Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

A family favourite; this dish is tried and true; a standby in our household; loved by all who have tried it. When making this dish, I always make two.  

Not only for times when life does not go as planned (working late, stuck in traffic and you don't feel like cooking kind of night) but I have given to friends &  family (while still in its frozen state).   In fact just recently for friends who were taking 2 month holiday in Europe.  All they had to do was warm it up in the oven for their family dinner before taking off to the airport!  One less thing for them to worry about!

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

3 quarts water

1 (12-ounce) package broccoli florets

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated fat-free milk

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

1 c fat-free mayonnaise

1/2 c fat-free sour cream

1/4 c dry sherry

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1 can condensed fat-free cream of mushroom soup

1 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

Cooking spray

Preparation

1.   Preheat oven to 400°.

2.   Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, and cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chicken to boiling water; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, and add chicken to bowl with broccoli.

3.   Combine evaporated milk, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, next 4 ingredients (through soup), and 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until well combined. Add mayonnaise mixture to broccoli mixture; stir gently until combined.

4.   Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until mixture bubbles at the edges and cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven; let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes.

Courtesy of Cooking Light Annual Cookbook borrowed from library many many moons ago!  Found link online:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-broccoli-casserole-10000001097034/

Note:  picture does not do this dish justice.  This dish, no matter how many times I make it, never gets "stale".