling).
Bake 15-18 minutes until crisp and browned on the edges.
Step 3:
Make Sauce
Melt 2½ tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
While the butter is melting, measure out 1 ¾ cups of milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon paprika, and 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour. If you want your dish to be a little garlickier, mince 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic now as well (I used 1 teaspoon pre-minced garlic, which has less of a strong flavor).
Add minced garlic to the melted butter. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Add all-purpose flour. Turn heat to medium high. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2-4 minutes until lightly browned and smelling nutty.
Whisk in the milk and spices. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened and beginning to bubble (stop whisking occasionally to check if it’s begun to bubble yet). Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 4:
Prepare Filling Ingredients
Rinse 6 white button mushrooms in cool water, and slice them thinly.
Dice ¼ of a white onion.
For the chicken, you can either make some slow cooker shredded chicken (like this easy recipe) ahead of time, or you can get a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat from that. You’ll need one large or two small chicken breasts worth.
Also measure out 3 tablespoons of jarred pimentos, 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter, and ¾ cup frozen or fresh peas.
Step 5:
Cook Filling Ingredients
Place frozen peas in a large frying pan with 3 tablespoons of water. If you prefer to use fresh peas, skip this part and proceed to where the mushrooms and onions are added, adding the peas there.
Cover and place over medium heat, leaving to steam until peas are cooked through (about 6 minutes).
To the peas, add salted butter, mushrooms, and onions. Sautee over medium heat until the onions are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the shredded chicken and pimentos and turn heat to low, stirring until chicken is warmed through.
Pour in the sauce. If the sauce seems thin, turn heat to medium and let the mixture cook down, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened further.
Step 6:
Assemble Tarts
Use a large spoon to scoop the mixture into the prepared crusts.
If desired, sprinkle tops with some finely chopped parsley, then place your leftover pie crust leaves on top to decorate.
Chicken a la King Tartlets
Servings: 12 Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Difficulty: 🧡🧡🧡🧡🤍
Ingredients:
FOR CRUST
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup cool water
½ cup cold salted butter, chopped into small pieces
FOR SAUCE
2 ½ TBS. salted butter
1 tsp. or 1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 ½ TBS. all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups whole milk
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
⅛ tsp. Paprika
FOR FILLING
¾ cup frozen or fresh peas
1 ½ TBS. salted butter
6 white button mushrooms, rinsed and thinly sliced
¼ white onion, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small cooked chicken breasts, shredded (my slow cooker shredded chicken recipe or some rotisserie chicken would work great)
3 TBS. chopped jarred pimentos
(Optional) Finely chopped fresh parsley to decorate
Directions:
Step 1: Make the Crust Dough
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Measure out ⅓ cup of the flour mixture into a separate small bowl and mix in the water. Into the remaining dry flour mixture, use your hands to rub in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs and no pieces larger than a large pea remain. Mix water mixture into butter mixture. Use hands to form dough into a rough ball, careful not to overwork it (this will make the crust tougher). Form the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Bake the Crusts
After the dough is refrigerated, unwrap from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out, about ⅛ inch thick. Cut 12 4½ - inch circles from the dough with a round cookie cutter and press gently into an ungreased muffin tin to form small pie bases. Re-roll as needed, but keep in mind that the more the dough is rolled, the less flaky and crisp it will be after baking. Press a 4-inch square of parchment paper into each crust and fill with ceramic baking beads or dried peas or beans to weigh down the crust and help it keep its shape while baking (this step is optional but will make more room for filling). Bake 15-18 minutes until crisp and browned on the edges. (Optional additional decorative step) - If desired, use any leftover scraps to cut out small decorations with a small cookie cutter or knife. Brush them with a little beaten egg and bake 7 minutes on a baking sheet along with the crusts.
Step 3: Make Sauce
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic. Sautee 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Add flour. Turn heat to medium high. Cook, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned and smelling nutty. Whisk in milk and spices. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened and beginning to bubble (stop whisking occasionally to check if it’s begun to bubble yet). Remove from heat.
Step 4: Cook Filling Ingredients
Place frozen peas in a small frying pan with 3 tablespoons of water (if using fresh peas, skip the pre-cooking of the peas and continue to the next part). Cover and place over medium heat, leaving to steam until peas are cooked through (about 6 minutes). To the peas, add the butter, mushrooms, and onions. Sautee over medium heat until the onions are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the shredded chicken and chopped jarred pimentos and turn heat to low, stirring until chicken is warmed through. Pour in the sauce. If the sauce seems thin, turn heat to medium and let the mixture cook down, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened further.
Step 5: Assemble Tarts
Use a large spoon to scoop the mixture into the prepared crusts. If desired, sprinkle tops with finely chopped parsley and leftover crust decorations.