The Easy Way To Make Chicken A La King Feel Luxurious

There are so many delicious ways to use up leftover chicken that you'll never have to fret about food waste. A classic American dish that's highly customizable and brimming with flavor, chicken a la king is an ideal choice for times when you want comfort food with minimal effort. This meal typically uses leftover cooked chicken combined with vegetables like mushrooms and peas in a luscious, creamy sauce. When you've got the extra time to make an upscale chicken a la king recipe, there's one simple upgrade that takes the dish to royal status. A light and airy French vol-au-vent made from puff pastry makes an excellent vessel in which to present your chicken a la king, giving it an upside-down pot pie appearance and taste.

Just the look of a finely-crafted puff pastry is enough to elevate a basic dish to fine dining status. What's more? Working with puff pastry is fairly simple, provided you have the time and patience. You can even freeze and reheat your favorite chicken a la king recipe, allowing more time to get fancy with the puff pastry serving cup addition.

Working with puff pastry might seem intimidating, but it's actually rather simple, particularly given the wide variety of store-bought options available. The flaky dough makes an excellent complement to chicken a la king by changing up the texture and creating a fun, edible vessel out of which to enjoy the dish. To make mini vol-au-vent pastry cups, you only need a sheet of puff pastry, two round cookie cutters – one slightly larger than the other — and either water or a beaten egg to brush on top.

It's important to fully thaw your puff pastry prior to working with it. From there, you just need to roll it out on a lightly floured surface and then cut circles for the base and layer rings of the dough on top to form a cup, which will puff in the oven. For an even easier version of this, layer squares of puff pastry into a muffin tin and place cupcake liners filled with dry beans into each one to create the cup shape prior to baking. Any way you choose to do it, this will make your chicken a la king fly to new heights of picture-perfect presentation.