Traditional Chicken Divan

CFRP's Note:

No mayonnaise, no "cream of whatever" soups - just an old fashioned chicken divan recipe that is definitely worth the extra effort. You can substitute chicken thighs for the breasts and use any combination of shredded cheese that you happen to have on hand. You can also substitute any dairy product (i.e. cream) for the milk depending on how decadent you would like to be. The recipe can be doubled or tripled easily and it freezes beautifully. Serve over rice.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 bunches broccoli
• 2 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk or 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/3 cup sherry wine
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Steam broccoli for 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Alternatively, place broccoli in a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2-5 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave) until crisp-tender. Drain in colander.
3. In a medium frying pan, saute chicken breasts in olive oil until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and drain on paper towls.
4. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to eliminate the taste of raw flour. Then gradually whisk in chicken broth, sherry and milk or half and half, until incorporated. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the sauce is the consistency you desire. Add just a dash of nutmeg. Add 3/4 of the cheese blend and whisk until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a 9x13 dish arrange chicken breasts (either whole or sliced) and broccoli. Pour sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Make several slits in the aluminum foil to allow the steam to escape.
6. Note: At this point, the dish can be frozen or refrigerated.
7. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, taking off the aluminum foil for the last 10.

Reviews

[Christina Sue]

This was pretty good and simple to make. I have to admit I strayed from the original recipe a bit. I did add some curry powder and omitted the sherry and nutmeg since I didn't have any. I was scared of not having enough sauce, and I think I ended up with too MUCH sauce. Husband and son really enjoyed this.

[Christie in GA]

Whohoo! A great chicken divan recipe without the canned ingredients! The whole family loved this. I served it with rice. I didn't have sherry, so I used some red cooking wine instead. I can't have chicken divan without curry powder, so I added 1/2 tsp of that as well to the sauce. I used raw milk smoked cheddar cheese in place of the sharp (b/c that's what I had in the fridge), and it was excellent! Only thing I might do different next time is to take the advice of other comments and add a little more broth and milk so make a little extra sauce. We'll have this many times again!

[Marina K]

This is exactly what I was looking for - a chicken divan recipe without any weird additives! I like to make this with low-fat milk and low-fat cheddar. Also, instead of using broth, I make the sauce in the pan I browned the chicken in, and increase the milk and sherry a tad. Thanks for sharing a winner.