Friday, October 11, 2013

Whole 30 Approved Skillet Chicken Divan

I was introduced to "Chicken Broccoli Casserole" when I was in college. I'd never had it before then and I doubt I ever would have eaten it in college if they hadn't consistently served it on the same day the served "Shit on a Shingle" (or whatever less negative name you call it). Eventually, I did try both of these dishes and found that I actually really like Chicken Broccoli Casserole.  I've made it a few dozen times over the years when I get the urge, but haven't had it in at least  two years, and that's been largely due to the high dairy content.  So, I was quite happy when I stumbled upon this recipe and realized it was basically the same thing, except dairy-free.  As soon as I read it I knew I'd be giving it a try and soon. Soon turned out to be the very next day.

I headed to the store earlier today to make sure I had the couple of ingredients I knew I was lacking: cashews and broccoli.  The fresh broccoli was looking a little piqued so I opted for frozen. It was 4:30 when I decided I should pull up the recipe and make sure I knew what I was doing before I started cooking... and that's when I saw that I needed to soak the cashews. Luckily, she provided a quick way to do so, or I'd have had to put this dish off until tomorrow.  So, I got those going knowing I still had plenty of time before Paul got home and finished working out.

Once Paul got home I started on the rest, cooking the chicken and throwing everything else in the blender.

Somehow I missed the part about adding the chicken stock to the blender so I was fighting to get everything to cream. I finally pulled it out of the regular blender and ran it through my Tribest (which will blend anything) and got it fairly creamy. I then added that to the pan with the broccoli and chicken and poured in the chicken stock stirring it all together.

I let that cook down for a little bit and  walla! Paul finished working out and commented that he smelled curry (which made him happy and more willing to try something that I wouldn't give him the ingredient list for). I wasn't sure how he'd react but he was quite happy with it (as was I). I'm sure it would be better if I'd added the chicken stock during the blend phase, but it was still very good and now I know how to make a dairy free cream sauce.
Ok, it looks a little gross, but it was really really good.  Oh, and I topped it with almond meal instead of the flax meal, which did give it that nice bread-crumb texture.  I'd definitely make this again.