Grandmas Infamous Chicken Divan Food

DIVINE CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a shallow 3-quart casserole dish. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and almost tender (you still want it to have a little bite; it will cook more in the oven). Drain; cool under cold running water and pat very dry. Set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the sage and let sizzle a minute, then add the flour. Cook the roux (or else it will taste like raw flour), whisking, for 2 to 3 minutes, without letting it brown. Pour in the sherry (or broth) and cook to reduce it away, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in 1 cup broth, the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally to get out any lumps, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the scallions and gruyere until the cheese is melted, then remove the sauce from the heat.
• In a large bowl, mix together the sauce, broccoli, chicken and almonds until thoroughly coated. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave, then toss with the parmesan and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake until browned and bubbling, about 35 minutes.

GRANDMA'S INFAMOUS CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• In a 9x13 pan, evenly distribute the rice on the bottom of the pan.
• evenly layer the broccoli over the rice.
• evenly layer the chicken pieces over the broccoli.
• in a mixing bowl, mix together the mayo, cream of chicken, cream of celery and half of the shredded cheese.
• apply mixture evenly over the chicken.
• top off with the remaining shredded cheese.
• bake UNCOVERED at 350 until warm throughout (approx 40 min).

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a little olive oil or cooking spray, coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for easy release after baking.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet (at least 12 inches in diameter, with a lid) over medium-high heat. Season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper. Once the oil shimmers, place the chicken breasts into the hot skillet all tucked in next to each other (like socks in a drawer!). Brown the first side for about 6 minutes. Flip each chicken breast to the other side for additional browning, another 6 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet, pop on the lid and turn the heat down to medium low. Leave it alone for 3 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature of each chicken breast is 165 degrees F, then remove to a plate and let them rest for a minimum of 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms, stirring continuously, until they are a light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl (at least 6 quarts in size). Add the mushrooms, broccoli, both cans of soup, mayonnaise, sherry, lemon juice and curry powder. Mix together thoroughly, then transfer to your prepared baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on top and set aside.
• Combine the graham crackers with the parsley and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the cheese.
• Place the casserole on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve over your favorite cooked rice.

GRANDMA'S CHICKEN DIVAN (NO BROCCOLI)

Steps:

• CLEAN chicken; pat dry and set aside.
• COOK bacon halfway through; cool and dry on paper towels.
• PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees.
• ARRANGE dried beef or lunch meat slices on bottom of 8x8 dish.
• WRAP one bacon slice around each 4 oz. piece of chicken; secure with toothpick and place in 8x8 dish.
• MIX soup and sour cream together and pour over chicken.
• BAKE for 90 minutes.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large straight-sided skillet, simmer 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat, then add broccoli and a pinch of salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl; set aside. Wipe out skillet.
• Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken; set aside.
• 3. In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter, then add onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Slowly add milk, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 9 minutes. Add 2 cups cheese, Dijon, Worcestershire, cayenne, and sour cream; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese sauce to bowl with broccoli, followed by chicken and accumulated juices; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, panko, and remaining 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle over broccoli-and-chicken mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve over noodles or rice.

OLD TIME CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water to chill. Place drained broccoli into a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour begins to turn from white, to a pale beige, about 3 minutes. Whisk in sherry, chicken broth, and heavy cream until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour half of the hot cream sauce over the broccoli and top with chicken slices. Stir Parmesan cheese into the remaining sauce, and pour over the chicken slices. Sprinkle top with extra cheese, if desired.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through, then broil for a few minutes until top has turned golden brown.

TRADITIONAL CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Note: At this point, the dish can be frozen or refrigerated.
• Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, taking off the aluminum foil for the last 10.