Creamy Casserole Lovers, Unite!

How can a person (namely me), forget one of her favorite dishes and let the last 10 years go by without making it once? How can that happen? I used to make this dish ALL THE TIME! Why did I suddenly stop? I have NO idea. However, I can tell you that I've recently re-discovered this past favorite and am happy to report that it converts to low carb VERY well. The mystery dish in question?

Chicken Divan, of course!

Many of you know this wonderful, creamy concoction and it may already be a staple of your kitchen. For me, this is a dish I used to make on a monthly (if not weekly) basis, and it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I realized I hadn't made it in years. I am so thankful to one of our members for bringing this subject up in the cooking forum. Otherwise, I fear I would have lived another ten years without the delightful tastes and textures of this divine (I mean divan!) casserole.

Chicken Divan - Marcie Style

• 2 lbs Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast (make sure they are very dry)
• 10 cups Broccoli florets, steamed (or, enough for however many people you are serving - up to 8 people)
• 1 can Condensed chicken broth (DO NOT ADD WATER)

• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Xanthan Gum (amount may vary, see instructions below)

• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh, chopped Thyme
• 1/2 Tablespoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground pepper

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Mustard
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese (1 cup is for topping)
• 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin by cutting chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes and set aside.

Next, pour chicken broth and cream into blender and start blending. Slowly drizzle in a thin stream of xanthan gum to begin thickening.

An exact measurement on this is difficult to say. Depending on exactly how much liquid you have in the blender (and the humidity in the air, etc.) the amount will vary. You'll probably end up using somewhere between 1-2 tablespoons but you'll really need to "eyeball it" as you go. What we're looking for is a VERY thick mixture akin to a condensed cream of mushroom-type soup. What I do is let xanthan gum stream into the blender for 1-2 seconds and then pull back. I'll watch it for about 30 seconds and see if it gets thick enough. If not, stream in a little more and then check again. Just keep doing this until the texture is right. It should remind you of very thick pudding.

Once it hits this point, continue blending and add in the lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and pepper.

After it's blended completely, pour into a large mixing bowl and stir in mayo, sour cream, and mustard. Next, add 1.5 cups shredded colby/jack, the romano, and raw chicken cubes and mix until completely incorporated.

Pour mixture into a buttered, 2 qt casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly and the chicken is cooked through. To really brown the top, put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes before serving.

Toss hot, steamed broccoli florets with a little melted butter and salt and plate, then top with divan. Make a fancy design or just dump it on! Either way, it'll taste great.

In the past, I used to make this casserole as a layered dish with rice on the bottom, broccoli in the middle and the divan mixture over the top. Obviously, the rice is out. The broccoli could be included in the casserole but I find I like doing them seperately because you can make the broccoli slightly more crisp and this provides a nice contrast in texture.

TOTAL ECC = 50 for entire dish (fiber has been removed from total count)

• 8 grams per serving if you dish out 6 servings (including approx. 1.5 cups broccoli per person)

I hope this becomes one of your favorites too.