Chicken and Broccoli Braid

A new twist on dinner, if you will. I had mentioned making this in a meal planning post in September but never ended up making it.

I was a little tired when meal planning this week so instead of taking this recipe and really adapting it, I'm going rather by the book on it. This came from Allrecipes.com and though this was delicious and really hit the spot on this cold, rainy evening, I already have a few tweaks to make for a whole new version. Think phyllo rather than crescent, spinach rather than broccoli and feta rather than cheddar, keeping the chicken and bell pepper.

Prep time for the meal is about 15 minutes, cook time is 25 minutes. Nutritional information includes 480 calories with 30 grams of fat.

Grocery List:
- 2 cups of diced, cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves, crushed garlic
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I would recommend 1/3 cup instead)
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed (this I omitted - I thought I had it in my spice cabinet but I didn't so I left it out and that was just fine)
- 1/3 tsp. of salt
- 2 tbsp. of slivered almonds (another something I left out, but the original recipe did call for it if you would like to use it)
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls (original recipe called for two - while I would like to say that I skimped on the second to be more carb-conscious, that would be a bold faced lie. Truth is, I overlooked that it said two and only got one so I had to improvise)
- 1 egg white, beaten

Start by pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees.

Next, take a skillet, a little bit of olive oil and add your onions - I seasoned with my favorite, Tony's Creole. Saute until translucent and a little browned.


In a large bowl toss together your chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, salt and finally the onion.




Unroll crescent roll dough and arrange flat on a baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough.




Using a knife, cut 1 inch wide strips inward toward the center. There should be a solid stripe about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side.


Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over the chicken/broccoli concoction, alternating strips from side to side - like a braid. Pinch or twist to seal.


Last, carefully crack an egg and drain the egg white into a bowl. Scramble it up and then brush the braided dough with the egg white.


Stick it in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.


Delicious, gooey, cheesy, melty! Enjoy!


Went back for seconds...