chicken divan
Posted: September 30, 2018 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals, meats poultry and fish | Tags: bread crumbs, broccoli, butter, cheddar cheese, chicken, cream of mushroom soup, curry powder, gruyere cheese, lemon juice, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, sour cream, white wine Leave a comment
Divine Divan
This delicious recipe comes to my kitchen via my awesome Cousin Julie’s kitchen. Julie had the best taste in many things – art, decorating, food, and Cousins!
My Cousin Jennifer said Chicken Divan was a Sunday staple that they enjoyed quite regularly. So if you want to help create a few cherished family memories, chicken divan may be a wonderfully tasty starting place!
While the original recipe is not vintage per se it comes to our bellies via Paula Dean, so you know it’s gotta be good.
I hope you try this dish that’s been known as a classic American casserole since the 1960s. In fact, the dish has origins back much earlier to its birthplace as the signature dish of New York City’s Chatham Hotel.
“In English, the word “divan” came to mean sofa, from the council chamber’s benches. In France it meant a meeting place or great hall. It was this meaning that attracted the notice of the owners of the New York restaurant as they searched for a name that would imply continental elegance.” ~ GlutenSugarDairyFree.com
Foodie Tips
❤ Pull up a chair and let’s talk cheese. I try to refrain from buying bagged shredded cheese. For years I used it but as my hunger for knowing more about food intensified I realized I preferred freshly grated cheese vs. bagged cheese. I found it melted better and on closer inspection discovered bagged cheese has a coating on it that prevents clumping. Some posts I read said this dusty white coating was actually cellulose, which is made from wood pulp. I’m out.
❤ Is Parmesan Cheese the same thing as Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese? You might be surprised after reading this article! And this one, too. Hint: No shaker cheese for this recipe!
❤ In a flurry to get this dish made? We used shredded chicken from our grocery and it shaved some serious time time off of the food prep clock.
i. Time
Total prep: About an hour.
ii. Ingredients
2 10-ounce packages | frozen broccoli, chopped
6 cups | shredded chicken, cooked
2 10¾-ounce cans | condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup | mayonnaise
1 cup | sour cream
1 cup | sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon | fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon | curry powder
to taste | kosher salt
to taste | fresh cracked black pepper
½ cup | dry white wine
½ cup | parmesan cheese, freshly grated
½ cup | soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons | unsalted butter, melted (my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias)
1-2 handfuls | gruyere or more sharp cheddar cheese, grated (optional and highly suggested)
iii. What to do
0. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
1. Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open one end of each box and microwave on full power for 2 minutes, or until thawed. Drain the broccoli into a strainer and add the shredded chicken and let rest.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, and the wine. Whisk everything together to make a sauce. Transfer the broccoli-chicken mixture to the bowl with the sauce and gently mix things well using a spatula.
3. Place the mixture into an 11-inch x 7-inch casserole dish that’s been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat the Divan mixture down evenly and smooth with a spatula.
4. In a small bowl combine the parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle this over the top of the Divan mixture.
5. Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly. If desired, about halfway through baking remove from oven, top with cheese, and return to bake until toasty. Remove from oven let rest and serve!
Pairs well with a salad – enjoy!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
broccoli chicken stew
Posted: March 23, 2014 Filed under: soups | Tags: broccoli, catsup, chicken, cooking oil, green pepper, italian salad dressing mix, mushrooms, onion, potatoes, white wine Leave a comment
Soup’s On
Salad dressing and wine make this chicken stew worthy of top honors.
Did somebody say wine? :)
My Mom (Betty) loved chicken. Proof at right of Mom huggin’ a chicken so big it was almost bigger than she was!
Every year when we went to the Texas Coast, Mom had a favorite hole in the wall in Port Aransas that was a “must” on her list at least a few times while we were there. She was on the hunt for chicken in the form of fried gizzards and fried livers. While not my cup of tea, so to speak, I laugh when I think of the fact that my ancestors always seemed to eat every part of an animal while I can barely eat ribs without 2 packages of floss at the ready.
