Family Recipe # 2,375, Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan is one of those dishes that just tastes like home. It's a specialty my mom made for us as kids, and we now request it whenever there is a family get together. Despite my years of eating the Divan'ed Chicken, I hadn't really thought about what "divan" meant until I sat down to write this post. In fact, I'm not even sure I am spelling it right. So I went to the online dictionary, and the results weren't too encouraging:

1) the privy counsel of the Ottoman Empire
2) a large couch without back or arms often designed for use as a bed
3) a collection of poems in Persian or Arabic usually by 1 author

None of these things sound like the chicken I ate growing up. Divan to me means curry and creamy and some broccoli thrown in:

3 chicken breasts, cleaned
2 (10oz) packages of frozen broccoli
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1TBS melted butter

The first step is to clean the chicken and boil it in salted water until cooked (8-15 minutes depending). You all know I LOVE the smell of onions cooking - something that most people can't stand - since I know that means good food is coming. So, you'd think that I'd love the smell of chicken boiling up. You would be wrong. The first time I made this by myself I almost didn't eat it because I HATED the smell of the chicken boiling so much I lost my appetite. Since then I either try to con someone else into boiling it or, I light a candle in the kitchen so it doesn't smell so bad. Does anyone else have this problem?

Chicken cooling after boiling

Next step is to set the chicken aside to cool and cook the broccoli according to package directions. (I have also made this dish with fresh broccoli that I have steamed and it tastes about the same). Then place the broccoli in a lightly greased casserole dish and put the cooled chicken on top.

Set aside and start in on the sauce. All you do is combine everything except the breadcrumbs and butter and pour it over the chicken. Lastly, you combine the butter and breadcrumbs and sprinkle it on top of everything to create a nice crust. Pop it into the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 and enjoy:

4.5 out of 5 on the Yum scale
5 out of 5 on the home scale. 

For those keeping record, this is one of the dishes that Ian thought tasted like something we ate at 4 star restaurant. It's funny, even though I've been trying to stretch out of my comfort zone with all these fancy-pants French dishes, it's the one that my family has been making for years that is gourmet.

This meal it pretty hearty in itself, but I can't eat without the trifecta of food - meat, veggie, and starch/carbs. So to round out the meal I made some orzo with cheddar cheese and some spices (onion/salt/pepper).

So good!

Orzo has been my saving grace in altitude. It's a pasta so it is relatively easy to cook no matter how high you are above sea level, but it still has the rice-like texture that I prefer. And, it takes flavoring/saucing pretty well, so it can go from just a side carb to a creamy risotto-esque addition to the meal. I give it a 4 out of 5 on the Yum scale pretty much every time, unless I do something pretty major to screw it up.

It was a great dinner, and even though I was looking for it, it didn't taste anything like an Ottoman poet's furniture counsel meeting. It did, however, taste like home.