Chicken Divan

I'm not a 'cheese person'. That’s why I hardly make non-bake cheese cake. But my big kids like cheese, especially cheese fries, pizza, pasta, cheese cake etc.
Whenever I cook spaghetti or pasta, sometimes my boy would paced in & out of the kitchen and dropped hint ... "put more Parmesan cheese".

As this month's Cook Like A Star features celebrity chef Paula Deen, I have bookmarked 2 to 3 of her recipes to try out to participate in the event. So, I settled with this rather creamy and cheesy dish Chicken Divan as I knew they would be very pleased and delighted to have that for dinner. I reserved some cooked chicken to make a bowl of chicken salad.

I halved the original recipe adapted from Paula Deen and slightly reduced further for some ingredients adjusted to serve 3 - 4 pax with modification made in blue


CHICKEN DIVAN
2   (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli, chopped. (I used fresh chopped broccoli 140g)  
6 cup shredded chicken, cooked (350g)
2 (10 3/4 -ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
1 cup mayonnaise (7 tablespoons)
1 cup sour cream (7 tablespoons)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (grated cheddar cheese 60g)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder (omitted)
1/2 cup dry white wine (omitted)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (45g)
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (3 slices of toasted bread crushed into small chunky pieces)
2 tablespoon butter, melted (1 tablespoon)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 177°C
Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli.
Open one end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed.
Drain the broccoli and put into a 11X7 casserole dish that has been prepared with a non stick cooking spray.
Top with shredded chicken.
In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk together to make a sauce.  Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken.  Mix well with a spatula.

Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes.

Served with chicken salad tossed in Butterhead and cherry tomatoes

When the hot dish was placed on the dining table, I could smell strong aroma of cheese & toasted bread crumbs,  mushroom and garlic ... ? Garlic? But I didn't add any garlic. Opps ! Realised the I've poured a can of "cream of mushroom" ... with roasted garlic printed on the 2nd line of the label. But overall it tasted creamy delicious.

Crispy crust and creamy cheesy ... Looks good

My boy commented " This is very cheesy and creamy but nice ! I like this baked dish ... better than oily deep fried chickens... nice!".
My girl was hesitated for a 3RD helping .. she looked at the dish and looked her empty plate again ... couldn't resist the "temptation" ^-^! Enjoy!

This post is linked to Cook like a Star (Paula Deen and Deen brothers theme) organised by me, Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe

And

I'm linking another BUTTER post to the 'Little Thumbs Up' event and the theme for June is 'Butter' organized by 

Zoe of  'Bake for Happy Kids',  Doreen of  'My Little Favourite DIY' and hosted by

Jozelyn of   'Spice up my Kitchen'.