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{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my sweet friend, Raia, author of Raia’s Recipes. Raia is a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of five crazy kids. After the birth of her third child, she was diagnosed with celiac disease. This discovery turned her bread and pasta-filled life upside down and set her on a mission to find out what healthy meant for her family. Aspiring to encourage other moms, she started her blog filled with simple, easy, healthy dishes. Stop by Raia’s Recipes to get plenty of real food, gluten-free recipes and much more!}
Every year around the holidays I get a craving for the food my mom made growing up.
When I’ve been cooped up indoors due to weather or I’m dealing with frazzled nerves from too much to do, nostalgic comfort food will fix it every time.
Chicken divan was one of my mom’s specialties. And being the from-scratch, whole-foodie that she was, there were no frozen something, leftover something, or instant cream-of-something soups in her recipe. (Not that I have an issue with organic frozen veggies or using leftovers!)
Just plain, simple, whole food with a tasty homemade sauce.
I can still remember the excitement I felt watching her prepare it and the anticipation of cheesy, slightly crunchy broccoli on my plate. Even today, it’s my favorite way to eat broccoli (and I still taste the anticipation when I’m the one making it)!
When I married and began a family of my own, I was a little nervous to carry on my mom’s chicken divan tradition, but my fears were in vain. Though this meal was a holiday treat in our house, this chicken divan is a fairly simple dish to make. It’s basically just chicken and broccoli, baked in a cheesy white sauce. Not much to it, but so much flavor!
I like to use dark meat for this recipe, but you can use whatever kind you want, just make sure to keep the skin on! It adds a wonderful texture and taste when combined with the cheese sauce and Parmesan/herb topping.
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Creamy Chicken Divan :: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Option
I like to use dark meat for this recipe, but you can use whatever kind you want, just make sure to keep the skin on! It adds a wonderful texture and taste when combined with the cheese sauce and Parmesan/herb topping.
Ingredients
- 2 lb. skin-on chicken (drumsticks, thighs, leg quarters, or breasts), preferably bone-in
- 1 head fresh broccoli
- 3 c. chicken stock
- 2 T. butter or ghee (if you're dairy-free, you can use refined coconut oil, but you'll lose a little bit of the flavor component to this dish)
- 2 T. tapioca powder
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1/2 c. shredded white cheddar cheese (for dairy free, use a vegan alternative, like Daiya or VioLife)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, more or less taste
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, more or less to taste
- 2 T.+ grated Parmesan (can omit for dairy-free, or use a vegan alternative)
- 1/2 t. dried oregano
- 1 t. dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Fill a large pot with water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and set timer for 10 minutes. When time is up, drain out chicken and place in a 9x13 inch dish.
- While chicken is boiling, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When melted, whisk in tapioca starch. Turn heat to medium-high and pour in a cup of the stock. Stir until smooth and thickened, then add another cup. Repeat until all the stock is added and sauce is thickened. Stir in cheese, garlic, and salt and pepper.
- Slice broccoli lengthwise and place in baking dish with the parboiled chicken. Pour sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan, oregano, and parsley.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and broccoli and chicken are cooked through.
Notes
If you don't want to parboil the chicken, simply bake the dish for 1 hour. If you find your sauce is too lumpy, pour it into a blender and pulse until it's smooth.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 630Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 246mgSodium: 357mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 59g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix and we often find their calculations to be slightly inaccurate based on the whole food ingredients we use on this site. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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