Chicken a la King

I was reading a foodie article (imagine that) and this little diddy made me giggle:

Victor saw a sign in the window of Barney's Restaurant, Droitwich Spa, UK, that read 'Unusual Breakfast'. Always an adventurous eater, Victor went in and sat down. The waitress brought him his pot of tea and asked him what he wanted to eat.

'What's does your unusual breakfast include?' he asked politely.

'Baked tongue of chicken!' she replied with a grin.

'Baked tongue of chicken?... baked tongue of chicken! Do you have any idea how disgusting that is? I would never even consider eating anything that came out of a chicken's mouth!' Victor cried.

Undaunted, the waitress asked, 'What would you like then?'

'Oh, just bring me some scrambled eggs,' Victor replied.

Life is good when you laugh!!

I had some extra chicken breasts thawed out, so I threw them in the crock to cook. I knew I'd use them within the next couple of days and since it was already cooked and ready to go, I decided to throw together Chicken a la King. It's got a rich creamy sauce, fresh veggies, and pimentos (which are simply a pickled red chili pepper). This can be served over rice or a bed of noodles. It's great with a salad and some crusty bread.

Did you know: Bakers used to be fined if their loaves were under weight, so they used to add an extra loaf to every dozen, just in case -- hence, the expression "baker's dozen". Well, there I go sharing useless information again. And here's a recipe for Chicken a la King. Enjoy!!

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (3 ounces)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
3 cups hot cooked rice

Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper and mushrooms in butter, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and pimientos; cook until hot. Serve over rice.