Light Chicken Quinoa Divan

1. Like many casseroles, this one involves prepping a bunch of ingredients, mixing them together, and then baking the dish with delicious results. To begin, rinse the quinoa, place it in a saucepan with the water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and allow it to cook until all of the water is absorbed. This will take about 12 minutes. It’s important to rinse your quinoa before cooking, otherwise it may have a slightly bitter flavor.

2. While your quinoa is cooking, place broccoli florets in a pot so it’s submerged in water, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. You will then drain off the hot water and submerge the broccoli in cold water until your are ready to use it. This will make the broccoli so it is not under-cooked or mushy, but just right.

3. After you have the quinoa simmering and have begun bringing the broccoli up to a boil, cube your chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. You’re just browning, so your chicken shouldn’t cook through (it won’t be fully cooked, so no nibbling).

4. At this point, your quinoa is just about ready to remove from the heat. Fluff it with a fork and set aside. Your broccoli is also ready to place into a cold water bath. Set both aside until you’re ready to assemble your casserole.

5. If you haven’t already, shred the extra sharp cheddar cheese and fresh Parmesan. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

6. All of your filling is now prepped, so it’s time to prepare the sauce that makes this recipe so delicious. First, Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Next, add the flour (or arrowroot flour), mix together, and cook for 1 minute. Now add the white wine, lemon juice and chicken broth and whisk that in with the flour and oil mixture. Bring the sauce to a simmer, continuously whisking, and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Add the milk and continue whisking until the sauce begins to simmer again, and then immediately remove from the heat. Finally, mix in the sour cream, yellow curry and salt.

7. In a large mixing bowl, fold together all of your ingredients: quinoa, broccoli, chicken, shredded cheese, and your sauce.

8. Once combined, place your casserole mixture into a baking dish (9×13 or similar) that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.

9. Bake uncovered at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling all the way through. Remove from oven. Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving.