Chicken Divan for Two

Chicken Divan is one of my all-time favorite meals. When I was growing up, everyone got to pick their favorite meal to have for their birthday dinner. Mine was always chicken divan. My mom would play around with the recipe, too, and no matter what she added, it was still my favorite dish. Now, as an adult living in the South, I have had so many iterations of chicken divan at potlucks with interesting additions like curry powder or even raisins, but I always come back around to my version - I think it's the best ;)

First, make 2 servings of rice using your usual method. I don't own a rice cooker so I make it on the stove: bring 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth to a boil, add in a pinch of salt, a dash of Italian seasoning, and then 1 cup of rice. Immediately turn the stove to low, put on the lid, and turn the stove off after 18 minutes. That is my fool-proof method for making rice. 

While the rice is cooking, bake a chicken breast rubbed with a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1 tbsp dijon mustard in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes*. Chop up one small head of broccoli and steam in the microwave for 4 minutes.

When I make this, I bake the chicken in the oval-shaped dish above before removing it to the cutting board. I re-spray the pan with cooking spray and add the rice to this dish. This saves me time and is less to clean up later while also preserving all of those flavors from when I cooked the chicken and transferring them to the rice!

*If you don't want/have the time to bake a chicken breast, you can definitely use leftover chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken on your way home and just use the meat of one breast.

Then make the basic sauce to mix into the chicken and broccoli. Like I mentioned earlier, there are so many variations of this recipe out in the world, so feel free to play around with this part! This is where you can really add your unique touch - like I do with horseradish, here. Roasted garlic would be a great addition, or even a splash of fish sauce! Either would add a funky umami flavor.

For this mixture, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise (Duke's is THE. BEST. Don't let anyone tell you different), 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp prepared horseradish, and 1-2 tsps to taste of lemon juice*, and a sprinkle of salt. 

*I used the bottled lemon juice because I didn't have any fresh lemons. That's another great thing about this recipe - you most likely have all of these ingredients at home all the time. The chicken breast I used was one I had previously frozen in an individual Ziploc bag after buying a big pack of them at the store. You can always use frozen broccoli if you don't have any fresh, and everyone has rice, right?

Dice or shred the chicken breast, add to the broccoli (make sure  you drain out any water leftover from steaming), and pour on the sauce!

This is going to be so creamy and tangy. It's making my mouth water all over again just looking at these photos! 

If you're mixing all of this together and it still seems a little dry, alternate adding each of the sauce ingredients 1 tsp (horseradish, lemon, or dijon) or 1 tbsp (mayo) at a time until you get a creamy consistency and the same flavor is maintained.

Next, pour the creamy chicken and broccoli mixture on top of the rice. See how this is glossy and creamy without being too gloopy? This is what you're aiming for. However, if you like yours a little thicker, be my guest! Like I've said, this is totally a dish you can customize to your liking. Have fun with it!

These are your last three ingredients: shredded cheddar (I had mild on hand, but I usually prefer sharp), Italian breadcrumbs, and cooking spray - use whichever flavor you like. We are just going to layer these on top!

Cheese first...

Then top with breadcrumbs and spray lightly with cooking spray so the breadcrumbs brown nicely.

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Bake at 350 (keep your oven on from cooking the chicken) for 25 minutes until the top is brown and bubbly and the cheese is melted. 

This is the perfect size for two people or if you're just feeding yourself, have half for dinner and save the other half for your lunch the next day! You could double this recipe as well to feed a family of four. A simple salad on the side is the perfect accompaniment but if you just want to eat this by itself...I won't tell anyone.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast (if baking yourself, also 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup rice
• Salt
• Italian seasoning
• 1 small head broccoli
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Cook rice in low-sodium chicken broth using rice cooker directions (if you have one), or on the stove. If cooking on the stove, bring broth to a boil, add a pinch of salt, a dash of Italian seasoning, and then add the rice. Immediately turn the stove to low, cover the pot, and cook for 18 minutes never lifting the lid of the pot.
3. If you are also cooking your chicken breast, rub the chicken with 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1 tbsp dijon mustard. Place in a small baking dish and cook for 15-20 minutes.
4. Cut up small head of broccoli, place in a small bowl with a splash of water (about 1/2 inch deep). Cover with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave on High for 4 minutes. Be careful when removing from the microwave and when removing the plastic wrap - steam burns are real, y'all.
5. When chicken and rice are both done, remove chicken to a cutting board and pour the rice into the dish you just cooked the chicken in. Mmm, flavor!
6. Drain the water from your broccoli by pulling back a small piece of the plastic wrap and pouring the water out, or pour it all into a colander and then put it back into the bowl you cooked it in. Dice up your chicken and add to the broccoli.
7. Make your sauce: mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Again, this is where you can add any other spices or seasonings you might like. Make it your own!
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli and mix together until just combined and creamy.
9. Cover the rice with the chicken and broccoli mixture.
10. Top everything with the shredded Cheddar, followed by the breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the breadcrumbs with your cooking spray to help them brown.
11. Place in the oven for 25 minutes to let everything melt together and become creamy and gooey and delicious. Enjoy!