Madhouse recipe : Chicken Divan

Chicken divan is apparently classic retro food from the 1980's but I definitely never ate it when I was growing up. It appealed to me when I saw a mention of it though, so I browsed through a few recipes online and came up with one that used what I had in the kitchen cupboards.

 Chicken Divan

ingredients :

broccoli, fresh or frozen

leftover cooked chicken (or 4 chicken breasts, grilled)

1 can chicken or mushroom soup

seasoning to taste : curry powder, smoked paprika, garlic pepper, garlic salt

4 slices bread

a knob of butter

a sprinkle of grated cheese

Cut the broccoli (or Tree Fu Tom trees, as Pierre likes to call it!) into florets and boil in salted water until just tender (for about 10 minutes)

Rip the bread into medium-sized pieces.

Melt the butter in a frying pan.

Toss in the bread pieces and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown and crispy.

Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice. (I used smoked paprika, garlic salt and garlic pepper.) Reserve.

Drain the broccoli and put into an ovenproof dish. Chop the chicken into large pieces and layer on top.

Combine the chicken (or mushroom) soup with seasoning of your choice (optional). I stirred in some curry powder and some more of the smoked paprika, garlic salt and garlic pepper. Many recipes suggest adding mayonnaise but I didn't fancy that.

Toss the toasted bread pieces on top.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and put in the oven for 20-30 minutes until piping hot.

This could be served on its own or with rice or potatoes. I pan fried some leftover boiled potatoes to make spicy rissoled potatoes which worked well. It could have done with some more sauce so I'd use two cans of soup if making it again (which I'm sure I will !). This would work well with other veggies such as cauliflower, leeks or cabbage too.