Ali's Mom's Chicken Divan
Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe comes from my friend's Mom. She made it for me once many years ago, and I've been making it and passing on the recipe ever since. This also freezes very well to re-heat another time.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 onion
1 large stalk celery
salt & pepper
1 box frozen broccoli spears
1 can *cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chicken broth (from the poaching process)
1/2 to 1 teasp. poultry seasoning
1 cup (+/-) shredded cheddar cheese, or a cheese blend
dry Stuffing mix (like "Stovetop" in a canister)
Directions
Place chicken breasts in a pot. Quarter the onion, break the celery in half and place in the pot with the chicken. Salt and pepper generously; add enough cold water to cover, put a lid on pot and bring to a boil. Slow to a simmer and poach chicken about 45 minutes. Turn off the pot and let chicken cool about an hour in the liquid (at this point, you can proceed with recipe, or simply refrigerate the chicken, submerged in it's broth, overnight.)
When ready to proceed with recipe, remove chicken from poaching liquid and cut or pull apart into bite size pieces. Place chicken in bottom of a 11x7 or otherwise suitable oven-proof casserole. Cook the broccoli in microwave, according to package directions, and cut each spear into several pieces. Add to the casserole with the chicken. Sprinkle the casserole with some cheese. In a small bowl, combine the soup, mayonnise, poultry seasoning, and reserved chicken broth. Spoon mixture over the items in casserole, spreading to cover. Sprinkle generously with dry stuffing mix, then top with a bit more of the cheese. Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350F oven for about 1/2 hour, or till stufffing starts to brown and casserole s slightly bubbly. Delicious served with white rice and a salad.