Monday, February 3, 2014

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


 
 
 

18 comments:

  1. Wow this improved dish really looks good! I guess that extra time to prepare it is worth it :)

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    Replies
    1. Medeja,
      Yes, the extra time to prepare it, is definitly worth it. This is so good!

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  2. Looking forward to trying the mushroom sauce.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Chris! You were my inspiration to change the recipe!
      Love,
      Mom

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  3. Francesca,
    Nice to meet you and stopping by blog. Hope to see you back again soon.

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  4. What a great group of foodies you all make! They're 2 handsome sons, Becky! The dish sounds excellent and is a must try. Great for yet another snowy day!

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    1. Pam,
      Thank you! We don't need anymore snow, days however, I see more snow piling up on the patio. Try the recipe though, it's wonderful.

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  5. It must be wonderful seeing your kids grow up to be such great cooks! I truly think food brings families closer together :)
    I am interested in trying your mushroom sauce in some of my pasta recipes with lots of cheese...i think it would taste amazing! ;)

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    Replies
    1. Abeer,
      It is rewarding to see your kids grow into such wonderful cooks. I agree with you that food does bring families together, which is a good thing. I see you have a budding, Foodie, too, though much younger:) The mushroom sauce is wonderful, and would be good on pasta, too

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  6. I love that you modernized this recipe! I know my family would love it. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my children will some day want to cook...LOL, so far, they only love to eat!!! xo

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  7. Lizzy,
    I am fortunate that my sons got my love of cooking. Your children may still come around:)

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  8. Ooh, this casserole looks perfect for a snowy, winter's day (such as the one we are currently having!). Love your blog, found you over on Weekend Potluck :)

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  9. I need to to thank you for this great read!!

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  10. Great article I enjoy reading your thoughts.

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  11. And naturally, thanks for your sweat!

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  12. This kind of clever work and exposure!

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  13. Thanks for such amazing content. Your blog was really worth reading.

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