Classic Chicken Divan

6 heads broccoli, cut into florets
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup sherry (optional)
6 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 pinches ground black pepper
6 cooked chicken breast halves or chicken strips - bones and skin removed, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Add broccoli, and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Drain and rinse well with cold water to chill.

Place drained broccoli into a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk in rice flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour begins to turn from white, to a pale beige, about 3 minutes.

Whisk in sherry, chicken broth, and heavy cream until smooth.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the hot cream sauce over the broccoli and top with chicken slices.

Stir Parmesan cheese into the remaining sauce, and pour over the chicken slices.

Sprinkle top with extra cheese, if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through, then broil for a few minutes until top has turned golden brown.

Serves 12

Curried Chicken Divan

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast meat
1 pound fresh broccoli, cooked and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (6 ounce) can French-fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Spread chicken in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, top with broccoli.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry powder, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, salt and pepper and mix well.

Add 1 cup of Cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup and mix again, then pour mixture over chicken and broccoli.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese and top with onions.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Serves 10

Moroccan Chicken and Rice

• 3 whole chickens (3 to 4 pounds each), cut into 30 pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 small yellow onions, diced medium
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 12 carrots, diced medium
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 9 cups sliced green beans (about 3 pounds)
• 3 cup chickpeas (from canned), rinsed and drained
• 7 1/2 cups chicken broth (or water)

Preheat oven to 350, with rack in lower third.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven (may need to split recipe over two Dutch ovens, depending on your size pots).  Cook chicken, skin side down, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes.  Flip and cook until browned, 6 minutes more.  Transfer to a large platter.

Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic and carrots to pot.  Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and rice and cook for 1 minute.

Add green beans, chickpeas and broth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange chicken, skin side up, on top of rice.  Bring to a boil, cover pot, and place in oven.  Bake until chicken is cooked through and liquid is absorbed... 25-30 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 12

Chicken and Brown Rice

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 chicken thighs
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 large yellow onions, cut into 8 wedges
• 6 celery stalks, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cups brown rice

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in pot.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, 10-12 minutes.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, add onion and celery.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Add carrots, bay leaves, and 3 1/2 cups water, stir in rice and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook until rice absorbs almost all the liquid, 40-45 minutes.  Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 12

Arroz con Pollo, Peruvian Style

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• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 12 chicken thighs, skinned and patted dry
• 12 chicken drumsticks with skin, patted dry
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 bunches fresh cilantro, leaves picked from stems
• 12 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 aji (Peruvian) pepper, seeded and deveined
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup orange juice
• 4 cups uncooked white rice
• 4 onions, chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 bell peppers, any color, sliced into rings
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Place a large skillets over medium heat, pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil into it, and heat oil until it ripples.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels.

Place the cilantro, garlic, aji pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and orange juice into a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into the skillet, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring over medium-low heat until the mixture turns from bright to dark green, about 5 minutes.


Place the chopped onions into 4 tbsp of heated olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the onions turn translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the rice.  Cook and stir until the rice starts to turn opaque, about 5 minutes.


Pour the wine into the blender and pulse a few times to rinse off any extra cilantro mixture, then pour the win into the skillet with the cilantro mixture.  Add the cilantro mixture to the rice mixture and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the chicken broth and black pepper, then bring to a boil.  Place the browned chicken pieces and carrots into the Dutch oven, stir to mix, and cover.  Place the pepper rings on the rice and sprinkle in the frozen peas.  Reduce heat and cook until rice is separate and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.


Uncover the skillet and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.


Serves 12

Arroz con Pollo

• 2 cups dry white wine
•  A large pinch of saffron
• 12 chicken thighs
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onion2, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 9 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
• 3 cups short-grain rice, preferably Spanish (like Valencia rice)
• 1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives (or twice that... or none)  :)
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• Combine wine and saffron; let stand until ready to use. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until tender... for 10-15 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.  Stir in wine/saffron mix, 1 heaping Tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and the bay leaves.  Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, for another 10-15 minutes.  Add chicken, stock, rice, and olives.  Bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook until rice is tender for about 45 minutes, stirring about halfway through.  If rice is not done, add another cup of stock.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  

Serves 12

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Nasi Goreng

8 slices of bacon

2 cups diced red onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green onion
1/2 cup grated carrots
6 cloves garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup soy sauce (ketjap manis)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup catsup/ketchup (without corn syrup)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds
2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp curry powder
One pinch to 1 Tbsp sambal oelek (red pepper paste) to individual taste

10-12 cups cooked & cooled rice (basmati or jasmine)

4 beaten eggs
8 chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 cans of low sodium Spam, cubed (believe me, you want Spam, and you want low sodium) :)

In a very large pan or dutch overn, saute the bacon and set it aside, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.

To the bacon fat, add the red onion, celery, first bunch of green onions, grated carrot, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until tender.

Add the soy sauce (ketjap), fish sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, coriander seeds, white pepper, curry and sambal. Stir & saute for a couple of minutes to let flavors mingle.

Mix in the cooled cooked rice. Put pan aside and keep warm.

In another pan saute the cubes of Spam until just crispy. Mix into the rice.

In the Spam pan add a bit of butter or oil and scramble the beaten eggs, or cook them like an omelet, then cut them into strips.

Crumble the bacon. Serve the nasi topped with egg bits, bacon bits, raw green onion, and cilantro.