A couple of weeks ago, I made Chicken Divan for family meal at the restaurant. (We’re a family here at Europa, and everybody eats before they go to work.) The staff went crazy! I mean, when you’re a chef, you get used to the compliments about your cooking, right? But this was something else. Everybody came back for seconds, and everybody wanted the recipe!

Obviously, you’re probably not cooking for 25 people, so I pared things down a little. This is how we make it at home.

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Now, my wife and I have been making this at our house for years, so I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Sure, it’s delicious, but it’s chicken and broccoli, right? I mean, we can get pretty fancy here at Europa Café, but we’re not talking about Lamb Chops Allemande here – this is a casserole!

But you know what? When we make this at home, it’s a dinner we look forward to. Casserole or not. And I’ve got 4 kids who eat this dish and come back for more. Every. Single. Time. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s got plenty of protein, and it’s pretty simple to make. So when the boss said I should put the recipe on the blog – even though it’s not on the menu – I thought it was a great idea. I think you’re gonna like this one.

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The great thing about any good casserole is that it takes care of most of your food groups. As a chef, I want your taste buds to come alive. That’s gonna happen here. But the most important thing I do is nourish your body. Chicken Divan does that. You’ve got your protein. You’ve got your vegetables. You’ve got your dairy. Then you put it over rice or maybe egg noodles, and you’ve got your starch, too!

Now, I gotta tell you, this isn’t diet food, but boy are those calories it worth it! So like I say every night in the kitchen, when the orders start coming in: ”Here we go…”

You’re gonna start with your shredded chicken. I highly recommend skinless breasts. But here’s the thing: cooking is about experimenting. You can shred thighs, you could go get a rotisserie chicken from Costco, even. It’s up to you. But this is how I do it:

You put 4 or 5 chicken breasts on a plate, and rub them with a little garlic powder and Hungarian paprika (it’s a Europa thing!). If you can’t find Hungarian though, smoked paprika is good, too. No worries. Don’t be stingy with the seasoning. And make sure you give it a good rub. You want to massage those spices in there. On both sides. Then they go in the bottom of a big pot, and you cover them with water, maybe a couple of inches past the top of the chicken. Now’s a good time to add some salt and pepper.

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Boil the chicken for about 5 minutes, then turn it down to a simmer for another 10 or so. If you’ve got a thermometer, you’re looking for about 165F on the inside, or you could just pull one out and cut into it, make sure it’s white. You really want to try not to overcook it, though. It’s still gotta go in the oven! When there’s no more pink inside, put the breasts on a plate to cool. 5-10 minutes should do it.

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In the meantime, you’re gonna cook the broccoli. I use frozen broccoli cuts in a box. It’s a casserole! And I’m at home, not work! Plus the box cuts are usually a little finer. Anyway, it’s so simple even a classically-trained chef can do it! You just put it in a bowl, toss in some salt, cover it up, and zap it for about 31⁄2 minutes.

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When your chicken cools down (save your fingers!) shred it with a couple of forks. This is the most work you’re gonna do all day, so if you want, you can cut the chicken into cubes and pulse it in a food processor. That’ll give you a good shred. DO NOT use a blender. Unless you like chicken pudding.

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Now the fun part – throw everything in a big bowl – the soup, the mayo, the cheese, the chicken, the broccoli and the lemon juice – and mix up real good. Then you want to pour that mixture into a 13×9 glass casserole dish. You can squirt in a little cooking spray first, but you

don’t have to. It’s not much too look at right now, but just you wait! All that tender chicken and creamy goodness is just an hour away!

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Next, you’re gonna melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a soup pan, toss in a cup of breadcrumbs, and give it a good stir. Keep it on the stove maybe 2 minutes – and keep stirring – to get those crumbs nice and brown.

Finally, spread your breadcrumbs on top of the casserole, pop it in a 350° oven – no need to cover – and get ready for goodness! And hey…you’ve got an hour, wash those pots, already!

Enjoy, and we’ll see you at the Café!

Ingredients

4-5 chicken breast – cooked and shredded
2 10 oz. boxes frozen broccoli – cooked and drained 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1tsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl, and transfer to casserole dish. Topping:

2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup bread crumbs (I usually use Italian)

Brown bread crumbs in melted butter and spread on top of casserole. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes.