It's Too Hot Here to Bake It Chicken Divan

 We have modified the Chicken Divan/Chicken Broccoli Casserole recipes in a way that avoids warming up the oven and our house.

Sauce:

Approximately 1 1/2 lb chicken (dark or light or a mixture; can also use canned or leftover cooked chicken)

2 cans cream of chicken soup*

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or more)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Broccoli, steamed

Rice, cooked

You will probably want to start cooking the rice first. If chicken isn't cooked, boil it in a pot or cook it in an Instant Pot (which works great to cook straight from frozen). When it is cooked take out the chicken and shred it. Now is a good time to steam the broccoli. Make a sauce with the chicken broth from the cooked chicken, or if you didn't cook the chicken use some chicken base and water and add the cream of chicken soup (*or alternative or a combination of both), mayonnaise and stir until smooth. Add the curry powder and add back the chicken. When it is warmed through add the lemon juice and decrease the temperature.

Layer broccoli and rice on the bottom (any order is fine) and pour sauce over it. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired and serve. If you don't mind heating up the oven and want to bake it and make it a casserole still steam the broccoli, if you aren't going to put it together immediately you may want to chill the broccoli if you don't want it too mushy. Put broccoli in the bottom of baking dish/pan and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Bake in the oven at about 350 for about 30 min. Serve over rice if desired.

*cream of chicken soup alternative (cheaper and healthier and use food storage) substitute 4 scant Tbsp of powdered milk and 2 heaping Tbsp of cornstarch (ish, measurements don't have to be super exact) with chicken soup base, any other seasonings you may choose to use and 1 1/4 cup water to substitute for each can of cream of chicken soup. I like to mix this separately with an immersion blender and then add it to make the sauce.

I remember Mom making this casserole and we always really liked it. She always baked it in the oven and I don't remember having it over rice, but it's a good thing and you can always make more sauce if you plan to put it over rice. My recollection is that Mom got the recipe from a ward or Relief Society dinner or some such event.