Sapphires....Here's my recipe for shrimp & mushroom vol au vent in which you could substitute chicken pieces or flaked tuna or salmon. Serve it over toast or mashed potatoes instead of the vol au vent pastry shells and leave out the cream, the sherry or whatever you don't have on hand. I make it richer for the shrimp version which we have on Christmas Eve.
It can be made very quickly. I also like to add kernels of corn.

My mom often made chicken a la king on toast for lunches when I was small and I always loved it!

4 servings *

2 cups medium bechamel
2/3 cup cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tsp Knorr dry Onion Soup Mix (or prepare 1 - 2 TBS caramelized fresh minced onion if you have time)
1 cup frozen peas - cooked
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced thinly and sautéed in butter
25 medium sized shrimp, cooked, peeled and cleaned with tails removed
fresh ground black pepper
4 vol au vent casings
chopped parsley and paprika to decorate

1) Prepare bechamel and when thickened add onion.

2) Add cream gradually, then sherry, while whisking.

3) Add cooked frozen peas and mushrooms and stir with wooden spoon. Add cooked shrimp and heat gently for a couple of minutes, stirring carefully..

4) Taste and adjust for salt. Grind in some black pepper.

5) Serve over warmed vol au vent casings, sprinkle with chopped parsley and paprika.

* Depending on the size of the vol au vent casings and if this is to be a main course or small appetiser, you may have more servings.

SharonCb

Sorry I don;t have an exact recipe but I make it very much like Sharon.

First I poach the chicken in half cream and half chicken broth. Poach just until cooked through.... maybe 10-12 minutes. reserve the liquid.

Then I prepare a standard roux using equal parts butter and flour. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over medium low heat for a minute or two. Do not let it brown.

Add the cream/broth mixture from the chicken to the roux making a nice thick sauce.

Add sherry, salt and pepper to the sauce.

Meanwhile saute sliced button mushrooms in butter or olive oil.

Add frozen peas, sauted mushroooms and cubed chicken to the sauce. Bring everything to a very low simmer until the chicken is heated through.

Serve over voul au vent shells (bought in the frozen food section and cooked as per package directions).

We also like it served over noodles or with mashed potatoes. I have even made it this way and served as a pot pie topped with puff pastry. Mind you when I do that I also add some cooked sliced carrots.

Sautee a couple of tablespoons of chopped onion in a very little bit of butter... add 2 cups bechamel, about a cup and a half of cooked cubed chicken white meat, about 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed and blotted dry, 2 T cocktail dry sherry and 2 T chopped roasted red peppers.
Skiced sauteed mushrooms are good added too.
I like it served over toast points.
Linda c

I use a Velouté Sauce instead of béchamel sauce, since I can't have milk. I like to have it with wide Dutch noodles. My mushroom velouté sauce can be made into chicken a la king by the addition of poached chicken meat.

Lars

Thank you all so much for your help.

Sapphires

Oh Sappires I am sure we were a wee bit late with the help...but hope your meal went well.