Foodie Tip ~
♥ “Chicken pieces” for me means chicken removed from the bone, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
i. ingredients
2 tablespoons | cooking oil
12 (2¼ pounds) | chicken thighs, skinned
.6 ounce package | italian salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon | salt
4 cups | water
½ cup | dry white wine
¼ cup | catsup
3 medium | potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾” cubes
1 medium | green pepper, cut into strips
10 ounces (2 cups) | small whole onions, frozen
10 ounce package | frozen cut broccoli
2 cups | fresh mushrooms, sliced
ii. what to do
1. In a 4-½ quart Dutch oven slowly brown 6 of the chicken thighs at a time in hot oil.
2. Remove the chicken, set aside on paper towels to rest, then drain oil from the Dutch oven.
3. In the same Dutch oven mix the dry salad dressing mix and salt. Stir in water, wine and catsup. Add the chicken pieces, potatoes and green pepper.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add onions, broccoli and mushrooms. Simmer 10 more minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!
broccoli mushroom dip
Posted: July 9, 2011 Filed under: appetizers | Tags: broccoli, cayenne pepper, celery, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, garlic cheese roll, garlic powder, liquid smoke, mushroom soup, mushrooms, onion, seasoned salt, tabasco sauce, velveeta, worcestershire sauce Leave a comment
When boasting I was making this dish to one of my coworkers, I was promptly scolded because she could not believe that I would make a dish with canned mushrooms, instead of fresh.
Well, fresh or not, this recipe is H-O-T!
Enjoy it on game day or any day you want a little taste of 70s cooking.
Here’s to you, mom!
i. ingredients
1 – 10-oz. package | frozen chopped broccoli
1 – 6-oz. roll | garlic cheese*
1 – 10-1/2 oz. can | mushroom soup
1 – 7 oz. can | chopped mushrooms, drained
1/2 onion | minced
2-3 stalks | celery, finely chopped
to taste | salt and pepper
1 teaspoon | worcestershire sauce
few drops | tabasco sauce
dash | cayenne pepper
to serve | corn chips (me gusta “scoops”)
* Good luck finding a “roll of garlic cheese” at your local grocery store. I learned Kraft discontinued production of this former staple which upset thousands of folks who used it in a variety of dishes (especially Christmas grits). “Kiss my grits, Kraft!”
After doing some intense online research, I found and ordered my garlic cheese from a Missouri meat company named Oberle Meats. Sure the shipping cost more than the product itself to have it 2-dayed to Dallas, but it was worth it. If you’re in a hurry to make the dip and can’t mail order it, there’s a bonus recipe below for how you can make it at home!
Now that you have your garlic cheese…
ii. what to do
1. Cook the broccoli according to the directions on the package *and drain*. I forgot to drain the broccoli, so my dip was a little soup-y.
2. Transfer the broccoli into a chafing dish and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until blended and thoroughly heated.
3. Serve with corn dips (I prefer Frito’s brand “Scoops” corn chips)!
Serves 6-8 folks.
Buon appetito!
BONUS VINTAGE RECIPE ~ GARLIC CHEESE ROLL
Can’t find a 6-ounce garlic cheese roll? You’re not alone! It’s been discontinued by Kraft and now very difficult to find (per above). Here’s how you can make your own and it tastes great!
Recipe may be reduced as needed.
i. ingredients
1 ½ pounds | sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound | velveeta
3 ounces | cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon | lawry’s seasoned salt
½ teaspoon | garlic powder
1-2 drops | liquid smoke (optional)
ii. what to do
1. Warm all of the ingredients in a medium-sized pot (or double boiler) over low heat until everything is melted and well combined.
2. Transfer the cheese mixture into a container and let it cool/set. You can also place the cheese mixture in the fridge, if you’re in a hurry.
3. Divide the garlic cheese into 4 rolls (about 6-ounces each) and wrap with saran wrap. You can store these garlic cheese rolls in the fridge or freeze them for later use.
Let the good times roll!
Betty's Cook Nook 