Chicken with Roasted Broccoli and Mushroom Sauce

Just when you think that a family favorite dish can't get can't get any better, the impossible happens.  your son improves the dish. You see I have been making my Chicken and Broccoli dish for many years for countless birthdays, celebrations and potlucks, and is one of my favorite comfort foods.  Last week my son, Chris, who loves to cook by the way, made the dish using fresh, roasted broccoli, which improved the flavor even more. He even posted his picture on my Facebook page.  Then a light bulb went off in my head.

I should make this dish roasting fresh broccoli, and instead of canned mushroom soup which was used undiluted, I would make a thick mushroom sauce, using fresh mushrooms  Mix in a little mayonnaise, and cover the roasted broccoli and chicken with the mushroom sauce. Top it all off with grated Parmesan Cheese, and and you have a revised, updated version. That's exactly what I did, and the dish was magnificent, a worthy company dish, and well worth the extra time. The roasted broccoli added a depth of flavor to the chicken, and the mushroom sauce was filled with an earthy flavor, topped with the Parmesan cheese. Thank you, Chris, for inspiring me to change the recipe!

 There is a caveat, however.  The new version takes much longer to prepare  The longest part of the prep is cleaning 1 lb. of mushrooms for the sauce, making the roux, and making sure that the sauce is thick enough.  You also have to roast the broccoli.  If you wanted to make this during the week,  perhaps you could prep the mushrooms the night before.  That way you would have less prep time, and the dish would come together more quickly. You could even use a rotisserie chicken in place of the cooked chicken breasts.

I am very proud of my two sons, Chris and Todd, who love to cook. I guess that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, when it comes to cooking:) Todd is on the left and Chris is on the right. Now we are all "Foodies".

Chicken and Roasted Broccoli with Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients: This recipe is for a 9X9 casserole dish- Double recipe for 13X9 pan

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut in chunks

1 lb. fresh broccoli, or frozen broccoli-16 oz *roasted

2 Tbsp Butter

1  lb mushrooms, cleaned , and cut in chunks

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup almond milk or half and half.  I used Almond milk

1/3 c. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip-I used Mayonnaise

Curry powder to taste

1c. grated Parmesan or Cheddar Cheese

 Cooked rice or noodles

Roasted Broccoli:

Spray casserole pan.  Place fresh broccoli spears on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in 425 degree oven for 15-20 min, until lightly brown, stirring frequently.  Remove from cookie sheet, and layer in bottom of casserole dish. Place cooked, chunked chicken breasts over the roasted broccoli.

Mushroom Sauce:

Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms give off their liquid, 4-5 minutes.  Continue cooking, 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over mushrooms, and cook for one minute.  Add the broth and simmer, for one minute. Add Almond milk, until mixture thickens, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in mayonnaise and curry powder.

Assembly:

Pour Mushroom sauce over the Roasted Broccoli and Chicken in the casserole dish, and spread evenly.  Microwave for 10 minutes till heated through, or bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly. Top with Parmesan Cheese, and return to microwave or oven to melt cheese.  Serve with brown rice or noodles.

l linked up my recipe to Brandie@The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck #104
 Stop by and say Hi to Brandie!