Recipe: Chicken Divan*

I think I’ve mentioned before that our family’s all-time favorite vegetable is asparagus, and spring is the only time of year we really get our fill—when it’s at the best quality and the price is right.  What an elegant ingredient for so many recipes! But even more important are the health benefits, among which are that this vegetable is “an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, good for the heart, prevents birth defects, low in calories, aids with digestion, maintains bone strength, reduces risk of heart disease, relieves pain, fights against several kinds of cancer, is a natural laxative, helps with dieting, anti-aging, and can detoxify our systems.”

Not only that--it’s on sale this week for only $1.29/lb at Maceys!  I have purchased asparagus at Maceys several times the last few weeks, and it’s been fabulous.  If any of you aren’t familiar with cooking asparagus, all you really need to know is that when you bend a spear towards the bottom, it will snap off at the right spot.  Then you discard that tough bottom end, and the rest of the piece is ready to cook in a million different ways, from as simple as steaming and buttering (or drizzling with Hollandaise Sauce), to creaming (this is how I grew up having it), grilling, on salads, in soups, or as the star in a delightful cheesy casserole such as my easy, crowd pleasing “Chicken Divan.” If you aren’t an asparagus fan, it can be made equally well with broccoli (see recipe below).

This photo shows it made with Broccoli, but using Asparagus is just the same

2 to 3 lbs. Broccoli or Asparagus

4 large or 6 small Chicken Breasts

2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Best Foods or Kraft Mayonnaise

Scant ½ teaspoon Curry Powder

1.5 teaspoon lemon juice

1 to 2 cups grated medium or sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 to 3 cups soft breadcrumbs (made from older rolls or buns, not fresh)

½ stick melted Butter

1.     Place Chicken breasts in oblong cake pan, add ½ cup water, sprinkle well with salt, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until fully cooked.   Set aside to cool. 

2.    In medium bowl mix the soup, mayo, lemon, and curry together.  Wash and cut Broccoli or Asparagus into bite-sized pieces (cut the Broccoli into spears (discarding tough bottoms) and break the tough stems off the asparagus and discard before breaking the rest of it into 2” pieces). Steam in salted water until nearly tender.  (Do not overcook, as it will finish cooking in oven).  Drain well. 

3.    Butter an oblong glass baking dish.  Lay the broccoli spears or asparagus pieces out evenly in the bottom of the pan.  Remove chicken breasts from oven and cut into good sized chunks.  Lay these over the broccoli or asparagus.  Spoon soup mixture over all, poking with a butter knife to help it run down between the other ingredients a bit. 

4.    Evenly sprinkle the grated cheese pm top.  Grind up bread in food processor or break up into large crumbs by hand.  Mix melted butter into the crumbs, then sprinkle them evenly over the top of everything else.  

5.    Bake uncovered at 350 to 375 for 30 to 45 minutes until browned and bubbly.  If it’s been made ahead and placed in fridge, allow more cooking time.  Serves 6.

*Originally distributed March 2013