Paula Deen's Chicken Divan Is Divine

Since Paula Deen is a fellow Carolina Mama, I wanted to share her awesome recipe for Chicken Divan. Mrs. Deen would be so proud. This is what I made for dinner. I used her recipe with only two minor changes (oops, the forbidden, to change a Paula Deen recipe). Anyway, I used 1 1/2 c. of light sour cream and a 1/2 c. of lite Hellman's mayo because I can't really comprehend a cup of mayo in any recipe. I mean if you presented it to me without the knowledge of the mayo mass, I would likely enjoy but in good conscience, I changed it up a smidgen and we loved it. Also, I omitted the white wine because I didn't have any on hand.

The recipe was awesome and Mountain Man was a very happy man with this meal simply served over hot rice.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Ingredients:
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli, chopped
6 cup shredded chicken, cooked
2 (10 3/4 -ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open one end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Add the shredded chicken.

In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.

Place the mixture into an 11x7-inch casserole dish or two 9-inch square disposable aluminum foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes.

Cook's Note: Try topping with cheddar or gruyere cheese.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30-45 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Enjoy Paula's magic! And as Mrs. Deen says, "We send y'all love and best dishes!" ;) Isn't she cute.

Let me know what our favorite Paula Deen recipe is! And of utmost importance, have you had a chance to visit The Lady & Sons!? Oh the wish list, believe me that will be a whole other blog post week when Carolina Mama visits The Lady and Sons. (just dreaming she were there when I was a Gamecock and we always loved the road trips...!)

Warmly,