Chicken Divan

1. Boil the chicken breasts in a large pot of water until they are cooked through (if it was defrosted first, this will take 15-20 minutes; if not add an additional 5-10 minutes). Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Reserve the water that you used to boil the breasts.

2. Measure 4 cups of chicken water (or plain water, if you tossed the chicken water) and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Add white rice and return to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Prepare wild rice according to package directions (I use the chicken water for the wild rice too). This casserole can be made with just white rice (which the kids prefer) but the wild rice gives the casserole some color and a nice nutty taste (which the grown-ups like). Set both rices aside when they are done.

3. Cut up the chicken into cubes or shred it depending on the texture you want in your casserole. Gently steam the broccoli in a pan with a bit of water. Just get it warm, don’t turn it into mush. Drain the water and set the broccoli aside.

4. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper. Keep whisking and let it cook for a minute or two. This is your roux. Slowly, and while you continue whisking, add the chicken broth until your roux is smooth and whisk it while it simmers and thickens a bit. Whisk in the 4 cups of cheddar cheese until it is melted and incorporated. Then whisk in the mayonnaise. Finally add in the seasoned salt to taste. We like it salty. Go slow and taste as you go because you can always add more salt, but once you add it, it’s in.

5. Get a giant bowl. Mix the rices together in the bowl. Mix the chicken and the broccoli in with the rices. Dump the sauce in with the rest and mix it thoroughly. Once it’s all evenly mixed, scoop the mixture into a casserole dish and top with cheese. This recipe is enough to easily fill two 9×13 pans, so I usually make one for that night and then freeze the other in a disposable pan for another night. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or so until the cheese on top is all melty.

*This recipe makes a very large batch (enough to feed my family of 5 at least twice) so you may want to bake half and freeze the other half. Two meals for the work of one! Can’t beat that! Enjoy!