Broccoli cheese soup:
1/2 cup onion chopped very fine
1/2 cup celery chopped very fine
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a heavy pot and sautee veggies.
When they are no longer crisp but not brown, add
4 T flour
Stir and cook about 1 minute and add
1 qt chicken broth, slowly whisking so there are no lumps add 2 cups raw broccoli florets and peeled and sliced stems, cook at a simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Mix:
1/4 cup ( or more if you really like a very thick soup) AP flour with
2 cups cold milk until smooth. Slowly add to cooking soup. Simmer for 5 or 6 minutes to thicken and cook the flour.Add:
1 Tsp worchestershire sauce
pinch cayenne pepper of a couple of dashes of Tobasco. Add:
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese...and heat and stir until smooth...do NOT boil!
Serve!

Remember, this soup is only as good as your cheese....for a really intense cheese flavor add an additional ounce or so of grated Parmesan.

for a broccoli rice cheese casserole, I make a white sauce (2T butter, 2 T flour, cup of milk 1/2 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper) and to that recipe I add shredded sharp cheddar cheese about a cup and heat until melted.
Mix with 2 cups of cooked rice and a cup of chopped broccoli, place in a casserole, top with grated parmesan and buttered bread crumbs and bake at3 50 until bubbly and the top is browned....serves 4 as a side.
This is also good with some cooked chicken added....
Linda c

Ha, I had the same dilemma this weekend, wanted to make "chicken divan" but didn't really know how. Googled some recipes and then realized it was going to be really tough as I didn't have chicken broth (not critical) OR white wine (pretty critical). I ended up improvising with a white sauce, onions, mushrooms and some leftover turkey gravy for a poultry taste. Lemon juice instead of wine. Added cheddar and parmesean for the cheese factor. It was good but the rice got mushy. BF liked it so next time I am going to try this recipe from my Cook's Illustrated "Cover & Bake" cookbook.

P.S. Frankly I think some of their fussing is over the top and not necessary. Yes, slightly undercook the rice but I cut up the chicken and sauteed it until more or less done and it was OK. Also steamed the broccoli in the microwave.

Chicken Divan Casserole from "Cooks Illustrated Cover & Bake" cookbook, America's Test Kitchen, Brookline MA, 2004.

Topping:
1 cup slivered or whole blanched almonds (adjust grinding time depending on which you use, almonds should be pieces, not fine powder)
3 sliced white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 TBLSP melted butter, unsalted

Process almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground, 5-10 seconds. Add the bread and butter and process to a unformly coarse crumb, about six 1-second pulses. Set the this aside.

Filling:
Salt to taste
1 med. bunch broccoli (~ 1.5 lbs.), florets trimmed to 1 inch pieces, stalks peeled and chopped medium sized.
1 TBLSP olive oil
1 med. onion, minced
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (I never use white rice)
3 1/2 cups water (or broth, IMHO)
4 TBLSP unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream (I almost always use half and half)
6 oz. sharp cheddar, grated (~ 2 cups)
1 oz. Parmesean cheese, grated (~1/2 cup)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
1 lemon cut into wedges

Note: splash of white wine, just IMHO.

Steam or parboil broccoli for 1 minute. Season with salt. If parboiling, season the water with salt. Can also do in the microwave, make them just below done.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add the oil and put on med. heat until oil is shimmering. Add the onion, broccoli stems, and 1/2 tsp. salt. (Frankly I'd add mushrooms and garlic too!). Cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the rice and cook stirring to coat the grains with oil, for about 1 min. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is just tender. (16 min. for white rice, longer for brown).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over med. heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 min. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. (Here's where I'd add a splash of white wine). Off the heat, whisk in the cheeses, and cayenne until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Preheat overn to 400 degrees.

Spread the cooked rice into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or casserole, and arrange the broccoli florets in an even layer over the rice. Take the chicken cutlets and cut them in half widthwise (you want them very thin) and then cut these thin slices in half lengthwise, (you're making chicken "shingles"). Layer the chicken, slightly overlapping shingle-style across the broccoli, so that all the broccoli gets covered by chicken. Otherwise, according to these fussbudgets the exposed broccoli with get overdone/dried out. Pour about 2 cups of sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the edges are bubbling, 30-35 min. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Note: I've never made this so I might just sear the chicken breasts in EVOO before shingling them just in case, since I can't seem to get chicken to cook well in my oven. But they are so thin, probably not really necessary. Overcooked chicken will get rubbery.

Anyhow, I think they are on to something with this layering technique, since when I made it I just glopped everything together and smooshed it into a casserole and topped with parm. I did this mostly because I was very short on chicken, I didn't have near as much as that recipe above calls for, so I cut mine up into little chunks and added them to the rice. Oh, and I added spinach to the rice mixture too.

Linda, those both sound so good! I may have to make the both. Thanks so much. Lpink, that sounds good too. I have lots of good choices for the cold weekend ahead!

Here's one I make that's really good.
Broccoli Rice Casserole

2 10 oz pkgs frozen broccoli florets
2 cups cooked white rice
1 8 oz jar of Cheese Whiz (You could sub 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350o
Defrost the broccoli florets in the microwave and set aside.
Melt butter in large saucepan; add onions and soften until translucent.
Remove from heat and stir in the soup, milk and the Cheese Whiz or grated cheddar cheese
Mix well adding the broccoli and rice.
Add the ground nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper stirring well.
Pour into a greased 9 x 11 glass pan bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes.
Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and serve.

L. Pratt 2007

MY first thought when I read the title of this post was Chicken Divan, too!

Here is the recipe I use. It's super easy!

Chicken Divan

1 head broccoli, cooked and cut into florets
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 c slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter or margarine in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour; add chicken broth and stir until thick. Then stir in � c parmesan, cream, sherry or wine, salt and ground black pepper. Stir until cheese melts and mixture is thickened. Remove from heat.

Place broccoli crosswise in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour 1/2 of the cream sauce over the broccoli and top with chicken slices, pour remaining sauce over the chicken slices. Sprinkle top with 1/2 c parmesan and slivered almonds.

Bake 30 minutes at 350F, then broil 5-8 minutes to brown top. Serve hot over rice or orzo pasta.

Oh, Linda, I've been wanting to try making Broccoli Cheese soup for a long time. I tried making it once, but the broccoli bits were too, well, gritty, I guess, for lack of a better description. Anyway, it ended up having a bad mouth feel. I'll try your recipe and method. I don't remember what recipe, if any, I used before. I may have just tried making it up. Whatever the case was, it didn't work. So, thanks for the recipe.

Sally

I am trying lindaluu2 broccoli rice recipe. Waiting to be baked but the mix tastes absolutely delish. I am surprised nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce are such flavor enhancers. Will report later but I can tell this is a winner.

A+ for good flavor and for ease