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.

Pranjal - It was absolutely delicious! I halved the recipe and ate the whole thing myself. (In fact, since shrimp is not a leftoverable meal in my book, I summoned the help of a "natural appetite enhancer" to get through the whole pot. LOL!) Thinking my wife was going to at least taste it, I went real easy on the chili using just one seeded serrano. While the raw paste was quite hot, the finished meal had no more than a mild kick. I only had 31/40 count shrimp, so I was real careful not to overcook. It wasn't a problem, and while larger shrimp would be preferable, I certainly don't think it a necessity. A nice bonus was that start to finish, it took just over a half hour to prep and cook. I'll make it again real soon (if not tonight!) to see if DW agrees it should be a new staple in our househole. Thanks so much, and please pass on thanks and best regards to Mama! Safe trip. - James p.s. FWIW the written recipe passed the critique of my UAE/Bombay colleague.

Linda, this sounds terrific. I've never had a rice mixture cooked like this - I mean with spaghetti. Is that what makes it "pilaf"? Another question, is Jasmine rice mandatory, or could I use texmati rice (which is what I have in the house). Thanks for the recipe.

Makes a great buffet dish! Serves 6 1/4 cup olive oil 3/4 cup finely chopped sweet onions 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 cup beef broth 1 cup water 1 tablespoon chopped pimento Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and the sugar. Cook, stirring, until the onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, salt and white pepper, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the rice begins to brown a little. Add the broth and water, and boil the mixture, uncovered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the pimentos, fluff the rice, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.