As a working mom, I have really enjoyed receiving my weekly meal plans from eMeals. Even though DH does a lot of the weekday cooking, I still have a little bit of input when it comes to trying new dishes. DH falls into a pattern of making the same dishes all the time. I get it. When I was the one making dinner every night, it’s tough to come up with new ideas to keep meal time exciting.
When I receive the weekly meal plan, I immediately check out the full list of recipes and see if there is anything that peaks my interest. This week there was such a recipe. I immediately went to work to revamp a classic into my own, What resulted was this amazing Ranch Chicken Divan.
I minimally steamed the broccoli florets so they would retain some of their crunch and bright color. I do not like mushy broccoli. There was just enough crunch left in the florets to offset the super creamy texture of the rest of the dish. I chose to increase the amount of broccoli since we all like it, plus it allowed me to reduce the chicken. Double win! I only used two split boneless skinless breasts, but you can certainly increase that amount for your own family. There is plenty of the creamy sauce mixture to evenly coat everything if you do decide to increase the amount of diced cooked chicken.
You are probably wondered why I decided to cook the chicken in my stock pot versus a frying pan too. Here’s the deal. I can’t stand mixing ingredients in a bowl that is too small, or layering a sauce over ingredients in a baking dish. I prefer to have everything evenly coated in the saucy goodness before adding to the baking dish. This just helps the whole dish come together better in my opinion.
We all loved this dish and voted it to be made again. There were barely any leftovers, and that’s a true sign of DH’s enjoyment level. Next time, I may up the ranch factor by adding a packet of the dry seasoning mix to really give it a boost. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
Disclosure: I’m a member of the eMeals Blogger Network. I have received a year membership to the program in exchange for my honest opinion and review. No other compensation has been received. If you are a blogger and would like to join the network, you can apply here, and please let them know you heard about the opportunity from In The Kitchen With KP.
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- 1 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 2 x 12 oz bags of broccoli florets (steam in bag)
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic diced fine
- 2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 oz sour cream based ranch dip
- ÂĽ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 slices loaf bread, cubed
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a large stock pot over high heat. Add the oil and diced garlic until fragrant.
- Microwave broccoli for 2 minutes, drain, set aside.
- Add chicken and sauté in garlic and olive oil until brown and cooked through.
- Remove chicken from heat, set aside.
- In large bowl mix cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch dip until well blended.
- Add soup/dip mixture into pot with chicken and stir thoroughly.
- Add steamed broccoli into pot with chicken and soup mixture, stirring thoroughly again
- Pour mixture into sprayed 11x7 baking dish
- Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula.
- Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let baking dish set for 5 minutes
- Serve over brown rice
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[…] As a working mom, I have really enjoyed receiving my weekly meal plans from eMeals. Even though DH does a lot of the weekday cooking, I still have a little bit of input when it comes to trying new dishes. DH falls into a pattern of making the same dishes …read more […]