C is for Chicken Divan and Cornbread

C brings Chicken Divan - a warm, comfort filled casserole and C also brings Cornbread - southern to the core cornbread.

In addition to eating at home due to covid restrictions, I've also been eating WW (Weight Watcher) style for several years now. Foods are assigned a "point" value and each person can spend "X" number of points per day depending on gender and size. I use lots of recipes from the WW website and from Pounddropper's website but every once in a while, I find an old faithful and tweak it and make it WW friendly which is what I did for the Chicken Divan recipe.

Easy Chicken Divan

2 packages frozen broccoli florets (20 ounces total) cooked and drained

4 cups cooked cubed chicken (will take 4-8 boneless breasts depending on size)

2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

1 cup Hellman's Light mayo

1 cup Fage plain fat free greek yogurt

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 cup Kraft fat free shredded cheddar

This makes 1 3 quart casserole or 2 8 X 8 casseroles - you can eat one and freeze one or eat one and share the other with a neighbor or now that covid is hopefully on the way out, you can make the big one and invite friends over!

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray pan(s) with Pam

IMPORTANT note: If you are making 2 smaller casseroles, simply divide all of the ingredients between the two pans.

Place cooked, drained, broccoli on bottom of casserole. If I notice any huge florets, I cut them in half.

Place chicken on top of broccoli - I like for it to be in bite sized pieces.

Combine soup, mayo, yogurt, lemon juice, and curry powder in a bowl; and pour over chicken and broccoli.

Top with shredded cheese.

If you don't care about calories and WW points, you can make a topping of cheese (1/2 cup), panko bread crumbs  (1/2 cup) , and butter (1 T melted). The casserole is good without the topping.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Check. If not bubbly, return to oven for 15 more minutes.

Serve and enjoy. 

If you made two casseroles and want to freeze one, allow to cool thoroughly. Wrap pan in aluminum foil and then place in large freezer baggie. Label and freeze.

1/4 of the 8 X 8 pan is 4 points on blue WW

I've been eating cornbread all of my life. My paternal grandmother made cornbread (and homemade biscuits). My mother made cornbread and after she died, my daddy made it. It took years of trying before I got my cornbread to taste like theirs. Let me stop right here and tell you - this is NOT a WW recipe. I have the recipe written on a scrap of paper with BEST CORNBREAD written across the top. My family loves cornbread. I will be honest, I'm not that big of a bread eater but there is NOTHING like a wedge of cornbread hot out of the oven. Split it open and put a large pat of real butter on it and experience southern cooking. You can check out the history of cornbread in this great Southern Living article.

Cornbread

2 cups White Lily Buttermilk Cornmeal mix

3 T. White Lily All Purpose Flour

1 jumbo egg

2 cups (plus a little if needed) buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

plus another 1/4 cup oil or Crisco (I think my parents used bacon grease for this portion of oil - heart attack waiting to happen but so delicious!!)

If you want decadence, 1/4 stick Land o' Lakes butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Either grease your cast iron skillet liberally with Crisco or pour 1/4 cup oil into skillet. Place skillet in oven for oil to heat. I usually do this while the oven is preheating. Skillet below is ready to go into the oven while I mix up the cornbread.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix cornmeal, flour, egg, 1/4 cup oil and 2 cups buttermilk. I probably use closer to 2 1/4 cups buttermilk. Batter will be thick.

When oven has reached 425, using a thick oven mitt, remove skillet from oven and place on a heat resistant surface. Pour batter into hot skillet.

If you look closely, you can see

the hot oil sizzling around the edges

and you can see how the texture

changed on those edges - this is 

what it is supposed to look like

At this point, if you want to be totally decadent . . .put several pats of Land O' Lakes butter on top of batter.  Return skillet to oven and bake for 25 minutes. After baking, remove from oven and turn onto a plate.

The hot oil in the skillet is what causes the cornbread to have the crunchy, crispy crust. Slice cornbread like a pie and then while still hot, slice longways but not all the way (you want the piece of cornbread to open like an alligator mouth - only example I can think of!!). Put a generous amount of Land O' Lakes butter inside and enjoy. 

You may notice that we do not use sugar in our cornbread - ever! I know that some people do add sugar but that is a "no no" in our house.

Cornbread can be served with just about any meal of your choice - it is really good served with black eye peas and greens and it is also really good served with chili or homemade vegetable soup. My husband had been known to eat a left-over slice for breakfast. 

If you have cornbread left over after your meal, wait until TOTALLY cool and place in a zip lock baggie. You can zap a left-over slice or two in the microwave for a second or two or place a piece in a toaster oven to warm it.

I have not calculated the WW points on this because . . .just because! I rarely eat it and when I do, I eat a slice and enjoy it and exercise a little more that day!!

Is there a recipe that you make that has been passed down from generation to generation?