Chicken Divan Easy

For week night meals I am always looking for quick and easy, home cooked and healthy, and just plain good...all in one dish preferably. I am not hard to please.

Chicken Divan can be one of those dishes. Of course, it can also be one of those 5-star elegant dishes that you slave over all day, too. First of all to make it meet my week night criteria, I usually use chicken I cooked on the weekend or chicken I crock pot the same day. Then I combine canned soup, mayonnaise and spices for the sauce. It can really be put together in about 10 minutes and baked for 30 minutes while you unwind, check email, surf the web, or tend to your kids. It can really be that easy. Hope you enjoy!

• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 - 10 ounce package frozen broccoli, thawed
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• black pepper to taste

Spray olive oil on the bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer thawed broccoli in the bottom. Top with the

shredded chicken. Sprinkle with sage, thyme, and pepper.  In a small bowl combine soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Spread on top of chicken and spices. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Hope you enjoy this quick and easy weeknight supper!

Hubby's Favorite

My chicken casserole is one of  my husband's favorite meals.  He absolutely loves it.  Sometimes I make it for just us, and other times I make it for company.  It also makes a great dish to take to church gatherings, family get-togethers, or any occasion that calls for covered dish. 

Depending on your schedule, you can cook the chicken one night while you're doing other things and then assemble and bake it the next night.  It takes next to no time to assemble it.  We serve it with a couple of vegetables and with the stuffing baked right in with the chicken that's really all you need.  Sometimes I add a fruit salad or a fruit based dessert to the meal. 

There are also several options depending on your likes.  Some chopped onion and celery go well in this dish.  I saute them in a little olive oil or butter while the chicken is cooking and then dump them in the casserole with everything else.  If you have some on hand, fresh garlic is always the better choice.  Sometimes I also substitute a can of cream of celery soup for one of the cream of chickens.  You can also experiment with the cheese.  We really like cheddar in this dish.

I am sorry there aren't more pictures of the process with this dish, but hubby was in a big hurry for dinner, and I forgot.  I was able to snag one picture before it all got gone.  Maybe next time.  Hubby says that's a mighty big maybe.

Chicken Casserole

·         3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·         2 cans cream of chicken soup

·         2 cups dry stuffing mix (reserve ½ cup)

·          ¾ cup milk

·         1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

·         1 teaspoon dry mustard

·         1 teaspoon sage

·         ½ teaspoon onion powder

·         ½ teaspoon thyme

·         ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

·         ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Fill medium-sized pot about three quarters full of water.  Add chicken breasts.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Lower heat but maintain boil.  Cook for 30 minutes or until done.  Remove chicken from water and place on cutting board.  Using two forks pull chicken breasts apart shredding chicken into bite size pieces. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Spray a 9x13 inch glass dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place shredded chicken in large mixing bowl.   Add cream of chicken soup, 1 ½ cups stuffing mix, milk, cheese, and spices.  Mix well with a large spoon.    

Scoop into glass dish spreading and flattening mixture into corners.  Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle reserved stuffing mix over top of casserole.  Return to oven for 15 more minutes.

A Spicy, Rainy Kind of Day

Another cold weekend minus the icy precipitation but with a cold rain nonetheless called for a spicy dish to heat things up a bit.  With plenty of chicken in the freezer, I decided to make chicken enchiladas.  I actually call them my quick chicken enchiladas because instead of making my own enchilada sauce and my own tortillas, I use a ready-made canned enchilada sauce and packaged tortillas.  These shortcuts make quick work of a wonderful Mexican dish.

This recipe does require a bit of planning ahead because I marinate my chicken in extra virgin olive oil and spices for a couple of hours before I cook it.  The enhanced flavors make a little planning ahead the better choice.    

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

·         3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·         ½ teaspoon ground mustard

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         ½ teaspoon onion powder

·         1 teaspoon chile powder

·         28 ounce jar enchilada sauce

·         8 flour tortillas

·         1 cup shredded cheese

Cut each chicken breast into 1/2 inch slices from the short end.  Cut each slice into two or three narrow strips.  Sprinkle bottom of a large container with olive oil.  Add chicken strips.  Top with spices.  Stir well.  Refrigerate marinating chicken for a couple of hours.  Mixture could be refrigerated overnight. 

Empty marinated chicken mixture into a large stir fry pan.  Stir fry chicken for about 10 to 15 minutes over medium high heat until fully cooked. 

Drain off excess oil.  Place chicken in a large glass bowl.  

Add half of the jar of enchilada sauce.  Stir well until chicken is well coated.  Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Place about an eighth of the chicken mixture down the middle of the tortilla, wrapping it up in a tight roll. 

Add each wrapped tortilla to the glass baking dish butting the next one right up against the previous one. 

When all wrapped tortillas have been added to the baking dish, pour the remaining half of the enchilada sauce over them.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes.    

Top enchiladas with a dollup of sour cream.  Serve with brown rice and refried beans for a delicious Mexican meal.