CHICKEN LA KING
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Seasoning Mix
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic
1-1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground savory
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
2 cups thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix over the chicken and rub it in well. Set aside.
Combine the softened butter with the flour until completely blended. Set aside.
Preheat a 5-quart pot over high heat for 4 minutes. Add the chicken, and dot the pats of butter evenly over the chicken. Cover the pot and cook without stirring until the chicken can easily be unstuck from the bottom of the pot, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the sherry, the onions,
peppers, mushrooms, and remaining seasoning mix. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the butter/flour mix a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly as the mixture dissolves and the sauce thickens. Stir in 2 cups of cream and heat until "small volcanoes" begin to erupt in the sauce, but
do not allow the sauce to come to a rolling boil. Let the volcanoes erupt 3 times, stirring after each eruption. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cream and heat until another group of small volcanoes erupts, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining sherry.
Copyright 1991 by Paul Prudhomme
