Chicken ala Queen or is that Chicken ala Princess

Yes, you're right. Your eyes do not deceive you. The title DOES say Chicken ala Queen when by right it should be Chicken ala King. However, there IS a reason for it just like most times there IS a method to my madness.

You see, I dont like to discriminate by virtue of gender so why the heck should a King get credit for a dish when in all likelihood, it would have been the Queen that prepared it. Well actually, in all likelihood the kitchen damsels would have prepared it but thats another argument altogether.

I did a search for the
history of Chicken ala King and if you are interested too, well just click on the link.



I first made Chicken Ala King when I was in Uni. You see, during my first two University years, my flatmates were both Malaysian Indians and invariably we ended up eating Curries and Chinese almost every night. Eating out was expensive and I used to long for some western dishes. I remembered my Mother making a Creamy Chicken dish using Cream of Chicken soup as the base. Thats what I did then too. I chopped up some chicken, added in a bag of frozen peas, corn and carrots and dumped in a can of Cream of Chicken soup to get a very simple yet satisying Chicken Ala King.


That was then though and nowadays I frown at using canned soups as the base for anything. This time I made my own creamy base instead and I must say the results were far, far better. Instead of the usual corn, carrots and peas, I found a pack of imported frozen veges that consisted of Turnips, Leek, Carrots and Long Beans. Much, much nicer!

This is what I did.

300 gm Boneless Chicken Breast
200 gm Fresh Button Mushrooms
1 Large Onion
2 Potatoes
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Packet Frozen Vegetables (Turnip, Leek, Carrots, Long Beans)
200 ml cream
Black Pepper
Salt
Paprika Powder
oregano
thyme

Method:
Cut the chicken into bit size pieces. Cut the mushrooms into halves. Dice onions and potatoes. Heat a little oil and fry the onions with a litle pepper, oregano and thyme. Cook the chicken until cooked through. Add in the mushrooms and cook till juices come out, then add the potatoes and continue cooking. Add in the cream together with the vegetables and season with salt. Allow to simmer till potatoes are soft and mixture thickens. Sprinkle on some paprika and serve with rice.



Very satisfying indeed and the reason for the title? Well, my little princess loved this dish and declared it 'very yummy'. So, since my princess loves it, and for the sake of equal opportunity, lets just call this dish Chicken ala Princess.

There doesnt have to be any better reason than that now, does there...?